Olbermann named Fox News exec "Worst Person" runner-up for "offering a sort-of apology" on Obama-Clinton smear
On the January 29 edition of MSNBC's Countdown, host Keith Olbermann named Fox News senior vice president of programming Bill Shine the "runner-up" in his nightly "Worst Person in the World" segment for "offering a sort-of apology for running with that '[Sen.] Barack Obama [D-IL] attended an Islamic training school' nonsense," as Media Matters for America documented. Olbermann then observed Shine's assertion that "subsequent Fox programs corrected the story [Fox & Friends First and Fox & Friends] and had even run Senator Obama's statement on it [The Big Story with John Gibson], so the controversy should be considered closed." However, as Media Matters noted, Shine did not address host John Gibson's assertion that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) was behind the smear. Olbermann continued: "Left out of that equation, the fact that while clarifying the story Fox also reported that Senator Clinton had, quote, 'reportedly outed Obama's madrassa past.' Some correction."
Additionally, Olbermann awarded Time.com blogger Andrew Sullivan the "bronze" for claiming on the NBC-syndicated The Chris Matthews Show that "he's found Hillary Clinton a very sensible senator, finds it difficult to argue with her position on Iraq, but when he sees her, quote, 'all the cootie vibes sort of resurrect themselves,' " as Media Matters also noted.
From the January 29 edition of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann:
OLBERMANN: That's ahead, but first, time for Countdown's latest list of nominees for "Worst Person in the World."
The bronze to Time magazine blogger Andrew Sullivan. Yesterday, on national television, he says he's found Hillary Clinton a very sensible senator, finds it difficult to argue with her position on Iraq, but when he sees her, quote, "all the cootie vibes sort of resurrect themselves." Listen up, Milhouse. Let's just all leave our political cooties at the door.
Our runner-up: Bill Shine, senior vice president of Fox Noise. The channel offering a sort-of apology for running with that "Barack Obama attended an Islamic training school" nonsense. Mr. Shine said that subsequent Fox programs corrected the story and had even run Senator Obama's statement on it, so the controversy should be considered closed. Left out of that equation, the fact that while clarifying the story, Fox also reported that Senator Clinton had, quote, "reportedly outed Obama's madrassa past." Some correction.
Fox Nothing Channel's childish pranksterism is what one would expect in an election episode of "Saved By the Bell".
DORIS RUSSELL...
You’re forced to read Media Matters plugs?
Well girl, I guess I’m forced to read your lack of support for the best equalizer we are lucky enough to have. You’re busy attacking Keith Olbermann, while Keith is busy defending what I had thought were your ideals.
You wonder if Olberman will attack Imus?
No Doris, you’re not wondering, you’re praying that Keith will name Imus “Worst Person,” and you know it. I agree with your take on Don Imus, but I’m sorry Doris, Imus is just not on Keith’s agenda right now. He’s busy with bigger fish. Maybe later, but I doubt it.
...For the repulsive Olbermann?
Doris, Keith is one of the few voices out there speaking for me and I thought for yourself. It looks as if you want to hold Keith to a higher standard than those Republican’t Pundits who Keith is after. Those right-wing pundits have established a new all time low in T.V. Broadcasting. Keith would be at a disadvantage if he adhered to your higher standards in his rebut of people who have no limits. When he repulses you, I’m cheering him on.
DORIS...
I’ve come to your defense twice now Doris, and I still respect your comments. I would never call you one, but I see now why so many here invoked the name Troll. Especially suspicious, was the way You and Tom opened this thread seemingly as Tag-Team partners. I took one look at those posts and I said to myself:
“Suspicious Encounters of the Third Kind.”
Take Care
Sam you have well thought out posts and you are allowed to have your opinion of me and others. My feeling on Olbermann is different than yours , he is not the voice of progressives , however it is your right to not only believe that but also to defend it. As for me and Tommy, again that is your right, I dont know Tommy other than his posts and he is in my opinion allowed to speak his mind. I have made myself clear on calling people "trolls" , i find it weak and a last resort for people who do not want to have an honest debate.
