Current Article
MSNBC Pissing Away its Credibility
By Larry Johnson on February 8, 2008 at 9:38 PM in Current Affairs
As someone who has appeared several times on the Keith
Olbermann show and a myriad of other MSNBC programs over the year,
including Chris Matthew’s Hardball, I am stunned that this cable outlet
has lost its way and is alienating a significant portion of viewers who
like and respect Hillary and Bill Clinton.
It is one thing to have a point of view. Olbermann, for example, has enjoyed success by pitting himself as an alternative voice to the pro-Republican propaganda that is Fox News (I also was a paid Fox consultant during 2002) and challenging President Bush. But to take sides on behalf of Obama at the expense of Hillary Clinton, is wrong. Say the name “Clinton,” and MSNBC transforms itself into Fox light.
Their lionization of Obama and unwarranted attacks on Hillary Clinton are over the top. David Shuster’s latest piece of verbal sexual assault on Chelsea Clinton comes just a few weeks after Chris Matthews made the incredibly stupid claim that the only reason Hillary was elected Senator was because of her husband’s infidelity. (I am surprised that David said something so stupid.)
I have stopped watching MSNBC. I am getting my news from the BBC and the Jim Lehrer News Hour. I wouldn’t appear on Chris Matthews’ show if paid for my time. I will still do Olbermann (if asked) but, after this piece, I suspect I’ll be off the list. MSNBC sadly joins the ranks of Fox as just another tabloid outlet bent on pandering to the lowest common denominator.
UPDATE: (Expanded comment from BernieO. Got this note from a NoQuarter reader and believe it merits more attention.)
Dear Larry
Thank you for highlighting the outrageous behavior of pundits at MSNBC. I wish you would make an exception for the Dan Abrams show. He is one of the very few journalists who is regularly talking about the blatant anti-Clinton bias in the media. He is also asking viewers to email the show about instances of bias that they see. In addition he is running an ongoing segment called “Bush League Justice” highlighting how Bush is still stacking the decks of our legal system with extreme right wingers. It would be very helpful for NBC to see his ratings increase as a result of this. I think he is the general manager of MSNBC, so he may bear some responsibility for what has been going on, but even so, his show deserves to succeed for taking the high road.
I have been a close media watcher ever since I stumbled across Gene Lyons’ book “Fools for Scandal” about the responsibility the media bore for pushing the bogus Whitewater scandal. I am convinced that without their complicity in this right wing smear, as well as others pseudo scandals like Travelgate, there would never have been an independent counsel, Monica (at least in a public sense) or impeachment. The right wing will always try this kind of garbage but without the media legitimizing them and giving them a megaphone they would not succeed. I also believe they were responsible for the election of Bush. They clearly overlooked his extremely serious flaws like his obvious engagement in insider trading as well as his blatant lies. Instead he was portrayed as a straight shooter while Gore was unfairly trashed as a liar at every turn. When I tried to tell people about Bush’s background or that Gore really had helped create the internet, they thought I was nuts. There is no way most Americans would have voted for this clown if they had been given the information they needed to make a sound judgment. The media also unfairly mocked Kerry and gave a platform to the Swiftboaters with very little challenge to their veracity. They share a lot of responsibility for the serious problems this country is nowed facing.
I am deeply troubled that so many Democrats seem to think that this behavior has only been aimed at the Clintons and many think the Clintons bear a lot of the blame for it. They overlook the treatment of Gore and Kerry. Our media has been the major obstacle to the election of any Democratic president in recent years. It is possible they will not do this to Obama, but I would not bet on it. This unprofessional conduct is extremely damaging to our democracy and should not be tolerated by anyone, no matter whose ox is being unfairly gored. (I stopped subscribing to Newsweek after they took their cheap shot at Bush Sr. with their “Wimp Factor” cover even though I did not support him,) An informed electorate is an essential for any democracy to function. Presidents need to be elected based on a fair assessment of both their strengths and weaknesses, not some high school game of who is the coolest. You would think after the debacle of Bush the media would have lost confidence in their own judgment, but obviously not.
I am heartened to see Democrats finally stand up to the media the way that Republicans have for years. It is clearly having an impact and needs to continue. Those in the media who have the courage to say the emperor has no clothes as Dan Abrams is doing deserve our support.
