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Olbermann Returns, Calls NBC's Policy "Probably Not Legal"
By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 10, 2010
Modified Nov 10, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Nov 10, 2010
Modified Nov 10, 2010
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After his two-day unpaid suspension for making political donations without alerting his superiors, Keith Olbermann was back on MSNBC hosting Countdown. It was, as ever, a Keith-fest. He seemed awed (or smug) about the reaction, saying, "You know, when there is a petition supporting and it winds up being signed by 300,000 people, you get 21,000 Tweets in a 72 hour period, and you are invited to be on television because you aren't on television because they want you on 'Good Morning, America,' and 'Larry King' and 'Letterman' and you break records on the Huffington Post and you're on the front page of the New York Times without being dead or in jail or Charlie Sheen or something. For me, it was a surprise. All I can say is I'm stunned and greatful and it still feels like a universal hug."
Olbermann apologized to viewers, complained about the NBC News policy once again (and suggested it wasn't legal), and pointed out, "I gave and you found out and you judged me. If I had given money through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce you would have never, ever known." Mediatie sums it up, "All in all, the segment was heavy on gratitude (and, counter-intuitively, ego) and light on fury, which may have disappointed both Olbermann’s fans and his detractors."
We would have preferred Olbermann to reference Miss Precious Perfect in his diatribe:
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keith olbermann
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political contribution
political donations
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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