Keith Olbermann:Richard Wolffe Returns

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http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/10/1/777879/-Richard-Wolffe-Returns

I am very pleased to be able to tell you that Richard Wolffe will be back on Countdown tonight, resuming his role as an MSNBC political analyst.
Here is the official statement - a little background after the jump.

NBC News management has had extensive conversations with Richard and has fully reviewed both his work on our air and for Public Strategies. Based on this review, Richard will continue to be a valued contributor to Countdown and MSNBC.

Firstly, as I said when issues about Richard's other work were first raised in August of this year, he wouldn't appear on the newshour until we straightened them out. I'm confident we've done that now. Among other managers, the broadcast network's very tough practices exec vetted this other job (and as indicated, the work he's done for us), found no interrelation, and believes as I do that the failure was in the area of disclosure.
Thus will his appearances be limited to areas that don't overlap with his non-journalistic work. Those that could even seem to present a conflict of interest will also be off-limits. Each of his appearances will mention his private work and viewers will be directed to the web for fuller elucidation of what he does - and doesn't - do there.
As his biography outlines:

In April 2009, he joined Public Strategies as Senior Strategist at the business advisory firm that serves some of the world’s largest corporations, non-profits and associations.

His Public Strategies work involves offering communications advice to senior executives. He consults on how to manage their relationship to the public and their community in the broadest sense. Public Strategies is led by Democrats and Republicans, and does not have political clients. Wolffe is not a lobbyist for any clients. He does not use his TV commentary or writing to speak for his clients, nor does he use it to advocate for their interests. In fact, he recuses himself from any TV appearances that involve his clients. For more on Public Strategies, please visit its website: www.pstrategies.com.

As I suggested above, not just conflicts of interest, but the mere appearance of potential conflicts of interest, must - and will - be avoided. But to somehow permanently deprive the audience of Richard's insight and analysis, to say nothing of his loyalty to the truth and in particular its meaningfulness to the Countdown audience, would be foolish and unnecessary.

There is a difference between insufficient disclosure, and misleading or skewed journalism or journalistic analysis. Nothing Richard Wolffe has ever provided us has fallen into the latter category, and it is noteworthy that no example has ever been produced that even suggests otherwise.
I'm delighted he's back. We've missed him.

[MarjorieG]

1. Love Richard. He's precise and wry. I think Greenwald, et al were more jealous of Wolffe's

access to the administration than anything else.

[Graybeard]

2. I'm glad he's back too.

That whole flap seemed like an over reaction. Wolffe's reporting was fair and always proved to be accurate.

[stray cat]

3. Welcome back Richard!

[MountainMamma]

4. Welcome back Richard

I have missed you and your wise words.

[Gabi Hayes]

5. FEH! Glenn Greenwald would be an infinitely better choice than windsock toady. remember this?

I saw the show this is based upon, and it made me want to vomit. pretty sure I started a thread here about it; I know I've linked to this before

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/02/21/wolffe/


Wednesday Feb. 21, 2007 08:25 EST
The "fantastic job" Newsweek's Richard Wolffe claims he is doing
(updated below)

At the National Press Club last night, White House spokesman Tony Snow sat down for a chat with what appeared to be some of his best friends -- our nation's elite "journalists" assigned to the White House -- and they all sat around amicably bemoaning how terribly unfair the criticism is that is directed at them by blogs (h/t Atrios). Apparently, one of the most pressing media problems in America is . . . that bloggers demand too much of the national journalists who are assigned to report on the activities and claims of the Government.

Special attention is warranted for the remarks last night of Newsweek's so-called "Senior White House Correspondent," Richard Wolffe. After Snow asserted that when you "open" a blog, "this wonderful, imaginative hateful stuff [] comes flying out" and that therefore "you probably shouldn't believe your opposition's blogs," he turned to Wolffe and asked: "what do you think, Richard?" Wolffe instinctively replied to Snow: "I totally agree."

Wolffe then proceeded to expound on Snow's attacks on bloggers by complaining that blogs are engaged in a "witch hunt" against the poor, besieged White House correspondents, which is terribly unfair because -- and, honestly, this is really an actual quote from Wolffe: "the press here does a fantastic job of adhering to journalistic standards and covering politics in general." Wolffe then adopted his most sneering and patronizing tone to observe with bewilderment that there are actually these "blogs duly devoted to media criticisms, which is itself kind of interesting given all the things you could comment on."

That is such a great point. Really, what kind of warped and obsessive American would devote themselves to such an unnecessary task as "media criticism," as though our elite national journalists -- who are doing such "a fantastic job of adhering to journalistic standards and covering politics in general" -- need anyone, let alone bloggers, telling them how to do their job.