What were they thinking at the MSNBC when they decided to put Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews to anchor the political news coverage for this election cycle? Aside from the understandable grief and its otherwise brilliant coverage of the late Tim Russert (an homage which Russert wholeheartedly deserved), MSNBC has become extremely biased as Olbermann (no surprise here) and Matthews (to some extent) have done away with their journalistic professionalism in favor of blurting out their bias at every possible moment on any telecast. At least Matthews has the ability to keep his opinions to himself once in a while. But Olbermann? The ever-smug, childish Olbermann is likely the least objective person in any news outlet today, and if MSNBC thought he could attract a young demographic to tune in, his daily tirades against conservatives, Republicans and those he disagrees with (including Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan- which became ugly at the recent Republican National Convention) have turned otherwise moderate viewers who might have agreed with him off. What makes this even more embarrassing is that Olbermann already has his own show, Countdown, to say and do what he wants to say (in which Olbermann often rants against anything or anyone he doesn't agree with, especially Bill O'Reilly, in his 'Worst Person Ever' segments- which are, in effect, getting old now). His opinion well-known to everyone in media, why does Olbermann still feel the need to espouse them further in a national telecast and cut-off (or insult) those who might, heaven forbid, disagree with his views? Olbermann and MSNBC have the right to their opinions, but they ought to be more tactful in how they conduct themselves during national events which ought to be reported objectively- a basic premise in responsible journalism and reporting. Furthermore, MSNBC has had this recent penchant of using its media clout (which is now starting to ebb) by making snide remarks on what ought to be biased-free reporting such as when MSNBC put the caption under the Sarah Palin-as-veep-pick announcement: How many houses does Palin add to the Republican ticket? Yes, it can be argued that CNN and Fox News are not immune to accusations of their biases as well, but MSNBC by allowing a loudmouth like Olbermann to take over telecasts, even out of camera range, makes the NBC/General Electric brand seem petty and unprofessional. Give credit though, MSNBC has taken a step in the right direction by removing Matthews and Olbermann, especially the latter, as anchors to the 2008 political coverage because they were besmirching the otherwise good NBC/General Electric brand name.