Sorry for the length of this letter but this is an issue that I obviously am passionate about. I think we have an opportunity to fix this problem, but people need to understand its depth and not just attribute it to the personality of the Clintons. Raising an outcry whenever the media exhibits their bias and rewarding those who are fair is the best way to put an end to this extremely damaging behavior.
It is one thing to have a point of view. Olbermann, for example, has enjoyed success by pitting himself as an alternative voice to the pro-Republican propaganda that is Fox News (I also was a paid Fox consultant during 2002) and challenging President Bush. But to take sides on behalf of Obama at the expense of Hillary Clinton, is wrong. Say the name “Clinton,” and MSNBC transforms itself into Fox light.
Their lionization of Obama and unwarranted attacks on Hillary Clinton are over the top. David Shuster’s latest piece of verbal sexual assault on Chelsea Clinton comes just a few weeks after Chris Matthews made the incredibly stupid claim that the only reason Hillary was elected Senator was because of her husband’s infidelity. (I am surprised that David said something so stupid.)
I have stopped watching MSNBC. I am getting my news from the BBC and the Jim Lehrer News Hour. I wouldn’t appear on Chris Matthews’ show if paid for my time. I will still do Olbermann (if asked) but, after this piece, I suspect I’ll be off the list. MSNBC sadly joins the ranks of Fox as just another tabloid outlet bent on pandering to the lowest common denominator.
UPDATE: (Expanded comment from BernieO. Got this note from a NoQuarter reader and believe it merits more attention.)
Dear Larry
Thank you for highlighting the outrageous behavior of pundits at MSNBC. I wish you would make an exception for the Dan Abrams show. He is one of the very few journalists who is regularly talking about the blatant anti-Clinton bias in the media. He is also asking viewers to email the show about instances of bias that they see. In addition he is running an ongoing segment called “Bush League Justice” highlighting how Bush is still stacking the decks of our legal system with extreme right wingers. It would be very helpful for NBC to see his ratings increase as a result of this. I think he is the general manager of MSNBC, so he may bear some responsibility for what has been going on, but even so, his show deserves to succeed for taking the high road.
I have been a close media watcher ever since I stumbled across Gene Lyons’ book “Fools for Scandal” about the responsibility the media bore for pushing the bogus Whitewater scandal. I am convinced that without their complicity in this right wing smear, as well as others pseudo scandals like Travelgate, there would never have been an independent counsel, Monica (at least in a public sense) or impeachment. The right wing will always try this kind of garbage but without the media legitimizing them and giving them a megaphone they would not succeed. I also believe they were responsible for the election of Bush. They clearly overlooked his extremely serious flaws like his obvious engagement in insider trading as well as his blatant lies. Instead he was portrayed as a straight shooter while Gore was unfairly trashed as a liar at every turn. When I tried to tell people about Bush’s background or that Gore really had helped create the internet, they thought I was nuts. There is no way most Americans would have voted for this clown if they had been given the information they needed to make a sound judgment. The media also unfairly mocked Kerry and gave a platform to the Swiftboaters with very little challenge to their veracity. They share a lot of responsibility for the serious problems this country is nowed facing.
I am deeply troubled that so many Democrats seem to think that this behavior has only been aimed at the Clintons and many think the Clintons bear a lot of the blame for it. They overlook the treatment of Gore and Kerry. Our media has been the major obstacle to the election of any Democratic president in recent years. It is possible they will not do this to Obama, but I would not bet on it. This unprofessional conduct is extremely damaging to our democracy and should not be tolerated by anyone, no matter whose ox is being unfairly gored. (I stopped subscribing to Newsweek after they took their cheap shot at Bush Sr. with their “Wimp Factor” cover even though I did not support him,) An informed electorate is an essential for any democracy to function. Presidents need to be elected based on a fair assessment of both their strengths and weaknesses, not some high school game of who is the coolest. You would think after the debacle of Bush the media would have lost confidence in their own judgment, but obviously not.
I am heartened to see Democrats finally stand up to the media the way that Republicans have for years. It is clearly having an impact and needs to continue. Those in the media who have the courage to say the emperor has no clothes as Dan Abrams is doing deserve our support.
Sorry for the length of this letter but this is an issue that I obviously am passionate about. I think we have an opportunity to fix this problem, but people need to understand its depth and not just attribute it to the personality of the Clintons. Raising an outcry whenever the media exhibits their bias and rewarding those who are fair is the best way to put an end to this extremely damaging behavior.
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