Olbermann responds to Greenwald's charges against Richard Wolffe

[kentuck]

From: HuffPost

<snip>
Salon blogger Glenn Greenwald wrote of Wolffe's dual role:

This is a conflict so severe that it's incurable by disclosure: who wouldn't realize that you can't present paid corporate hacks as objective political commentators? But the fact that they don't even bother to disclose that just serves to illustrate how non-existent is the line between corporate interests and "news reporting" in the United States.

Keith Olbermann returned from vacation Monday and responded promptly to Greenwald's claim. In a diary on the Daily Kos, Olbermann wrote:

I honor Mr. Greenwald's insight into the coverage of GE/NewsCorp talks, and his reporting on Richard's other jobs. I must confess I was caught flat-footed. I do not know what the truth is; my executive producer and I have spent the last two months dealing with other things (see above) but what appears to be the truth here is certainly not what Richard told us about his non-news job.

I am confident his commentary to this point has not been compromised - he has been an insightful analyst and a great friend to this show - but until we can clarify what else he is doing, he will not be appearing with us. I apologize for not being able to prevent this unhappy set of circumstances from developing.

......more

[opihimoimoi]

1. Oh Oh.....something smells....

[BlooInBloo]

2. Link....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/04/richard-wolffe-will-not-b_n_250776.html

[Hissyspit]

3. Meanwhile, Fox News does whatever they want with whichever whore they want and millions of idiot

Americans tune in and watch lie after lie and slander after slander and there is no accountability.

[JitterbugPerfume]

6. thank god

MSNBC has higher standards, if only slightly so.

Olberman and Rachel Maddow are simply the best!

[crickets]

4. Linky, please? -nt

[kentuck]

5. OK

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/04/richard-wolffe-will-not-b_n_250776.html

[crickets]

7. Ouch. Apparently, Richard wasn't honest about the nature of his offscreen job.

what appears to be the truth here is certainly not what Richard told us about his non-news job.

Although I do wonder how no one at MSNBC seemed to know what his non-news job was. How much of a secret could it be?

This bites all the way around. I really liked Richard Wolffe; he seemed to do an even-handed job and his delivery was spot on. The name of the other fellow who fills in for Keith escapes me, but I can't stand him.

How disappointing. It certainly changes my opinion of Wolffe. Letting him go is the right thing to do.

Thanks for the link.

[gratuitous]

8. That's refreshingly brave of Olbermann

To admit that you've been caught flat-footed just isn't done. I mean, everyone can see and know that you didn't do your homework, but to actually say that's what happened? It's refreshing.

[flyarm]

9. GE's silencing of Olbermann and MSNBC's sleazy use of Richard Wolffe

Glenn Greenwald
Saturday Aug. 1, 2009 05:02 EDT
GE's silencing of Olbermann and MSNBC's sleazy use of Richard Wolffe

snip:

According to the NYT, both CEOs agreed that the dispute was bad for the interests of the corporate parents, and thus agreed to order their news employees to cease attacking each other's news organizations and employees.


snip:

The agreement of the corporate CEOs to cease criticizing each other was motivated by the belief that such criticism was hurting the unrelated corporate interests of GE and News Corp:

snip:

Over time, G.E. and the News Corporation concluded that the fighting "wasn’t good for either parent," said an NBC employee with direct knowledge of the situation. But the session hosted by Mr. Rose provided an opportunity for a reconciliation, sealed with a handshake between Mr. Immelt and Mr. Murdoch.
Though Olbermann denies he was part of any deal, the NYT says that there has been virtually no criticism of Fox by Olbermman, or MSNBC by O'Reilly, since June 1 when the deal took effect.

snip:

So now GE is using its control of NBC and MSNBC to ensure that there is no more reporting by Fox of its business activities in Iran or other embarrassing corporate activities, while News Corp.



make sure you read this in it's entirety...and see that Wolffe is now working for Bush's House communications director Dan Bartlett who is pres and CEO of "Public Strategies, Inc.," the corporate communications firm a " business advisory firm " for some of the largest corporations in our nation!!


also see this:

James Moore
Check out http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-moore/say-it-aint-so-keith-o_b_24

Posted: August 1, 2009 11:52 AM

Say It Ain't So, Keith O