Babington's report on Obama speech draws Olbermann's fire
Former Greensboro Daily News reporter Charles Babington, who covered the Klan/Nazi shootings in 1979, has been himself caught in political crossfire for his analysis of Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech as the Democratic nominee for president.
MSNC Keith Olbermann took Babington to task for his critical take on Obama's speech, which was widely praised by conservatives and liberals alike.
Olbermann fumed: "It is analysis that strikes me as having borne no resemblance to the speech you and I just watched. None whatsoever. And for it to be distributed by the lone national news organization in terms of wire copy to newspapers around the country and Web sites is a remarkable failure of that news organization.
"Charles Babington, find a new line of work."
Babington wrote in part in his analysis, that, "instead of dwelling on specifics, (Obama) laced the crowning speech of his long campaign with the type of rhetorical flourishes that Republicans mock and the attacks on John McCain that Democrats cheer. The country saw a candidate confident in his existing campaign formula: tie McCain tightly to President Bush, and remind voters why they are unhappy with the incumbent."
Here is an Editor & Publisher report on the debate.
Comments (8)
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Exact way I saw it, all things he was going to do, but no talk on how to do it. Just superstar stuff. I asked the question of every liberal, I know. If we are going to get off foreign oil in 10, yet we can not drill for own, how do we,do it. I would like for all of the superstar fans, not to use any energy of one day, and tell us how you like. Of course I do not like McCain either. However, I love his pick for VP. One thing you left out was Olbermann hates all republicans.
Posted on August 30, 2008 1:21 PM
Perhaps the fact that Babington's "take" on the speech, which appears to speak for the AP, was disseminated approximately 5-6 minutes after the speech was over is telling. But perhaps also, E&P omitted a salient fact with this statement:
Obama backers have criticized the coverage of their candidate by the AP's Washington Bureau Chief, Ron Fournier, and other AP reporters, for several months. Fournier has denied any slant but has said that he wants more analysis in more AP stories.
Fournier has an interesting history and was a highly solicited McC campaign team member.
Sorry, I'm having trouble separating the pure message from the perhaps sullied messenger, especially if he has an agenda.
Posted on August 30, 2008 1:43 PM
Why would anyone care what Keith Olbermann says? He's an editorialist, not a reporter.
Posted on August 30, 2008 2:49 PM
Even comedian Bill Maher, a left-winger, asserts that the network of Keith Olbermann is a bit biased:
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/brent-baker/2008/08/30/maher-matthews-olbermann-were-ready-have-sex-w-obama
"The media in general, and MSNBC in particular, are so far into the tank for Barack Obama that even the far-left Bill Maher, on his HBO show Friday night, recognized “there is a problem...with the media gushing over him too much.” Specifically, though he didn't name co-anchors Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann, Maher pointed to MSNBC's coverage following Obama's acceptance speech: “The coverage after, that I was watching, from MSNBC, I mean these guys were ready to have sex with him.” "
Posted on August 30, 2008 6:49 PM
There's no question that Keith Olbermann leans left, as O'Reilly and Hume tilt right. (I suppose one left-leaner makes up for the network of right-leaners, but that's no place near the point and simply moves the conversation away from the issue.)
Fournier's agenda is the elephant in the room and his influence on the AP's writing is the issue that calls Babington's piece into question. Let's focus on that, you think? I still wonder why E&P omitted it from their piece. Too hot to handle?
Posted on August 30, 2008 7:01 PM
Was the N&R correct to avoid printing the piece? It's a critical look at Obama's speech, identified as an analysis, and it makes several arguable points. (Apparently, the news desk decided that the arguments were too volatile for the sensitive eyes of N&R readers.)
Meanwhile, the paper publishes the AP "news" story that, I argue, has several markers of pro-Obama bias: it characterizes Obama's mention of McCain's voting record as a "scathing indictment" (only if you view voting Republican as criminal; "criticism" would be a better word); McCain is said to "stand between [Obama] and his place in history" (what nerve, McCain!; better should stand between Obama and "the presidency"); and the issue of Obama's race is identified as the "long-smoldering issue that may well determine the outcome of the election" (because, you know, white people vote on the basis of race, an opinion best left out entirely).
Which piece becomes an issue? The self-identified analysis that fails the Olbermann standard for Obama fawning, or the "straight" news story with the standard liberal bias?
You be the judge.
Olbermann
Posted on August 31, 2008 1:50 AM
We are concerned with what Keith Olbermann thinks???? Even his own colleagues think that Olbermann has gone over the edge. You can not compare Fox News and MSNBC. MSNBC has been the press secretary arm of the Obama camp since Day One. They are openly rooting for Obama, not reporting. Olbermann is a joke on the news. He is as hard left as you can get. I'm pretty sure he gts his orders form George Soros on a daily basis.
Posted on August 31, 2008 11:01 AM
Okay, so Keith Olbermann is criticizing someone else for being biased? The irony is ankle-deep there.
Or maybe that's not irony....
Posted on September 2, 2008 1:23 PM