In Depth: When Will MSNBC Learn?
I hate beating a dead horse but this horse doesn’t stay dead. There are two points of view regarding MSNBC not having a neutral journalist anchoring special coverage like tonight’s Obama Address. The first is that it’s primetime and MSNBC wants to feature its primetime talent – talent which also draws the biggest numbers for the network. So there’s a business case to be made for putting your big eyeball people on the air. The other point of view, one which I and others subscribe to, is that MSNBC shouldn’t be mixing pundits with news. It’s playing with fire.
It has proven to be a toxic combination for the network. It got so bad that NBC had to dump Olbermann and Matthews as its politics go to people because of all the flak that was generated by the duo’s shoot from the hip commentary. But MSNBC wasn’t done going this route. Not by a long shot. It just waited for the hoopla to die down and then tried again. During the Obama inauguration Matthews, Olbermann, and Maddow were front and center. Surprisingly, they were also relatively controversy free.
But MSNBC is playing Russian roulette. Or playing with matches at a gas station. Or (insert combustible scenario here). Eventually something would slip. And tonight it did. Right as Bobby Jindal walked up to the microphones someone on air muttered “Oh God” followed by laughter from the floor crew. Olbermann introduced the segment so I have to assume it was him. It could have been Matthews but he was remote from D.C. and I doubt his mic was live at that point. (see Update 2)
Yes, Jindal didn’t look very statesmanlike walking sort of goofy to the microphone with his jacket unbuttoned. It doesn’t really matter though. You’re supposed to suppress yourself and not vocalize an opinion. This is yet another black eye on MSNBC’s attempt to breach the firewall separating news from opinion. How many more black eyes will the network give itself before someone finally wakes up and says, “Enough is enough!” (via Olbermannwatch)
Update: Politico’s Patrick Gavin Tweets that he’s certain it was Matthews’ voice. The jury is still out for me.
Update 2: After a zillion playbacks I now think it was Matthews too…
Update 3: Yup, it was Matthews…
Inside Cable News 
February 24, 2009 at 9:24 pm
If you listen to it a couple of times you can tell it was Matthews.
February 24, 2009 at 9:29 pm
That was Matthews, its not Keith.
February 24, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Don’t listen to the YouTube version. The audio sucks. Use the one from the “Oh God” link. And turn the volume way up. I still think it may have been Olbermann.
Remember, the floor crew laughed which means Olbermann’s mic was still live. Could Matthews mic have still been live at that point? Maybe. But the question is would the floor crew have heard it? That I tend to doubt.
February 24, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Talk about beating a dead horse…
The only people you excite with this talk are the wingnuts that constantly post here. Yes, you get the J$’s of the world to pat you on the head, but so what?
MSNBC will continue to have Keith, Rachel and Chris host these events and I, along with plenty of other folks, are very happy with that. We don’t care whether it “upsets” Republicans. LOL!
February 24, 2009 at 9:35 pm
I don’t care if it upsets Republicans. I do care if it damages NBC News as a brand. And incidents like this one and the others damage NBC News as a brand.
February 24, 2009 at 9:35 pm
The concensus over at Olbermann Watch is that it is, indeed, Olbermann on the open mic. I agree.
http://tinyurl.com/c629kb
February 24, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Well consider the source. They’d love it to be Olbermann. I don’t really care if it is or isn’t. But it sounded like Olbermann to me.
February 24, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Spud, I am 100% sure listening to both versions that it is Matthews.
February 24, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I have it on the DVR, and played it back. I understand where ICN 2 is coming from, however I am sure that there is an active floor crew in the DC studio as well. Remember MSNBC broadcasts a good part of the day from that Studio and Matthews must have had his Hardball staff on set with him. And considering that Olbermann was anchoring, he probably figured his mic was off.
February 24, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Matthews, Olberman…I doubt we’ll ever know who it really was. But the point is, it shouldn’t have happened.
February 24, 2009 at 9:52 pm
I love MSNBC, I love having a prominent left-wing voice on cable, but, this is a problem. Countdown is a show where KO often makes his comments and the floor crew laughs. I waffled earlier about Keith anchoring coverage, but this brings me back to wanting a divide between Church and State. If you let KO have the reigns as if he’s doing an extension of Countdown, he and his crew are going to treat it as a regular Countdown. Thereby, Jindal’s going to walk on and get a Countdown reaction. Would it be OK if the Fox crew laughed at Obama as he walked on? Sorry, it has to work both ways.
MSNBC needs to do something about this. And no, I don’t think it was Mathews, because he has the journalistic skills to suppress something like that. Olbermann is an ex sports guy who now has a liberal platform. He was never a journalist and shouldn’t be presented as one. I’m happy to have KO, Mathews and Maddow express their opinions (a heck of a lot better than what MSNBC used to present), but MSNBC needs to do something about KO’s identity. He has been given the keys to the castle and is running with it. As much as I like his show and the work he has done the last few years to expose the excesses of the Bush Administration, I’m disappointed in his inability to put a lid on it when the lid is required. By the way, Maddow wouldn’t have done it either.
February 24, 2009 at 9:53 pm
If it happened on NBC and Chuck Todd did that or anyone else, I would share your sentiment.
