OK, that wasn't quite the question that Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting asked in its press release,but it might as well have been. In an "Action Alert," FAIR details "The Truce," (which seems to mostly have affected Keith Olbermann and the MSNBC side--there's no evidence that Fox did anything different during the period in question) and urges its readers to take action:
Call on General Electric to renounce any corporate agreement to limit the expression of Countdown host Keith Olbermann and other MSNBC/NBC journalists.
Upon reflection, I guess it's obvious that G.E.'s whole idea of taking MSNBC way to the left was wrong-headed. Yes, MSNBC found an audience there in leftyland, but the price to G.E. will ultimately prove greater than the benefits. Why do I think that? For three reasons:
First, G.E. is a giant corporation. And so while corporations are not inherently left or right, politically, they do tend to be a little bit on the side of private property. And so to the extent that any corporation makes anything, it will be infuriating not only socialists, but also environmentalists--who don't want to see anything made. And so when companies try to get too cute, with the enviros, like Enron, well, they come to a bad end.
Second, in seeking to move MSNBC to the left, MSNBC had to hire the likes of Keith Olbermann. That is, hotheads and activists and those who love to claim "victim status" at every opportunity. Long before "The Truce," Olbermann had proven himself to be a handful--he is trying to straddle the corporate bosses who pay him $7 million a year and the Daily Kos types who watch his show, and the strain is obviously getting to him.
Third. in trying to build a base among those Kos-sacks, MSNBC has brought into its tent a bunch of hard-to-please malcontents, who have nothing better to do than itemize all their complaints. And blast them out to the world. Note to Jeff Immelt: If you lie down with lefty fleas, you will get lefty bites
In the meantime, watch Olbermann tonight--most likely, he will react to the FAIR blast by working extra hard to convince the lefties that he is no stooge for G.E. And that'll make quite a show, probably of Fox-bashing, but who knows, maybe Olby will also take a poke at G.E., to further prove his independence. And that'll be more heartburn for Immelt & Co.
