Girls and Boy Scouts of America, there is hope for you yet! After being suspended on Friday for donating money to democratic candidates in the midterm elections, Keith Olbermann will be returning to his show on MSNBC tomorrow night. MSNBC president Phil Griffin said, "After several days of deliberation and discussion, I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night's program is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy. We look forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night." So quickly! Go put on your sashes and badges and caps and whatever on again, as the ban on donating money to worthy causes has been rescinded! I hope, in the brief time you had off, you kept practiced reciting the benefits of purchasing wrapping paper from the Wildlife Foundation!
The meat was that Olbermann donated $2,400 to the campaigns of two Arizona congressmen and Kentucky Senate hopeful Jack Conway's campaign, which totaled just over $7,000. His actions violated NBC's rule that stipulates employees cannot contribute to political campaigns because it's considered a "breach of journalistic independence to contribute to the candidates they cover." However, that's lame.
But... is it a breach of journalistic integrity if, after Al Roker reports that it's not going to rain, he's seen carrying an umbrella? [No, it's not. He's allowed to do his own Al Roker thing. After telling us what the facts were (that the doppler radar said it would be sunny), he's allowed to consider the the wind current, the moon, and the time in which it takes two grasshoppers to mate as signs it could rain and bring an umbrella on his errands anyway. Besides, he could be using it as a cane.]
So Olbermann will be back tomorrow night. Can't wait to hear about the kind of wooly socks he wore on his journalistically unethical feet during his time out.
Source: Politico