MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has been suspended after he acknowledged to NBC that he donated $2,400 apiece to the campaigns of Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway and Arizona Reps. Raul Grivalva and Gabrielle Giffords.
NBC Suspends Olbermann For Donations
NEW YORK (AP) – MSNBC has suspended primetime host Keith Olbermann indefinitely without pay for contributing to the campaigns of three Democratic candidates this election season.
Olbermann acknowledged to NBC that he donated $2,400 apiece to the campaigns of Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway and Arizona Reps. Raul Grivalva and Gabrielle Giffords.
NBC News prohibits its employees from working on, or donating to, political campaigns unless a special exception is granted by the news division president – effectively a ban. Olbermann’s bosses did not find out about the donations until after they were made. The website Politico first reported the donations.
“I became aware of Keith’s political contributions late last night,” Phil Griffin, MSNBC’s chief executive, said Friday. “Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay.”
Olbermann was not immediately available for comment.
His “Countdown” show, which airs at 8 p.m. ET, is MSNBC’s most popular program. His on-the-air transformation from the host of a straight news program to a liberal commentator led the network itself to go in the same direction, filling its prime-time lineup with left-leaning hosts and doing better in the ratings than anytime since its 1996 launch.
BRAND CONNECTIONS
Olbermann was a co-anchor of MSNBC’s election coverage this week. The network’s performance drew some criticism, particularly with Chris Matthews’ contentious interviews with Republican Reps. Michele Bachmann and Marsha Blackburn.
Chris Hayes will fill in for Olbermann on Friday’s program, the network said.
Comments (10)
ali amirhooshmand says:
November 5, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Worsest
Russell Jones says:
November 5, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Let’s hope this keeps him off the air forever.
Amy Gordon says:
November 5, 2010 at 4:43 pm
If only they would do the same for Fox news.
Warren Harmon says:
November 5, 2010 at 6:26 pm
F.O.D. we need Fox so the leftists don’t bury stories in this love affair with enimy of the stae OBAMA.
Just Fine says:
November 6, 2010 at 2:34 pm
“Enimy of the stae?” Is that the same thing as “Enemy of the state?” The President of the United States isn’t the Enemy of the State. He’s the President. The last guy failed to heed advance notices of four foreign attacks, put us in two wars, was responsible for the lackluster response to a still largely uninhabited American city, created the circumstances behind the largest ecological disasters in our country let alone the world, and set the standards that turned a budget surplus into a record-setting, economy-crushing deficit the current guy is still trying to dig us out of, and yet Obama is the “enemy of the state?” Seriously?
Mary Machado says:
November 5, 2010 at 4:36 pm
this just tops my week, the only broadcaster I care about (except for Chris Matthews (being from Mtg County) and Jon Stewart and now you take Keith away! If he were on fox they would be screaming 1st amendment rights. When is the real election going to be! sadlly
Amy Gordon says:
November 5, 2010 at 4:47 pm
It is odd how true network news divisions work. Here we have a news network who suspends their own air talent for political donations and then there is Fox News (if you can call them a news organization) If this man had done this there he would probably have been given a two year contract extension.
Kimberly Gari-Luff says:
November 5, 2010 at 5:22 pm
I’m throwing the Publicity Stunt flag, a football metaphor. If (a) he didn’t know about the policy and (b) he didn’t know his contributions could easily be found online, then he’s too stupid to walk and chew gum at the same time. But no, he’s never been stupid. I’m calling it a stunt. NBC may keep him off-air for a while, just to make it look good, but I’m convinced it’s all been planned out.
Lou Cardinale says:
November 5, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Who really cares. It was his money and probably on his time. If it was NBC’s money then they could howl all they wanted to but this was an individual giving his money. I don’t agree who he gave it to but that is his business not mine.
Michael Goshin says:
November 5, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Olbermann is downright vicious. He regularly tells people he doesn’t like to go to hell and calls them idiots. I do not mind a left leaning host, I just can not take the hatred he delivers nightly. I hope he is off forever!