Today's New Yorker has a 7 page article on Keith Olbermann. Interesting, and balanced, I think it bears a read from all of us, not only because DailyKos is mentioned briefly, but because it brings to light the discussion of media neutrality, and what it means for all involved.
First the Link: New Yorker Article
I want to excerpt a couple of things here, and let you think about them:
First, on the O'Really Front:
The Olbermann-O’Reilly feud, which is wholly Olbermann’s creation, began with a wisecrack in 2003, the first year of "Countdown." It evolved after Olbermann instituted a farcical segment called "The Worst Person in the World," in which O’Reilly, depicted as a pompous buffoon, was regularly cited. O’Reilly, the biggest draw of the highest-rated cable-news network, could only lose by engaging with Olbermann, but he could not resist.
I find this interesting because it is a very concise manner to sum up what has been far more two sided than it appears in the quote, but is certainly accurate as far as it goes.
I'm not sure how much trouble I'll get into for quoting quoted interviews, but here goes:
But Olbermann contends that the labored pretense of neutrality in the news business is a fruitless exercise. "There are people who, with absolute conviction, believe that Brian Williams is a Communist," he said. "There are people who, with absolute conviction, believe that Katie Couric is in the pay of the Pentagon. There are people who are absolutely certain that Charlie Gibson sleeps with Hillary Clinton, based on the last debate. This is an old schoolyard thing I learned from being repeatedly beat up in the fourth grade. It finally dawned on me one day—they are going to keep beating me up whether I respond to them or not." Olbermann continued, "Brian sometimes looks like his collar button is going to burst from the restraint that he has. I know the pain that he goes through; he measures each word like an apothecary—and they beat him up, too. The point is, why not? Why not add something to the discourse?"
this is one of the more telling discussions of Olbermann's views on media news, and neutrality.
Read the whole article, because it's fascinating.