Mixed Signals

Earlier this week, MSNBC suspended its leading liberal voice, anchor Keith Olbermann, for his donations to the Democratic Party during this month's midterm elections for the United States Congress. The primetime news anchor states that he did not know about this rule and he has since apologized. This suspension has been used as a display between objectivity and opinion on television today.

I think there are two parts of this story that are particular interesting. First, I personally believe that this move is a very different one than I would have suspected. Over the years, MSNBC has been accused by multiple sources of having an extremely liberal bias towards the news. This strong difference can change the news, known from its inception to be objective, into something much more opinionated in order to persuade viewers in a certain way. Even with these reports, MSNBC refused to alter their technique, most notably leaving their extremely left-wing anchor in the nightly news. I think that MSNBC was sending a message to the American viewers and beyond that the were accepting their role as liberal media. On the other hand, suspending Olbermann for his donations to the Democratic party is nearly in exact opposite of the signal that MSNBC was sending previous. MSNBC was probably doing so to appeal to their audience that they are "neutral" and that they hold their star, Olbermann, to the same standard. However, it did not come out this way. The network has completely contradicted themselves and sent mixed and insecure messages. If they want to have a liberal bias, go ahead and announce it for everyone to know. But to not, claim neutrality, and screw news in your favor is just wrong and hurtful to the public. So what do you think: is MSNBC sending mixed signals to their viewers?