David Shuster: 'MSNBC Will Never Be As Liberal As Fox Is Conservative'

January 4th, 2011 6:48 AM

Via TV Newser and Mediaite, (update: original audio via J$P) we've learned that when David Shuster subbed in as an overnight radio host on the national Jim Bohannon show, Shuster claimed “MSNBC will never be as liberal as Fox is conservative,” and insisted "MSNBC, CNN, dedicated to a much more sort of basic set of journalistic principles than most of Fox News." He claimed he shouldn't talk about Fox, but then let them have it: 

A very wise man once told me: I should never talk about Fox after having worked there. Just because, no good could come out of saying what I really feel. But let's put it this way. There was a poll that was done recently that found that viewers of Fox News Channel tend to be far more misinformed and have a greater chance misunderstanding basic facts about our society and politics that viewers of any other cable channel.

There are some terrific journalists at Fox News Channel. I think Shep Smith is probably the premier anchor/journalist of my generation. He’s terrific, and he does the news straight and let the chips fall where they may. But most of Fox News is not dedicated to that kind of journalism. It’s dedicated to a very sharp point of view. Critics of Fox News have pointed out that Fox News does partisan propaganda and there's ample evidence on a daily basis.

By contrast, apparently a 21-minute "Special Comment" rant by Keith Olbermann is neither "partisan" nor "propaganda," and when he claims that conservatives will take the country backward to Jim Crow, bread lines, and hanging union organizers, that's "dedicated to basic journalistic principles."

Shuster saluted Fox's biggest critics, the liberal media-monitoring group founded by Hillary Clinton, for standing up for their donor, George Soros.