As reported on Friday, November 5, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann was given an indefinite suspension, without pay, for privately contributing to the campaigns of 3 individuals.
MSNBC apparently has a policy that bans it's news staff from making political contributions. Whether you agree or disagree with the policy, Keith violated it and is now on an unpaid leave.
When I first heard about this I was disappointed in Keith....after all he's been quite verbal about other TV news people avtively promoting political candidates and views! But, the more I read, the less it seemed to matter. I like that Keith's been suspended though! Unlike other networks, MSNBC, in suspending Mr. Olbermann, is telling us that they do not tolerate this kind of disregard for company policy.
Many on the net have questioned the policy. Is it appropriate for a news organization to prevent their employees from donating their own money to a political cause they believe in? Those that say the policy is appropriate cite the case of an anchor interviewing a candidate that they contributed to vs one they didn't. Well, that's all well and good....but if the anchor disagrees with the candidate, whether they have contributed to them or not, is likely to be harder on the candidate than one they agree with. This is human nature. I don't think it matters if the anchor has contributed money or not, if they like the person they are more likely to give a "soft" interview than if they dislike the person!
So....should Keith have been suspended? Well, he violated company policy, so yes.
And, should he be reinstated and put back on the air? Yes!!!
What's your take?
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