Study: Keith 'I'm Not a Liberal' Olbermann Avoids Conservative Guests Like Plague
Keith Olbermann has become very upset lately at people who claim MSNBC and Fox News are two sides of the same coin - ideological cable news counterparts. Olbermann is right to object to that characterization, but not for the reason he thinks.
Unlike his 8 pm Fox News competitor Bill O'Reilly, Olbermann prefers not to have dissenting voices on his show. According to Philadelphia Daily News columnist Stu Bykofsky, Olbermann did not host a single conservative on "Countdown" last week. O'Reilly, meanwhile, brought 11 liberals on his show.
In short, Olbermann hosts just another liberal echo chamber. Despite all his pining about fair reporting and journalistic ethics (usually only mentioned in the process of bashing Fox), Olbermann has worked to project a single political perspective. His show is devoid of any dissent - unless, of course, it's dissent from the left (e.g. "Obama is unpopular because he hasn't fully embraced leftism").
And this of course is from the same person who proclaimed: "I'm not a liberal, I'm an American," and said in 2005: "My point of view is about delivering information and context. It has nothing to do with a political point of view."
Is Olbermann dishonest, or is his liberalism like water to a fish - so omnipresent that it's difficult to notice? In either case, Bykofsky's examination demonstrates just how absurd those statements of political neutrality are.
Bykofsky examined each episode of the "Factor" and "Countdown" last week and tallied the numbers of politically "left," "right," and "neutral" guests on each (h/t Johnny Dollar).
"The O'Reilly Factor" welcomed 20 guests from the right, 11 from the left and seven who were neutral. Left and neutral voices combined almost equaled those from the right.
"Countdown with Keith Olbermann" had 20 guests from the left, two neutral and not a single voice from the right. Zero voices of dissent.
So, if you never want to hear anyone challenge liberal views, lock in on Olbermann. While progressives disdain Fox's claim of being "fair and balanced," "The O'Reilly Factor" does present opposing views. O'Reilly will cut them off in midsentence, true, but he even does that to people who agree with him. (Shock therapy might help.) Olbermann seems unable to even listen to anything other than progressive orthodoxy…
When it comes to their sources of news, too many Americans live in "silos," protected from contrary views. We'd do better, learn a bit more, by listening to some opposing ideas.
You get that from Fox's O'Reilly, not MSNBC's Olbermann.
Furthermore, while Olbermann is fond of painting conservatives and their supposed cheerleaders at Fox as borderline-racist white men, the "Factor" actually had a more diverse makeup of guests than "Countdown", according to Bykofsky.
If the tea party wants a "theocracy for white males," as he said, Olbermann could be an imam. He offered a paltry four women among his 22 talking heads, 18 percent. (Wasn't Joy Behar available?) Only two African Americans got face time.
O'Reilly had three African Americans and scattered 18 women among his 38 guests, for 47 percent. (Don't expect NOW to give him an award.) O'Reilly had three Hispanic-surnamed guests; Olbermann had two.
Follow the link above for a detailed account of the breakdown of guests on the two shows.
Hyper-partisanship is of course Olbermann's M.O. He has demonstrated time and again his complete unwillingness to conduct a balanced debate. His ideological rigidity revealed itself in 2006, when an MRC study found that the "Worst Person in the World" segment singled out conservatives over liberals by a greater than 8-1 margin.
So it turns out that Olbermann was right: the claim that Fox and MSNBC are equally partisan is a "false equivalency" (at least at 8 pm). In fact, there is a large discrepancy between the level of opposing views the 8 pm talkers will allow.
O'Reilly doesn't mind some spirited debate. Olbermann, on the other hand, would rather project a singular message of liberalism. Opposing views would only inhibit his agenda, and he can't have that.
- Lachlan Markay's blog
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Comments
There's the poster child for
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 3:02pm.
REALLY LATE TERM ABORTION. You think it's too late fro Obie?
Yeah, Olbermann is just
Submitted by Beukeboom on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 3:15pm.
Yeah, Olbermann is just dishonest. Nailed that one.
Kind of short
Submitted by MadRat on Fri, 11/05/2010 - 5:02pm.
One week isn't a very long time. It would be interesting to see longer term statistics on Olbermann vs. O'Reilly.
The only two sources of
Submitted by Bruzilla on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 3:17pm.
The only two sources of notice that KO has is Newsbusters and O'reilly when he brags about the differences in ratings. If everyone on Newsbusters quit watching him, 90% of his viewership would disappear.
I have to agree with that.
Submitted by Thoreau on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 3:46pm.
I have to agree with that. Nobody I know watches MSNBC specifically because of those aholes.
MSNBC's election night
Submitted by inquiringmind on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 3:22pm.
MSNBC's election night coverage really was, as Bernie Goldberg said, a " Jump the Shark" moment with Matthews, Maddow, and Olbermann trying to out do each other as to which one could scoff and belittle Republicans the most.
I guess somebody has to watch MSNBC, in order to ...
Submitted by jawebster1 on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 7:28pm.
report on them. I'm just glad, it's not me!
As posted before
Submitted by Iron Tigers Vet on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 3:34pm.
The difference of Liberals to Conservatives ratio with KO.
Keith severely needs a
Submitted by Guttermouth's Return on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 3:32pm.
