I must confess that I don't watch much of Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. But somehow, I don't buy a whole lot of this.
OJR: How would you describe yourself politically on the liberal-to-conservative spectrum? How important do you think it is for MSM to be transparent on their political affiliations?
KO: I'm not political. I don't vote -- I don't believe journalists covering politics should (and I don't think the democracy would suffer if however many of us there are, recused ourselves). I have no more interest in the political outcome of an election than I did in the winner or loser of any ballgame I ever covered. I think transparency is vital; I think it's also, in these super-heated political times, unintentionally inescapable. If a reporter's work in turn winds up criticizing a candidate or party in some cases, and praising that same candidate or party in others, he's as close to neutral as he can be. If not, he's a partisan. The partisans outnumber the neutrals 1000:1.
I'd be curious to find out the last time on his program that he praised something the Bush administration did. Olbermann's blog is full of ridiculous conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory that John Kerry really won Ohio -- and maybe Florida too.
The only people still pursuing those wacko theories are partisans. Any self-respecting "neutral" has already concluded what all sane and informed people have: Bush won.
For those interested in keeping track of Olbermann's crusade, you can check out The National Debate's spin-off blog, Olbermann Watch.
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