Other than perhaps the BBC, there's not much "objectivity" in the way news is covered.
On the cable networks, Fox News and CNN both tilt right (though the latter does it subtly enough that some conservatives think that CNN is "liberal") and MSNBC, at least in its evening broadcasts, tilts a sort of mainstream-left (you're not likely to see Amy Goodman or Noam Chomsky on the channel).
The media gossip site Jossip.com is a good source for recent MSNBC in-house news. Here's their take on the demotion of Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews to mere analysts, in favor of David Gregory (who, in the past, has been to George Butch, Jr. what Dan Rather was to Richard Nixon) as the "objective" anchor: http://www.jossip.com/msnbc-reduces-olbermann-and-matthews-to-mere-pundits-20080908/
And another article updating this story: http://www.jossip.com/phil-griffin-thought-he-was-saving-msnbc-from-itself-maybe-he-was-wrong-20080908/#more-31023
While I'm at it, here's a link to a commentary piece from Jeffrey Wells of HOLLYWOOD ELSEWHERE that reminds us that Gregory was part of last year's infamous "MC Rove" sketch during the Washington Correspondents' Dinner, where the press and the politicians get to suck up to each other: http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2008/09/msnbc_bad-guy_p.php
Regarding MSNBC, my thoughts are mixed. Yes, Olbermann is a good newsertainer--but he doesn't seem to be comfortable with anything other than being highly scripted and only interviewing people on the same ideological page (one hopes this doesn't extend to the bright and interesting--and not afraid to debate conservatives--Rachel Maddow, whose show debuts tonight).
But a lot of the channel's output is subpar. I once erroneously blamed Dan Abrams (when he was still general manager) for the late-evening hours being clogged with prison documentaries/TO CATCH A PREDATOR reruns. Jeff Zucker takes the blame for that programming decision. And if MSNBC had a bit more money to do real reporting, maybe the channel wouldn't resort to so much dumb (and cheap to air) talking-head speculating on what Candidates X and Y will do next.
And some daily anchors (such as the mind-numbing Contessa Brewer) need to be fired.
Your thoughts? Please post them in the "comments" section.
Update 9/10/08: Another Jossip post which articulated the concerns of NBC "news" talent who don't want to be tainted by MSNBC "comments"--
Update 9/11/08: Let's allow Charles Warner, writing in THE HUFFINGTON POST, to have the last word:
If MSNBC had been only a cable news network and not associated with NBC News, had not used NBC News talent such as Tim Russert, Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams, and Andrea Mitchell, and had tilted to the left with Olbermann and Matthews, it would have branded itself as a liberal alternative [to Fox News] and possibly prospered.
Full article at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-warner/msnbc---the-place-for-pol_b_125533.html
Tags: Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, Phil Griffin, David Gregory, Contessa Brewer, Joe Scarborough, MSNBC, Tom Brokaw, Brian Williams, Dan Abrams, Jeff Zucker, General Electric
No comments:
Post a Comment