Keith Olbermann finally blogging where he's always belonged

ballz2wallz · 01-14-2008, 07:43 PM

Where's that proof that the media is heavily biased toward the left? Well, as if you need anymore proof that MSNBC's Olbermann is radically left, at least he's very open about it, as he's now blogging where he will be welcome...Daily Kos.

I love how Allah puts it so eloquently, in only a style Olbermann himself would appreciate:

In his natural habitat, as it were. I’m sure I’ve said this before but his show has always seemed like more of a nutroots blog than an actual cable news program. Same echo chamber, same theatrical anger, and as regular Olby Watch readers know, often the very same material, recycled nightly from sites like Think Progress and Media Matters. What else are his Special Comments but the television equivalent of the fabled pretty vicious rant and important action alert? And now he’s finally among The People. A tender moment.

The occasion? His endless embarrassing ass-kissing of the Clintons, which manifested itself in such shameless spin during the Iowa returns that the Kossacks themselves began needling him for it. He tried to make amends later, seizing on Hillary’s fading polls and mention of Al Qaeda to give her the GOP treatment, but now that she’s come back and the race is a toss-up it’s time to clear the air going forward. Memo to Krazy: It’s not that simple.

As if that weren't enough? We now have editors of newspapers becoming directors of the ACLU.

Terri Burke, former editor of the Abilene Reporter-News, has been named executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas.

Burke, 56, will begin work at the ACLU of Texas on Tuesday. Her duties will include lobbying, fundraising, administering the organization and communicating with the public.

Burke said her new job seems like a continuation of her work in the newspaper business.

“I wanted to be a journalist because I thought journalism was a way to further the democratic process,” Burke said. “At its heart, journalism is about the First Amendment. All my life, I’ve been interested in those kinds of issues.”

I love what Bryan has to say about it!

Journalism isn’t supposed to be a political activity, except in that in being a journalist you’re exercising the right of free speech and freedom of the press. Journalism is supposed to be an unbiased pursuit of the facts and an effort to render them fairly. By seeing journalism as a means to “further the democratic process,” Burke saw her previous vocation as a political activity.

And that she went straight from editing a newspaper to heading up the state ACLU just makes a more honest person out of her. If there’s irony to be found here, it’s in the fact that the ACLU often uses the courts not to further the democratic process, but to destroy it.

motivez · 01-14-2008, 07:48 PM

Everyone has known Olbermann tilts left, that's no shocker.

I don't see what the ACLU thing has to do with media bias though, saying they thought journalism helped further the democratic process isn't wrong, but it doesn't mean you're inherently biased in your reporting either (in general, I don't know this guy).

By reporting on political issues and giving people information they need to make informed choices about the issues you report on, you are indeed furthering the democratic process.. the democratic process is, at it's heart, about having knowledge enough to make an informed choice amidst all of the options.

Certainly journalism helps further that. So, that Bryan guy is laughably wrong.

RMNIXON · 01-14-2008, 07:48 PM

MSNBC was holding him back.

Now we can find out how he really feels about Bush and the Neocons!

ballz2wallz · 01-14-2008, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by motivez

I don't see what the ACLU thing has to do with media bias though, saying they thought journalism helped further the democratic process isn't wrong, but it doesn't mean you're inherently biased in your reporting either (in general, I don't know this guy).

By reporting on political issues and giving people information they need to make informed choices about the issues you report on, you are indeed furthering the democratic process.. the democratic process is, at it's heart, about having knowledge enough to make an informed choice amidst all of the options.

Well, she's an activist, and now she's just working in a more suitable position.

motivez · 01-14-2008, 07:54 PM

Have you read any of the articles she's written?

ballz2wallz · 01-14-2008, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by motivez

Have you read any of the articles she's written?

Do editors write articles?

motivez · 01-14-2008, 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

Do editors write articles?

Who knows? She called herself a journalist, one would assume she wrote something at some point, or did she just go from college to being an editor?

