News

After donating money to three Democratic candidates before the elections, MSNBC has suspended host Keith Olbermann. The network has a rule against political donations, as they feel it is a breach of journalistic independence to contribute to the candidates they cover. Olbermann said: “One week ago, on the night of Thursday October 28 2010, after a discussion with a friend about the state of politics in Arizona, I donated $2,400 each to the reelection campaigns of Democratic Representatives Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. I also donated the same amount to the campaign of Democratic Senatorial candidate Jack Conway in Kentucky.I did not privately or publicly encourage anyone else to donate to these campaigns, nor to any others in this election or any previous ones, nor have I previously donated to any political campaign at any level."

At least he admits it, but the head of the network isn't happy! Phil Griffin, President of MSNBC, stated:"I became aware of Keith’s political contributions late last night. Mindful of NBC News policy and standards, I have suspended him indefinitely without pay."