Even the Left Admits Left Bias on MSNBC
Even when an MSM outlet takes action in an attempt to calm public outrage toward biased reporting a contrived explanation follows. MSNBC, aka PMSNBC in conservative talk radio ala Rush Limbaugh, offered a typical liberal leaning stance on actions related to placing muzzles on Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews. MSNBC’s President Phil Griffin attirbuted the move as not related to complaints from the GOP or NBC ‘journalists’ but something that had been discussed for a long time. The report from WaPo’s Media Notes indicates sources like the Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, Salon and Talk Left are just a bit upset by the news. Proof enough that the charges of bias are legitimate and Phil Griffin is taking the politically correct stance on what the left calls caving to pressure.
If Tom Brokaw is complaining that Olbermann and Matthews are favoring Barack Obama and floor interviews at conventions are being dismissed by the duo in favor of trashing GOP candidates how does the left reconcile that with their contention that NBC is caving to the right? The way they always do. Don’t let the facts stand in the way of promoting the fringe left doctrine.
For Griffin to describe David Gregory, the Olbermann/Matthews replacement, ‘as good a newsman as there is in television news,’ the pressure will be on Gregory not to fail or fall in a position similar to the people he is replacing. Another quote from the piece sums up the situation and the problem for liberal bias in the MSM. Larry Grossman, a former president of NBC News, said that MSNBC has “been doing very well as the liberal antithesis to Fox, everyone knows that,” he said. “But at some point standards and journalistic integrity have to take over.” This is both stupid and brilliant all at the same time. Stupid because Grossman admits MSNBC has the liberal bias the left denies including Phil Griffin. The lefties are the ‘everyone knows’ group he is talking about and if they had standards and journalistic integrity this problem would have not occured. Which of course is the brilliant part as it saves the rest of us from having to argue the point any longer. MSNBC is biased which can apply to the rest of NBC and support the notion of bias the MSM in general denies.
It just gets better. It has been mentioned elsewhere and at other times in politics that the Democratic party’s most damning vulnerability is their far left fringe kooks. When they find themselves in a political advantage they are their worst enemy and if anyone can fail in that situation the Dems are leaders of that distinction. The 2006 midterms and the disapproval rating of Congress since then are the most recent example of this phenomenon. An additional indictment of MSNBC comes from another lefty, Taylor Marsh, saying Olbermann was a voice for the left but it was too bad he trashed Hillary Clinton and his bias was bound to lead to his undoing. Imagine that. A liberal admitting liberal bias in the news media while other libs try to create villains to explain away their dishonesty.
Just to keep it pathetic Glenn Greenwald maintains the fringe stance that conservatives are to blame for the Olbermann/Matthews debacle. If, as Greenwald contends, Chris Matthews was a target of liberal critics then that combined with the accusation of right wing pressure and network execs caving to pressure makes little sense. Proving once again liberals are a mess.
While some of the commentary presented in the WaPo piece from sources on the right are somewhat caustic and predictable in the gloating face of a victory of sorts, most comments are on point, measured and reasonable. The suggestion here is to click on the highlighted text to read the entire WaPo item for yourself. Yup, it’s worth it.
Stanford Matthews
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