MSNBC prez defends convention team's spats, between Scarborough/Olbermann & Shuster

[EV_Ares]

Joe Scarborough got into an on-air tiff with David Shuster.

DENVER — Amid a spate of awkward on-air conflicts among MNSBC anchors at this week’s Democratic convention, some staff members say there are sharp internal disputes at the cable network over whether its opinion and personality-driven political coverage has crossed the line.

“The situation at our channel is about to blow up,” a high-ranking MSNBC journalist told Politico on Wednesday.

Two other MSNBC sources said some of the testy on-air exchanges between Keith Olbermann — whose quick-witted and often caustic commentary has fueled ratings growth — and other network personalities were a public glimpse of much more intense behind-the-scenes turmoil.

As replays of the conflicts became YouTube hits, MSNBC President Phil Griffin gave his first public defense in a Politico interview.

“MSNBC does not have an ideology,” Griffin said. “We hire smart people who are passionate about their love of politics and love of news.”

“Do I want them to have squabbles?” Griffin asked. “No. But I understand they’re human.”

In addition to Olbermann, MSNBC personalities Chris Matthews, Joe Scarborough and David Shuster were involved in Denver controversies


That night, Scarborough told NPR that he “gets frustrated by people who have an obvious partisan bias that don't proclaim that bias.”

rest of the story @ the link: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12900.html

[Ashy Larry]

1. Scarborough is such a douche

He goes around telling everybody he has no bias when anybody with a brain knows he is a right-wing republican. I hope Olbermann keeps calling him out.

[stray cat]

2. I get frustrated that Scarborough has such a strong bias and claims to be unbiased too

[JaneQPublic]

5. Exactly! And that was the point Schuster argued with him over.

But Joe the big hypocrite refused to admit he was biased toward the Repukes, even though he served as a GOP congressman.

[progdog]

3. It frustrates me that

Scab has a job on any network. He's infantile. JMO

[annabanana]

4. I cannot WAIT for Rachel's show to hit the air!!. . . .n/t

[Cha]

6. Is scarass talkin' about himself? Cause he's the fuckin' bias

asshole ..and does he say he pumps and carries water for the gop?

[gort]

7. Linda Ellerbee has a phrase that applies to this

In a tv interview I saw a long time ago she said this rule was taught to her a long time ago by a senior journalist:

"Never ride the elephant"

It is a reference to when the circus comes to town a reporter will usually be invited to ride the elephant. Her mentor told her to if she wanted to be taken seriously as a journalist she would never take the offer to ride the elephant as that would make her part of the story and not the reporter of it.

A lot of so-called "reporters" and "journalists" have been riding the elephant for a long time!

[ErinBerin84]

8. omg...that last statement by Joe to NPR is priceless.

Talk about projection.