Keith Olbermann whose suspension for making donations to Democratic candidates created a firestorm in the media issued an open letter late yesterday in which he apologized to his viewers for the episode but questioned the way MSNBC handled the situation.

From the New York Times

In an aggressive statement questioning the legitimacy of his two-day suspension from MSNBC, Keith Olbermann addressed his fans Monday night, saying that they were responsible for his scheduled return to the air on Tuesday, following revelations that he had contributed to the campaign funds of three Democrats in last week’s election.

In an open letter to “Countdown” viewers, he blamed NBC for creating a donation policy that was “inconsistently applied,” and said he did not know the rule existed. He also, referring to what he called a “ground-rattling” outpouring of support from viewers, said their efforts “should remind us of the power of individuals spontaneously acting together to correct injustices great or small.”

He acknowledged that there should have been a conversation with NBC executives, saying that the donations merited public acknowledgment and perhaps an internal warning. Instead, he said, he was suspended even after one of his representatives was told he would not be, and he learned about the suspension through the media.

He wrote:

You should also know that I did not attempt to keep any of these political contributions secret; I knew they would be known to you and the rest of the public. I did not make them through a relative, friend, corporation, PAC, or any other intermediary, and I did not blame them on some kind of convenient ‘mistake’ by their recipients. When a website contacted NBC about one of the donations, I immediately volunteered that there were in fact three of them; and contrary to much of the subsequent reporting, I immediately volunteered to explain all this, on-air and off, in the fashion MSNBC desired.

Mr. Olbermann also acknowledged that the episode had caused a bit of a media frenzy.

“I also wish to apologize to you viewers for having precipitated such anxiety and unnecessary drama,” he said.

“A Statement to the Viewers of Countdown”

Both MSNBC and Olbermann were at fault in this incident and Olbermann’s response is not likely to endear him to network president Phil Griffin but until they can groom a replacement Olbermann will have the upper hand as he has proven with the end of the indefinite suspension after just two shows.

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