Olbermann named Beck "Worst Person" for calling Clinton "the stereotypical bitch"; Hannity took "bronze"

On the March 16 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann named CNN Headline News host and ABC News contributor Glenn Beck the winner of his nightly "Worst Person in the World" segment for claiming on the March 15 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, as Media Matters for America documented, that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) cannot be elected president because of her voice: "[S]he is like the stereotypical -- excuse the expression, but this is the way to -- she's the stereotypical bitch ... that stereotypical nagging." As Media Matters also noted, on the March 16 edition of his radio show, Beck denied calling Clinton "a bitch," claiming instead that "Hillary Clinton sounds like the biggest nag on the planet ... I never said that Hillary Clinton -- excuse the language -- I never said that Hillary Clinton was a bitch. I said she sounded like one."

Olbermann awarded Fox News host Sean Hannity "the bronze" because, as Media Matters also documented, "He repeated the tale that President Clinton fired a U.S. attorney because the attorney was investigating Whitewater." Olbermann observed: "In fact, that U.S. attorney, Charles Banks, a Republican, investigated Whitewater, decided in October 1992 that there was no there there, resisted pressure from the first President Bush's attorney general to prosecute anyway." Olbermann acknowledged that "this could have gone to the Wall Street Journal editorial board," which made a similar accusation in a March 14 editorial, as Media Matters also documented.

From the March 16 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

OLBERMANN: The bronze to Sean Hannity, although this could have gone to the Wall Street Journal editorial board or Republican strategist Joe Watkins, who repeated this lie today on the network, or a lot of other people. But Sean likes "Worst Person" honors, so, tag, you're it. He repeated the tale that President Clinton fired a U.S. attorney because the attorney was investigating Whitewater.

In fact, that U.S. attorney, Charles Banks, a Republican, investigated Whitewater, decided in October 1992 that there was no there there, resisted pressure from the first President Bush's attorney general to prosecute anyway.

[...]

But our winner tonight, Glenn Beck of CNN and ABC, explaining that Senator Clinton cannot be elected president because of her voice. Quoting, "[S]he is like the stereotypical -- excuse the expression, but this is the way to -- she's the stereotypical bitch ... that stereotypical nagging -- nah, nah, nah, nah, nah," unquote. Beck says he would say the same thing about [Secretary of State] Condi Rice. Yeah, except he didn't. Glenn Beck, today's "Worst Person in the World."

—A.I.