For all the daily right wing smears and games going on, ie, how Chris Matthews had a disgusting panel last night to talk about what Senator Clinton meant about joke in Iowa we are again forced to read a MMFA plug for the repulsive Olbermann. Unbelieveable, he actually is starting to make Fox News likeable. The dreadful and racist Don Imus dripped apart MSNBC , Olbermann and Matthews this morning on its own network. I wonder if Olbermann will attack back and name him "Worst Person in the World'.
What?!?
Are YOU running for the office, Doris?
Frankly, you are currently so far behind most of your heroes, that you may not even make the ballot, and will have to campaign a la Lie-berman, outside your own party.
Hmmm? Funny, I don't see Doris asking for any campaign contributions. She was merely offering her opinion.
Tommy: first she must establish credibility as "Worst Person", then she can form an exploratory committee, and finally, declare candidacy to begin collecting donations.
She is certainly doing the preliminary exposition for a run - although as noted, she starts at the rear of the field, and may therefore have difficulty raising sufficient funding.
Perhaps, maybe she will run on the platform that bias from one cable newstalk station is no worse than bias from another cable newstalk station.........and she'll expose that long believed myth that one person's bias of lies, distortions and spin is another person's truth, justice and the American way.
Thank you, yes I was just giving my opinion, I expected to be now attacked and even called a "Right Winger" because I dare to speak out against a show and MMFA plug that I am not finding tiring and reprehensible.
I am not really sure what your point is, other than maybe you have no point?
So you meant literally that you were forced to read the plug? Gun-to-head forced? But - but - I had ASSu-me-d (you know that story, I'm sure) that you had read it voluntarily, and commented likewise. Now Bungle has topped himself in proscribing our liberties - FORCED READING CAMPS!
I will admit (without even the gun-to-head scenario) that Olbermann is OK by my lights. Particularly in his Special Comments, he is more than OK, he is eloquent AND impassioned, a combination that is a rarity in this day; yet always civil in his words (unlike his FoxLies competition, who seek to outrage). Even addresses Bungle as "Mr. President".
"...he actually is starting to make Fox News likeable."
Doris, admittedly Keith Olberman is an acquired taste but to suggest that any breathing human being could possibly make FOX News likeable is... uhhh, hyperbole at its worst. FOX is beyond redemption so long as its mission is to keep the right wing lunatic Republican base on the reservation, and to keep that base in a constant state of agitation, by feeding that loyal base a steady stream of lies, distortions and spin designed to reinforce every right wing fear and prejudice. Olberman may annoy you... FOX is beneath contempt.
No argument, FOX is bad , but so is constant day in and day out segments and childish discussion regarding FOX. I wish the guy would try and make his own identity, his politics are good his show is not.
Tommy and Doris, sitting like a troll, K-I-S-S, boy they're droll. Just kidding, dudes.
Cut it out Mick...you're giving me cootie vibes ;-)
At least Doris views it with a critical eye...and with an offer of some constructive criticism.
Or is it just that Doris agrees with you more than I do? And you don't like that.
Actually, Tommy, I mentioned Doris because it was to her post that MickD was responding. I was not generalizing. My comments were specific to her post.
Doris:
Generally, I like Olberman. He makes me laugh and sometimes his show is very informative. I take what I like from the show and I disregard the rest. But I am happy that there is someone out there on cable television actually calling out FOX for its many, many lies, distortions and right wing spin. The fact that it annoys FOX is just an added bonus...
Doris,
As Tommy said you are entitled to your opinion, we MMFA posters are an opinionated lot, but MMFA isn't forcing you to read this or post here for that matter. I'm sure you're here because you enjoy reading the threads and poster commentary and doing your own as I do; but it is MMFA's choice what they put on the site. Ditto for Tommy
Lynn you are correct it is their right to put this on the site and its my right as a donor ar poster to offer my opinion.
I agreed with you on that Doris, but you said MMFA was forcing this on us. They're not doing that because can choose not t read a thread that we think is silly.
Lynn
Forcing was a figure of speech , I am a 62 year old women, no one forces me to do anything anymore.
So afraid you are of actually discussing the content of this article (that yet again, a Republican offered a non-apology apology when busted) that you a) whine about Media Matters' operations, and b) try to divert the discussion again (and again and again) by spouting other nonsense about Ms. Clinton.
