Countdown host returns from MSNBC suspension

(NEWSER) - It might have gotten him onto the "front page of the New York Times without being dead or in jail or Charlie Sheen or something" but his suspension was no stunt, Keith Olbermann said on his return to MSNBC last night. "Of course," the Countdown host added, "If I had known all this would happen, I would have done this years ago!" More»

Host bashes network's 'inconsistently applied' policy

(NEWSER) - Keith Olbermann has apologized to his viewers for the "unnecessary drama" created by his suspension from MSNBC . In an open letter, the Countdown host said his fans and their "ground-rattling support" are responsible for his scheduled return to the air tonight, the New York Times reports. No olive branch was offered to the network, however, which Olbermann slammed for its "inconsistently applied" policy. More»

Trouble is 'thin line' between journalism, commentary: Meghan McCain

(NEWSER) - Keith Olbermann shouldn’t have been taken to task for donating to Democrats because he’s not a journalist—he’s a commentator, argues Meghan McCain in the Daily Beast . But the kerfuffle spotlights a key issue as the lines between entertainment, journalism, and commentary blur: News outlets need to decide which category they fall into, and be clear about it. More»

'Keith sees himself as the star,' says an insider

(NEWSER) - As Keith Olbermann prepares to return to MSNBC tomorrow, it’s the network, not the host, that’s reportedly apologizing. Olbermann “insisted that MSNBC bosses apologize to him before he would agree to return,” a network insider tells PopEater . “Keith sees himself as the star of MSNBC, the person who put them on the map and discovered fellow network anchors Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell. To be treated like this by the network he helped shape, he considers disgusting.” More»

A pre-suspension talk with the MSNBC host

(NEWSER) - Just before he was suspended without pay for making political donations , MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann talked to the New York Times, mostly about, um, anger. Here are some of the best bits from his interview with Deborah Soloman:

• On Anger: Olbermann says he once counseled Joe Biden on how to turn anger into "righteous inspiration." "He said, 'I just come across like I’m angry and out of control, and you seem to focus it and make it look useful and expressive,'" Olbermann recalls.
• On Partisanship: MSNBC is not the lefty equivalent of Fox News, he claims. "When I yell there is a reason for it. There is a political and factual discernment behind it. I am not doing it gratuitously."