Keith Olbermann Suspended Indefinitely After Political Contributions

[betenoire]

Originally Posted by dreadgeek

It was interesting. A couple of years ago, when BBC America started doing a nightly, hour-long newscast (which is now, sadly, down to half an hour) I was watching with my wife and she made a comment about how *different* it was. She's a decade my junior and so doesn't *remember* what TV journalism used to be--a sober, fact-driven affair. To her, it has *always* been CNN and FOX. The sight of an anchor soberly sitting at his desk and stories that lasted 5 - 10 minutes was completely and utterly foreign to her.

See, and that might be the root of why I am uncomfortable with the way in which Maddow and others deliver the news. To me, they don't read like journalists. I don't feel like I am watching the news, I feel like I am seeing some sort of an op-ed type of thing.

I grew up getting my news from the CTV and CBC (and once I was old enough to actually -care- about the news I started getting it from the BBC). Lloyd Robertson, specifically, is where my news comes from (He's with CTV). I like that I cannot tell just by watching him on the television what he THINKS. I have no idea what political party he supports in Canada. None. (Although, I suppose I could google it if I really cared to know) He's a journalist. He delivers facts - with a straight face.

I remember 15 years ago (you know, when I became old enough to actually care about the news) my friends and I all thought that CNN was a giant fiasco. We laughed at it. We didn't trust it. It didn't seem SERIOUS or NEUTRAL enough for us. I hadn't even heard of FOX news at that time (I think it was brand new? It started in the late-90s I think?) and I don't think if you had told me at 18 that there was a news network less trustworthy than CNN that I would have believed you. Little did we know, right?

So, yeah. Long post made short - I guess my issue with Maddow is that I -wish- she would be a journalist instead of a political commentator.