February 24, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Hnmnf, if it’s Mathews, there’s no telling what he was referring to. He often goes off mic to make some reference to something HE or somebody else just said…or for a staffer tripping over a cord, for all I know. Color me confused now.
February 24, 2009 at 9:59 pm
There is no telling what he was referring to, but it was most definitely Matthews.
February 24, 2009 at 10:02 pm
My previous comment was made to ICN 2, but Joremi I agree with you in enjoying the prominent left wing voice on cable, and was outraged during the primaries after the battles b/w Chris and Keith, and what Keith said to Joe. However, since the inauguration Keith (during “Special Coverage”) has behaved much better than he was during the primaries. He has focused on being an anchor during these special coverages, not a commentator. (That does not count once the Countdown Label goes on the screen) Twice, in the past 2 special coverage events, it has been CM (first at the inauguration) and then tonight (which I have no doubt that it was him). I watched it live and immediately knew it was Matthews. And Joermi, CM does have good journalistic skills (especially when he anchors in the morning), but in this role (with Keith as anchor, and Chris/Rachel as commentators), even if he did it on purpose, that is his role (to be the commentator). However, as you said CM has good journalistic skills, therefore I do believe he did not intentionally say that.
February 24, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I give up. After my screed against KO (which I shouldn’t have presented before hearing the clip), I’m sure it was Mathews. He seems to be reacting the same way I did. Jindal looked like Doogie Howser walking out there, in stark contrast to Obama’s strong presentation, and I think that’s what CM reacted to. He should have suppressed it, and and I owe an apology to Olbermann for assuming HE would screw up the journalistic skill. He didn’t, Mathews did. Earlier I mentioned something about Mathews after bedtime. That criticism stands.
February 24, 2009 at 10:12 pm
On a purely superficial note about tonight’s coverage…is Michelle Bernard gorgeous or what?
February 24, 2009 at 10:40 pm
The voice has been identified. It’s John Gibson. John Sanders dubbed his voice onto the tape!
February 24, 2009 at 10:42 pm
J$ ladies and gentleman. J$ 🙂
February 24, 2009 at 10:55 pm
I now agree that it sounds like Matthews and not Olbermann.
February 24, 2009 at 11:28 pm
In the interest of severe backpedaling, I watched the replay on the West Coast (where it’s not actually late yet) and, regardless of the fact I think MSNBC still needs to re-think having a partisan anchor, KO did a good job of hosting without histrionics. I also think Mathews’ comment was relatively innocuous. He probably should have contained it, but, I don’t think it was a partisan response. The fact is, Jindal looked like a kid wobbling out there. Maybe a guy on TV shouldn’t respond, but…it was pretty funny looking.
February 25, 2009 at 4:10 am
Just one more reason why I only watch MSNBC in the early morning/daytime.
February 25, 2009 at 4:39 am
Yeah, that was Matthews.
I completely agree with ICN on this. They need to have straight news anchors and turn to the prime time lineup for the opinion.
I would say that the “Oh, God” wasn’t a partisan swipe but rather a reaction to the awkward entrance….didn’t make for good t.v. They should have had Jindal standing in place when they cut to him. Either way, Matthews can be a loose cannon and either NBC needs to read them the riot act or they need to find different anchors.
February 25, 2009 at 5:13 am
Well technically Matthews wasn’t an anchor so maybe the pundit/anchor thing gets a pass on this since it still would have been uttered had a straight journalist been moderating the discussion. Technically. But that’s not how this is going to play out.
February 25, 2009 at 7:22 am
“I don’t care if it upsets Republicans. I do care if it damages NBC News as a brand. And incidents like this one and the others damage NBC News as a brand.”
Ahh, the old concern trolling. I see. You’re worried about NBC, right? It has nothing to do with your own politics, I’m sure. I’ve been reading this site for years (ICN I & II) and you’ve been ridiculously critical of MSNBC ever since they’ve veered leftward. During this time, you also claimed that Fox was fairly “fair & balanced” and that Brit Hume was a “serious journalist”. So it’s easy to see where you are coming from. I just wish you wouldn’t disguise your displeasure as “concern” for NBC because that’s not what it is. It’s an ideological objection to who MSNBC is now catering to.
February 25, 2009 at 7:43 am
MSNBC is a cable news station. NBC is a braoadcast news network, big difference. I know this if slightly off topic, but I’m curious, did HLN carry the speech?
February 25, 2009 at 7:44 am
Hey Spud, did you know you’re “trolling” on your own website?^
Is that even possible?
smh, Spud plays it down the middle & is very critical of FNC. I honestly have no clue where his political ideologies lie, nor which cable channel he prefers.
As for Brit Hume, the Clintons thought he was enough of a “serious journalist” that they honored him for his excellent coverage of the White House while he was at ABC.
Was Tim Russert a serious journalist? He obviously preferred Democrats, having worked for them. Or is it only people who lean to the right who can’t be considered “serious journalists’?
February 25, 2009 at 8:03 am
ucfphillys-
HLN didn’t carry the speech when I tuned in. Instead they were airing “Lou Dobbs Tonight” from 7 p.m.
