Keith Olbermann of the cable television network MSNBC will return to the air today following a two-day suspension that made news across the country.
Olbermann, the most popular personality on MSNBC, was taken off the air for two days after acknowledging his donation of $2,400 each to three Democrats -- one running for the U.S. Senate and the others for the U.S. House of Representatives. NBC news doesn't allow its employees to make political donations, unless an exception is given by the network news president (which, in Olbermann's case, wasn't).
News that Olbermann is a Democrat activist is about as shocking as, say, revelations that Fox News' Sean Hannity is a Republican booster. Hannity made a $5,000 donation to Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann's PAC this summer, the Chicago Tribune reported. He, however, was not disciplined, as the network took the position that Hannity is a conservative talk show host, not a journalist.
Fox and MSNBC, of course, each have the right to their own sets of ethical standards. Unfortunately, it's probably fair to say the general public doesn't spend a great deal of time differentiating between hosts and journalists. And, it's also unfortunate that television news networks such as MSNBC and Fox have rightfully earned labels such as "left-leaning" and "conservative."
The Tribune reported that more than 300,000 people had signed an online petition supporting Olbermann's return. It just goes to show the notion of journalistic impartiality -- and integrity -- has become, sadly, increasingly a non-issue.
