How did we go from naming Rupert Murdoch the "Worst Person in the World" to adding America's sweetheart Katie Couric to that list? Ah, right: Because Keith Olbermann's popular segment is as much a place to criticize world leaders guilty of human rights violations as it is for him to defend his own. And thanks to Couric aiming some "anonymous" critical comments at the NBC family, there she is, Keith's No. 1 target.
When Couric was honored by the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum on Tuesday, she used her speech to take direct aim at one, unnamed, "prominent member of the commentariat" who contributed to the sexist coverage of Hillary Clinton.
And just who was she talking about?
Olbermann makes the guy public: Lee Cowan, pictured, the NBC correspondent who arrived in 2007 from … CBS News.
The Countdown host, who was careful not to take too big a crap on Couric, says:
What followed, she was not entitled to. Couric referred to one, quote, "one prominent member of the commentariat" who had said he found it hard to be objective when it came to Obama. "That's your job," she says. Then she suggested he "find another line of work."
She didn't name him, maybe because she didn't bother to look it up. But the supposed member of the "commentariat" who said that was not, in fact, a commentator. It was NBC News correspondent Lee Cowan, who covered the Obama campaign throughout the primaries, and who, as Ms. Couric would have found out had she bothered to examine the context of his remark, was speaking with refreshing honesty, acknowledging that the environment of that campaign, and the ferocity of the candidate`s supporters in the primaries, challenged a reporter to be especially professional and vigilant in separating the hype from the news.
And then he sneaks in this final dig: "And as to her advice that a reporter like Lee Cowan, who was her colleague at CBS for nearly a year, should find another line of work? It is sadly obvious that in leaving NBC and the Today show, Ms. Couric already has." Ouch-a.
[via Politico]
Editorial Director
Ouch, ouch,ouch. Maybe Katie's trying to position herself to get the first Hillary interview-post devastating loss. Keith needs to find someone his own size to pick on. Stick with O'Reilly. Leave poor Katie alone for Heaven's sake.
This Is Your News, Cracked: The Bloviator Keith Olbermann and the Blowhard from 'Nicetown'
IUSED TO BE AMUSED BY KEITH OLBERMANN, MSNBC's bully pulpit. I was dazzled by his eloquence and taken in by the righteousness he wore on his sleeve. I was an early fan in the late 90s during his first go-round at MSNBC, captivated by his wit and his daily lacerations on the Monica Lewinsky scandal. And though I did not always agree with him, he was nevertheless the only must-see TV for me. Yet there were moments when the righteous mask slipped from his face and I saw glimpses of the carnival barker, and I suspected his real intentions: to sell more tickets.
Now Olbermann's shrillness has gotten so ear-piercing that journalists with bona fides are speaking up. News patrician Tom Brokaw had to correct Olbermann's claim that Clinton had "shoehorned" news coverage for herself. "Well, I think that's unfair," the elder-statesman said. As far as I know Olbermann did not make Brokaw one of his "Worst" persons in the world! Yet dare I say Olbermann proves her point when he annoints Katie Couric with that title after she criticized pundits who have "crossed the line" with their sexist slants against Hillary. AndTime claims the bloviator has blown his "last remaining gasket.
Surprise, guess who just beat Bill O'Reilly in the ratings? And now we know why Olbermann's become the anti-corrective: the screaming sells. The carnival barker steps forth.
CrabbyGolightly.com
Just add Katie to the (growing) list of liberal media personalities and outlets who have (only recently) discovered that Keith Olbermann is a boob.
Couldn't agree more - Olbermann has turned into the biggest asshole and caricature of a human being in this past year.
I'm embarassed I used to encourage people to watch his show…..now it's just an Obama sideshow….he's just a total dick!
Olbermann's a ___. He's also a liar. Cowan is a 'reporter' but he got in trouble as a 'commentator.' What would a reporter be doing confessing it's hard to be ojective? That doesn't belong in a news report. Cowan was on MSNBC chatting with Brian Williams and, as a 'commentator,' he confessed that it was "hard" for him to be objective about Barack because he liked him so much. That was a huge no-no. J-school graduate here. You do not say that. It doesn't matter whether you can be objective or not, if you say that publicly, your network should pull you off the story. It's not just "Can I be objective?" for a reporter, it's also "Do people see me as objective?" Cowan made a huge no-no. We dissected this over and over in one class in my last semester. (Graduated in May YEA!)
So, it is apparently not okay to disagree with "America's Sweetheart" is it?! Couric clearly took Lee Cowan's comments out of context and Olberman voiced his opinion about it. So what?
Is it possible for a man to be critical of a woman and not be a sexist? I hope so or equal rights and equal treatment mean nothing.
"America’s sweetheart Katie Couric"
Sez who? I know someone who has worked on the Today show for years who confirmed for what my wife and I and always suspected, Katie is a petty, shallow, self-promoting news personality. She has never been a journalist.
Granting Olbermann has his own blow-hard qualities, he's also sharp and the quote is spot on: "… had she bothered to examine the context of his remark, [he] was speaking with refreshing honesty, acknowledging that the environment of that campaign… challenged a reporter to be especially professional and vigilant in separating the hype from the news." That was the point after all.
Can't believe I used to like this guy. This guy has been a total jackass recently. I would rather watch O'rielly.
I LOVE, I REPEAT LOVE KEITH OLBERMANN AND THE INTEGRITY HE BRINGS TO POLITICAL NEWS JOURNALISM. I'M GLAD HE FOUND HIS "HOME" AND "NICHE" FOR POLITICAL JOURNALISM!!! HE WEARS HIS FEELINGS ON HIS SLEEVE JUST LIKE ANOTHER GREAT GO TO GUY/GENTLE MEN IN JOURNALISM WHO'S PASSING I'M GRIEVING OVER TODAY, GOD BLESS YOU "TIM RUSSERT" AND "KEITH OBERMANN."
THIS IS MY 1ST TIME ON YOUR BLOG, NO WONDER YOU ALL HATE KEITH OBERMANN ON HERE, YOU WITH THE FEW LOST AND FOUND AMERICANS WHO RALLY BEHIND RUPERT MURDOCH'S DECISIONS TO BUY NEWS, AND PRESENT IT THE WAY HE WANTS IT """"NON-OBJECTIVE"""" WHAT A JOKE!! RUPERT MURDOCH IS WHAT SCIENTOLOGY IS TO HOLLYWOOD!
The worstest person in the world right now is Keith Olbermann. He is part of the sexist and racist regime (including Oprah) that put Obama in this position where he is not qualified at all!
MO the only Joke here is you using Olbermanns name and the word integrity in the same sentence. shows what an empty headed ass you are.I suggest if you are going to blindly follow someone else's opinions threw life you find someone with a hint of common sense and not a self consumed fuck stick that cant even call a football game without turning into the O show.