Busted over and over and over. All we hear from your side of the aisle is this stuff about "taking responsibility for your actions." And yet, nobody on that side of the aisle does -- well, not until they plead guilty in court.
So....when Media Matters takes a few days off over the Holidays or for MLK day, does Olbermann have to show reruns???
Or...what comes first, the chicken or the egg?
"we are again forced to read a MMFA plug for the repulsive Olbermann"
MMFA, please remove the knife from Doris' back and stop forcing her to read this stuff.
Jon Stewart did his bit on this last night as well, and I was happy that somebody finally pointed out that "madrassa" is simply the arabic word for "school," and that any sinister meaning one applies to it says more about that person than it could ever say about Obama. He also had a great clip of Steve Doocy exclaiming, "This is huge!" in response to the madrassa story.
The colbert report was more hilarious than usual last night also :D
Damnit, Canino... you miss the point! Barak Obama's middle name is HUSSEIN! Don't you understand what a danger that makes him? And on top of that, Obama has actually denied that he wasn't raised in a religious Muslim household or attended a religious Muslim school. And we all know that Democrats lie about everything... that's what Rush and Sean tell me so it must be true. So my question is... Why is Barak Hussein Obama in the Senate and not sitting in a cell at Gitmo? Harrumph...
Personally...
I like Olbermann. He's articulate, intelligent and has the guts to call out these liars. He can be a bit pompous, but at least there's some substance behind it. Do his bits qualify for MMFA's site? Likely put up here as confirmation of MMFA and their bits.
I dont feel MMFA should be pluging any show, its a non profit group. Olbermann works for MSNBC/NBC/GE a horrible outfit that MMFA is pluging because Olbermann uses this site for material.
Why do you care?
More importantly, why should WE care what Doris thinks about MMFA's article selection? Even though she's clearly quite concerned about this organization and its goals. </sarcasm>
Dorris do you think MMFA is plugging Rush, Hannity or O'reilly simmply because they are mentioned over and over again.
Mojo,
MMFA is pointing out bias or mis-information when they feature Rush, Hannity, or O'Reilly etc.
Olbermann threads amount to little more than a REPEAT of threads featuring the above trio etc with Keith giving out his Worst Person In The World Awards.
It's redundant and serves NO purpose other than a Brock giving his buddy free advertising.
I like Olbermann, BUT the topics featured in these threads are repetitious. And unnecessary.
Using Olbermann's "worst person in the world today" feature to highlight yet another Republican non-apology apology seems perfectly in line with MMFA's stated mission.
Doris, I also at first was very much against Olbermann childish behavor, but as I witnessed the FOX machine and right wing hate explode especially during the 04 Election, I saw Olbermann as a savior , one of a few who has the guts to stand up to the hate of the right wing and FOX. Try being open minded and less simpleminded.
J , I agree about FOX, just because I am being critical of Olbermann does not equate me to supporting FOX. However how can we be truthful people if we dont look at the situation without throwing partisan politics into it? Just because Olbermann bases FOX and Bush on a nightly basis , its ok and no one who calls themselves a liberal or a progressive can be critical of a childish like show?
Come on get real honey.
If you think Olbermann's Countdown is "childish" you haven't watched it.
*sigh*Once again...
Doris, please provide the URL of your website or blog so we can all go there and tell you how to run it.
Thanks
Gosh Doris..!?
Is there anyone you don’t hate? Your having so much fun here being so negative about all sides of the political spectrum?
You don’t seem to like anybody. I hope you don’t hate me too. I’ve defended your posts on numerous occasions.
I’m so happy that your personal standards are not applied to Media Matters, Olbermann and your long list of other people and companies you dislike. Your restrictions might apply more appropriately in the realm of country that outlaws a free market of news and information.
I miss the days of Walter Cronkite when he was a the most trusted newsperson. I hope you’re ok with Walter. Today with all the Fox Lies Networks, I wish the Fairness Doctrine was brought back into effect.
I like Olbermann. I'm a fairly new convert...I dropped O'Reilly and began watching Keith. The guy is articulate, intelligent, a straight shooter & funny.