How about listing what evidence you have that she's an activist that impacted her partiality while at the newspaper? I mean, taking a new job at a civil liberties organization hardly means you were a partisan hack at your old job by default.

And, like I said, I don't know her, so I don't know what she's been involved with.

ballz2wallz · 01-14-2008, 08:04 PM

Originally Posted by motivez

Who knows? She called herself a journalist, one would assume she wrote something at some point, or did she just go from college to being an editor?

How about listing what evidence you have that she's an activist that impacted her partiality while at the newspaper?

She's now director of the ACLU. It's not because she's unbiased.

motivez · 01-14-2008, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

She's now director of the ACLU. It's not because she's unbiased.

So in other words, you don't have any evidence or answers to the questions I asked?

ballz2wallz · 01-14-2008, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by motivez

So in other words, you don't have any evidence or answers to the questions I asked?

Yes, she's now director of an activist organization. What more do you need? You think she hid her activist feelings as editor of a medium of free speech? Who's got the wool pulled over your eyes?

motivez · 01-14-2008, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

Yes, she's now director of an activist organization. What more do you need?

Oh, I don't know.. how about actual evidence of her activism in her former role?

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

You think she hid her activist feelings as editor of a medium of free speech? Who's got the wool pulled over your eyes?

Like I said, I don't know whether she did or not because I don't know her, or her work. That's kind of the reason for me asking: Because I want to know instead of making a gigantic assumption.

ballz2wallz · 01-14-2008, 08:23 PM

Originally Posted by motivez

Oh, I don't know.. how about actual evidence of her activism in her former role?

Like I said, I don't know whether she did or not because I don't know her, or her work. That's kind of the reason for me asking: Because I want to know instead of making a gigantic assumption.

Since I'm unable to provide such things at this present time, you'll just have to accept the fact that activism was present in the relevant journalistic workplace. It's up to you to deduce (if you want) whether or not that activism was practiced. But then again, what good is an activist's if their feelings aren't expressed?

garbagemanlb · 01-14-2008, 08:27 PM

Holy shit, the editor of the Abilene Reporter-News joined the ACLU? I didn't know such a media powerhouse was so biased!

As for olberman...is it a surprise that he's liberal? That's like O'Reilly or any of the Fox anchors writing articles for Worldnetdaily or the National Review.

motivez · 01-14-2008, 08:28 PM

I don't have to accept it when no evidence of it has been provided, on the contrary, I reject the claim until some is

As far as what good is an activist.. Who's to say she wasn't active elsewhere, ie: besides the work place? It's equally plausible to the other assumptions made, but I'd still like to see something one way or another

I'm sure there are people on here who are politically active that don't let it interfere with their job, and aren't going around trying to start political topics about issues all the time?

bheld · 01-14-2008, 08:36 PM

The liberal media "bias" gets me every time. What happened to the liberal media bias leading up to the Iraq war? What happened to it when evidence came to light that implicated people within our own government in the proliferation of nuclear materials? What happened to the liberal bias when we got sold damaged goods relating to national "security?" What happened to the liberal media when billions went missing in Iraq's "free fraud zone?" Where's the outrage on these issues? Why is this administration getting a pass on a laundry list of impeachable offenses while the Clinton blowjob saga was front page news for a year?

Liberal media my ass. The media just plain sucks and is skewed corporate.

garbagemanlb · 01-14-2008, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by bheld

The liberal media "bias" gets me every time. What happened to the liberal media bias leading up to the Iraq war? What happened to it when evidence came to light that implicated people within our own government in the proliferation of nuclear materials? What happened to the liberal bias when we got sold damaged goods relating to national "security?" What happened to the liberal media when billions went missing in Iraq's "free fraud zone?" Where's the outrage on these issues? Why is this administration getting a pass on a laundry list of impeachable offenses while the Clinton blowjob saga was front page news for a year?

Liberal media my ass. The media just plain sucks and is skewed corporate.

Don't forget how the media downplayed the whole Lewinsky scandal!