September 28, 2006

ten minutes of functioning media

Watch this. Right now.

It is a stunning response from Keith Olbermann of MSNBC to the Fox ambush of Clinton.
It is the first piece of real journalism on American TV in god only knows how long. It will make you weep for the standard of journalism.
Amazing.

(via LVX23)

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* Filed by billy at 2:24 pm under politics
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  1.   michael
    September 28th, 2006 | 5:51 pm

    Fuck. That’s an incredible mix of passion and information.

    Also pleased he starts with “and finally a comment”, that Outfoxed doco makes a good point about how Fox (and also CNN) have completely dissolved the line between reported information and injected opinion.

  2.   Scott A
    September 28th, 2006 | 7:17 pm

    Thanks Billy… that is awesome.

    I don’t know who he is, and normally I don’t have a lot of respect for MSNBC… but this editorial, coming from a mainstream US media source, is vital, important.

    This Keith Olbermann person, through this editorial, has entered in my mind the same quality journalism as Edward R Murrow.

    Excellent.

  3.   Scott A
    September 28th, 2006 | 7:18 pm

    now… i just wish i could find a transcript…

  4.   Scott A
    September 28th, 2006 | 7:24 pm

    ah-ha, here we go:

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15013772/

  5.   Pearce
    September 29th, 2006 | 10:15 am

    Thanks for that, Scott. I’m unable to watch video at work and this sort of thing take forever to download by dial-up. I’m sure the video is awesome, but a transcript is better than nothing.

    It’s an incredible piece. I’ve read good transcripts of Keith Olbermann before, but this is the best.

  6.   Administrator
    September 29th, 2006 | 2:19 pm

    Michael: yeah. I was amazed it just went on and on. I found it really powerful to see that stuff spoken in exactly a tv news format. It was like, “Oh, so this medium can actually be used well.”

    And yeah, Outfoxed was a depressing watch, though it did clue me up to a few of their tricks. All the people who used to work their coming forward about the behind the scenes pressures and direction was amazing. Scary shit. And the scariest was the way that other networks were moving in the Fox direction since that was pulling the ratings…

  7.   Pearce
    October 3rd, 2006 | 9:58 am

    Scott: Belated, but Olbermann uses the same sign-off as Murrow in tribute: “Good night, and good luck.” Murrow is very much Olbermann’s hero.

    Admin: if you haven’t seen the movie Good Night and Good Luck, it’s well worthwhile both as entertaining film making and as a true-life example of how journalists maybe should behave. Respect to the Cloonster.

  8.   Scott A
    October 3rd, 2006 | 1:15 pm

    When I first heard Olbermann use the “Good night and good luck” sign off, I thought “who is this up-start, riffing off the United States’ finest ever television journalist?”

    I realise now it’s both a homage to Morrow, and a mission statement. Olbermann and his team may be setting their sights high, but they can often pull it off.

    And, yes, respect to the Cloonster. As a man, as a film-maker… and even as an actor. True, he goes for a few “money roles” that may be beneath him, but then we see what he puts his money into…

  9.   Pearce
    October 3rd, 2006 | 3:56 pm

    I don’t begrudge Clooney his money roles. He’s not starring in Bruckheimer movies or anything, and every activist needs a day job. Besides when “money roles” means Steven Sohderberg movies it’s hard to criticise…