MSNBC took denigrating Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to a new low on Thursday night's Countdown. With “BREAKING NEWS” ridiculously on screen, MSNBC ended the show, hosted by David Shuster filling in for Keith Olbermann, with more than three minutes of video of some turkeys being slaughtered by a man behind Palin while rotating chyrons hyperbolically declared:
GOV. PALIN PICKS WORST POSSIBLE BACKDROP FOR TV NEWS INTERVIEW
TURKEYS DIE AS GOVERNOR PALIN TAKES QUESTIONS FROM MEDIA
GOV. SARAH PALIN KEEPS TALKING WHILE TURKEYS GET SLAUGHTERED BEHIND HER
GOV. PALIN APPARENTLY OBLIVIOUS TO TURKEY CARNAGE OVER HER SHOULDER
GOV. PALIN NOT REALIZING INCONGRUITY OF HER WORDS VERSUS HER BACKDROP
TURKEY-KILLING FOWLS PALIN NEWS CONFERENCE
The video aired after MSNBC ran a story on Palin's pre-Thanksgiving pardoning of a turkey at a Wasila poultry farm. Shuster, quite serious, set up the segment with this warning:
We've made every effort to sanitize the video of what happens next, but you still might want to consider getting the kids out of the room right now and anyone who's a little squeamish about where Thanksgiving dinner comes from. Are they gone? Okay, here's what happened next: As Governor Palin stepped outside of the hatchery, to give a post-pardon interview, she neglected to notice what was happening directly behind her -- in clear view of the television cameras. We've blurred out the goriest parts, but here's her interview, from start to finish.
Afterward, Shuster asserted:
And you thought her media outings as a vice presidential candidate were as bad as it gets.
To watch the video in a larger frame -- those interested in the supposed gore, or reading the chyrons -- can .
To watch the video sans MSNBC's blurring, view the original video as aired and posted by KTUU-TV channel 2, the NBC affiliate in Anchorage, which didn't find any of it inappropriate. It's simply titled: “Palin interviewed at turkey pardoning.”
UPDATE: KTUU.com has removed its video, as noted below in the comments. But I found the original KTUU-TV footage posted on YouTube.