But these Olbermann threads are still redundant. I mean what is the point of these almost daily Olbermann threads? Other than Brock advertising his buddy...
Jeter,
Other than rallying the troops, there is no reason I can figure for the repetition.
You say this almost every time there's an Olbermann post.
Isn't your commentary getting redundant?
Well, apparently the point is getting through, is it?
Oops, at the risk of redundancy - the point isn't getting through
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein
"But these Olbermann threads are still redundant."
That's true when MMFA's Olberman "Worst Person in the World" pieces repeat issues or events already covered here, but I figure that: a) MMFA has the right to run its site whichever way it chooses; and b) these "Worst Person in the World" pieces sometimes make for additional interesting and funny discussion. So I can live with them...
Hey Irony,
Certainly MMFA can feature whatever they want, but it's still redundant....which I say every time, so I guess I'm getting redundant too ;-)
Jeter
We're all redundant!
Brian: You are all unique.
Crowd: WE ARE ALL UNIQUE!
Man: I'm not.
blahblahjust seeing if I can make paragraphs...
somebody help me....when I hit return twice to start another paragraph, it looks good when I preview it, but after I hit post, it looks like the post above...any suggestions?
I just hit Enter once for a new paragraph. Double-enter (2 Paras) and shift-enter (new line) preview correctly, but apparently don't post correctly.
Are you on a Mac? If so you may have to edit your posts in a word proccessing program and then paste it into the comment box.
Maybe I should head over to Rush's site
It would be interesting to see if he still thinks that only the rich pay taxes, or that he's still smoking that same cigar, or he is calling the media "Drive by" media. Somebody else check for me, because my dentist said to stay away from bad media sources because I'm starting to grind my teeth.
Maybe I can derail some conversations with bad logic that turns around on itself. Maybe tell the ditto-heads that Rush already called Obama a "halfrican". Boy, that sounds like such fun... going to a site that obviously caters to a different drummer, and taking off on logic tangents.
Engaging in Illogical Arguments
Could you achieve the same effect by putting a monkey at the keyboard?
When the substance of Olbermann's piece (usually "worst person") fits the topic of misinformation by the media, then it certainly is appropriate for MMFA to include it.
While it may seem redundant, unless the recipient and the reason for the award are repeats, then it is a new item. Ie., if 5 <media figures> spew the same lie, each deserves their own award. If one <media figure> spews 5 lies, then that person deserves 5 awards.
As for those segments where he dresses down a politician, they probably don't belong here. Even though they represent him at his best.
As for Olbermann's format - I like it. I've even thought of purchasing cable tv just to watch him. Few people are as direct and fearless. And he doesn't invite callins so that he can trash them ala rush, b.o., savage, drudge etc.,
Oberman's "Worst Person in the World" is stupid and sophomoric.
Obviously, the worst person is someone like the nut over in N. Korea, or Bin Laden.
To categorize Sullivan or Shine as runner's up is plain ridiculous.
For Oberman to use this worn out sobriquet night after night shows to me his lack of imagination and humor.
I liked him better at ESPN.
pardon my mispelling of Keith's last name. *sigh*
Oberman's "Worst Person in the World" is stupid and sophomoric.
No, it's not.
And here I was, all set to nominate Bungle - or Cheney - or Wolfowitz - or Kristol - darn, there are just so many worthies - or maybe, bundle them ala the Time cover's multiple-person "you", as the "nutty neocons".
Ah, well, too late now, if the judges have already narrowed the field to Kim or bin Laden. As a Tigers (Detroit) fan, "there's always next year!"
Olbermann is a together journalist and there is a reason for his rise in the ratings, same a s Jon Stewart, smart people watch them. Olbermann v.s. Limbaugh would be a laugher, limiting the argument to facts Limbaugh would get knocked out in the first round and that goes for any of the other blowhards, O'Reilly, Hannity, Beck, etc..
There you go again - invoking that well-known liberal bias of the facts.
The opponents you propose deal in lies, and sensationalism, so a quite, polite respondent would be SO out-of-place!
Of course, I MEANT "quiet".