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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsKeith Olbermann’s Guide to Surviving the Media Coverage of Donald Trump
One hundred-and-twelve days into my career as a sportscaster-turned-newsman, Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton were dropped on top of me with no advance notice. One morning Im in Los Angeles headed to the set of Third Rock From The Sun to interview John Lithgow and prepare for the following weekends Super Bowl; that afternoon Im doing a talk-back with Tim Russert about how the president might have to resign.
The next 228 shows are all about Clinton and Lewinsky. Except for those that are about Lewinsky and Clinton. We do an hour each night, whether theres news or not. Then we debut another live hour. Sometimes a third. Each time I tell the audience that the coverage of the saga is overwrought or unjustifiable the ratings go up. Each time I publicly beg to leave or change the subject the ratings go up further. My hair begins to turn gray and I begin to look even more like a news anchor and the ratings go up again.
If I could survive all that, you can survive the coverage of Donald Trump, on television, radio, the Internet, the blogs, the sites, and what Im sure youll swear by now is a little receiver drilled directly into your skull while you were sleeping.
1. STOP ASKING WHY ARE THEY COVERING TRUMP ALL THE EFFING TIME?
Theyre doing it for the money.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/keith-olbermanns-guide-to-surviving-media-coverage-of-donald-trump-213751#ixzz43aPrTPdF
elleng
(130,861 posts)We miss you.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)and he is correct to a point.
As far as the MSM is concerned, they want Trump elected, Not the reporters, the board rooms. It's good for ratings.
PatrynXX
(5,668 posts)as many are. there has to be major differences between 2 candidates and you need the independents with you. Right now they love Bernie, can't wait to vote for him Hillary probably not at the moment. Got 2 people , both have high disapproval numbers and have won the same states. Right now give Trump a 60 % chance of winning Hillary 40 % Bernie? 50/50 and it all has to do with Independents
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)we are just the king makers.
PatrynXX
(5,668 posts)phleshdef
(11,936 posts)JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)Nyan
(1,192 posts)which is why he's not coming back. Brian Williams, on the other hand, had no problem coming back.
JonLeibowitz
(6,282 posts)longship
(40,416 posts)What a great opinion piece.
The quoted text, above, is just the warm-up, the on bat circle (as Keith might term it), of the rest of the article. The rest is a grand slam home run (to stretch the analogy into the seventh inning, so to speak -- pun intended). After this election, hopefully we'll all be singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and not the insidious "God Bless America". Keith would undoubtedly agree.
R&
Welcome back to the monkey house, Keith! (Okay, okay!! That was a Kurt Vonnegut allusion. My bad.)
bbgrunt
(5,281 posts)"From networks to the net, the mantra If it bleeds, it leads has been replaced by If its Trump, the numbers jump.
Dr. Xavier
(278 posts)but he should have stuck with sports.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)back permanently.