Keith severely needs a vacation. I'm thinking about a deserted island with no form of communication...just Keith and his thoughts. I make this suggestion in hopes of getting the anger out of him.
I'm not optimistic.
I recommend a permanent
Submitted by Beukeboom on Fri, 11/05/2010 - 8:31am.
I recommend a permanent vacation on that island...one of the Aleutian Islands preferably.
Olbermann's cow college taught him one thing.
Submitted by Jack Herman on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 4:09pm.
Never bring a butter knife intellect to a gunfight.
olberman has no conservatives
Submitted by sometimesright on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 4:20pm.
olberman has no conservatives on his show for a simple reason...any intelligent conservative would hand him his head. he'd be evicerated in front of his loyal dwindling followers and that cannot be allowed EVER.
Pathetic
Submitted by CommanderTaya on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 4:26pm.
to be stuck on libtard stupid.
Olberman is typical liberal
Submitted by holeinthehull on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 4:54pm.
Liberals are notoriously lazy short term conjurers. They become inebriated sucking in their own hot air while spewing ridiculous nonsense out of every orifice of their body.
Olberman being a nonsensical little fellow, would not want to venture toward a Chris Christie or a Marc Rubio and debate the merits of opposing politcal philosphies with out his play book of "how to win debates using only ad hominen attacks."
God help Olbermann in a political debate if he went up against a Charles Krauthammer or George Will. He would go from Olbermann to Olberstain
www.holeinthehull.com
I wish O'Reilly was more like Olbermann when it comes to
Submitted by Rush Fan on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 5:15pm.
guests. When O'Reilly brings on Alan Colmes, Geraldo Rivera, Juan Williams, Kirsten Powers, etc. I immediately change the channel. I have no intention of wasting my time listening to a banal, misguided liberal ranting on ad nauseam about why it's Bush's not Obama's fault the economy is in the dumps, and we have all this debt.
That's part of the fun
Submitted by Tomorama on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 5:59pm.
To me, same thought process thinking and hour long shows are boring as hell.
I cut my teeth on Cross Fire and that is how I like my politics.
Hannity's show is boring after a while, the panel is my favorite part (EXCEPT BECKEL).
Beck does nothing for me anymore, he needs to change it up, I watch Chrissy just so I can yell at the TV, but sometimes it is good TV (when a Conservative hands him his squash.............).
Chrissy at leasts has both voices SOMETIMES, Olberdouche is a coward.
Tomorama..... It must be the impatience of old age. In my
Submitted by Rush Fan on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 11:37pm.
younger days I enjoyed watching Cross Fire. But as I have gotten older, I have little patience for liberals who seem to have in their DNA the falsehood gene. That is, liberals handle the truth recklessly most of the time. Why would I want to spend any time listening to lies?
To me, Glenn Beck is at his best when he is informative rather than preaching. For example, I have learned a lot from Beck regarding the interwoven connectivity between the various far left progressive organizations and Obama's friends and associates.
Sometimes I will watch Chrissy rant; however, his treatment (actually the correct word is mistreatment) of many of his guests who are on the right raises my blood pressure. I watched his disrespectful treatment of Rep. Michele Bachmann the other day. Absolutely disgraceful.
Although I am an avid FoxNews watcher, Fair and Balanced is overrated. Once you have heard the rantings of one liberal pundit you've heard them all. That's another reason why I appreciate listening to Rush Limbaugh: NO LIBERAL LYING GUESTS!
Rush Fan, O'Reilly usually balances out the Liberal with ...
Submitted by jawebster1 on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 7:26pm.
a Conservative. Colmes is never on without Monica Crowley. That makes the segment palatable. Juan Williams is better since he got fired by NPR. Kirsten Powers is usually on with a Conservative who is almost always better and smarter. Geraldo? You're right about him, except I don't change channels when he's on, I simply speed up my DVR.
jawebster1..... I'm going to have to get a
Submitted by Rush Fan on Fri, 11/05/2010 - 2:26am.
DVR. :-)
crude but true
Submitted by Catherwood on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 5:45pm.
Honestly, I've never thought of Kenneth as a liberal. He's pure asshole.
I am a Conservative. I avoid Olbermann's show ...
Submitted by jawebster1 on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 7:12pm.
like the plague (that it is). The only time I ever think about the guy is when he shows up on NewsBusters.
Election night and the full day after MSNBC for me
Submitted by RichieBABY on Thu, 11/04/2010 - 7:12pm.
Knowing full well in advance the Tsunami was coming, that event made MSNBC watchable. The following said by Pat Buchanan says it all, "How any republican can come onto MSNBC to be ridiculed by you all is a mystery to me". This was said after Matthews asking Bachmann if she is "hypnotized".
All, to include Olbermann, Matthews, Maddox and O'Donnell:
1. Have a seething anger.
2. Their hatred and disrespect for Sarah Palin is "breathtaking".
3. Did not appreciate one bit the emotions shown by the new leader of the House. They went into "SNL" mode.
4. "Mystified" why anyone would want to have a smaller government.
5. What was thought to be a impossibility, Keith Olbermann is more arrogant and conceited than Barack Obama.
Briefly, it was as clear as day, FOX NEWS influenced the coverage of the election on CNN.
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