February 25, 2009 at 8:24 am
Is Lou Dobbs some kind of bizarro counter-programming? Stupid decision.
February 25, 2009 at 8:50 am
I’m sure. I’ve been reading this site for years (ICN I & II) and you’ve been ridiculously critical of MSNBC ever since they’ve veered leftward.
That’s a bald faced lie. I’ve been ridiculously critical of MSNBC since long before they veered leftward…
February 25, 2009 at 9:13 am
Where was David Gregory? Wasn’t he supposed to be anchoring these events for MSNBC?
February 25, 2009 at 9:14 am
Gregory has disappeared from MSNBC since joining MTP.
February 25, 2009 at 9:14 am
Chris Mathews ensures that “The Circus” is never going to leave TV land.
February 25, 2009 at 9:18 am
No Joe, Gregory hosted an entire hour on MSNBC yesterday. He also appears on Morning Joe on occasion.
February 25, 2009 at 10:24 am
Hey Spud, did you know you’re “trolling” on your own website?^
‘Concern trolling’ isn’t regular trolling. it’s pretending to agree with something you don’t really agree with but expressing ‘concerns’.
“Oh, I totally agree with your aims, I’m just concerned that you haven’t considered THIS…”
Concern trolls really do not agree with the point they are claiming to agree with, and are using the pretense that they do as cover to insert what would otherwise be flame-bait.
Our national punditry, televised and printed, seems to have been taken over by concern trolls these days.
February 25, 2009 at 11:07 am
“That’s a bald faced lie. I’ve been ridiculously critical of MSNBC since long before they veered leftward…”
Well, I’ve only been reading the site since the leftward veer. Since I started watching Countdown, which was towards the end of ’06. And ever since I’ve been here, you have been ultra-critical of them.
February 25, 2009 at 12:27 pm
smh
My take on ICN’s point is that the “NBC brass has maintained that MSNBC has no political POV and maintains a firewall between the news and opinion.” I think, ICN has pointed out that using pundits for straight news is a mistake that inserts a leftward POV into their straight news coverage. If FNC were using Hannity to host a debate or presidential address, I think ICN would say the same. ICN has admitted that its interest is more in process than in politics but if you have been reading closely the editor has in the past voluntarily revealed his political POV.
If I got this wrong, I’m sure Spud will correct the record.
February 25, 2009 at 12:36 pm
If Spud has revealed his political ideology here, he’s done a better job of suppressing it than some journalists I can think of. I have no idea who Spud votes for. I know he likes diving and…ahem…hockey.
February 25, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Well then you haven’t been paying too close attention. I outted myself last year more or less. And, yes, Libertyandjustice, who I frequently find myself in disagreement with, has summed up my position pretty thoroughly.
I think if MSNBC had a strong anchor bench this wouldn’t be a question. They’d have an anchor in there. It doesn’t however. Not since Williams left and Holt left and they got rid of others. They can’t use Gregory since he’s needed on NBC. They could have put Holt on there (I think they should have). But they don’t want to take time away from their primetime money makers. So they get what they get…a scenario that can potentially detonate in their face at any time.
February 25, 2009 at 6:01 pm
I remember spud outing himself. I always thought he was critical of msnbc (here and at icn1) because he thought they could do better. I don’t see any political bias in his posts.
February 25, 2009 at 6:31 pm
How can anyone “damage” anything that was conceived in “ugliness”. MSNBC! Know what that used to stand for?
Make Sure Nothing But Clinton!
Happy oblivion MSNBC. Maybe you can join The New York Slime as it sinks trying to pay off the 19% interest loan from that Mexican “Financier” (Drug Lord?).
February 25, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Flail around in the wilderness much, Ila?
February 25, 2009 at 8:22 pm
baseball? OK 😦
February 26, 2009 at 12:50 am
Good eye Laural, I didn’t catch that. Geez I hate conservative trolls that drop in with MSDNC, “in the tank”, or , in this case, “New York Slime”. You want to have an intelligent exchange of ideas about news & politics – like Laural and I do for instance – fine, but these stupid drive bys that are rampant on news blogs is pathetic. Hey, where’s the clown that likes to say Queef Oberdouche. That guy does get one point for creativity.
February 26, 2009 at 4:54 am
One side sends out a frumped-up goofball who hypocritically claims to reject Federal money while accepting the vast majority of it, governor of one of the most financially troubled states in the country, and the location of New Orleans — the very emblem of the government’s failure to intervene in a crisis — to criticize the President for wanting the government to intervene in a crisis, member of the worst budget-busting party in American history to whine about spending … and the other side is supposed to *not* make fun of that? Whoo boy.
And, the gap between FNC and MSNBC ratings is due to the character of the two audiences : right-wingers are obsessive loyalists and left-wingers are flighty diversifiers, and a lot of them are probably getting their news from C-SPAN or BBC. (Or, they refuse to watch cable tv at all.)
February 26, 2009 at 5:00 am
http://www.multichannel.com/article/179843-USA_Burns_Up_February_Ratings.php
Also, in February ratings CNN dropped 23 percent, FNC climbed 27 percent, and MSNBC climbed 31 percent. Oops!