Keith Olbermann, who is still smarting from his departure at MSNBC, used his interview with Cenk Uygur, whom Sharpton is expected to permanently replace, to criticize the network for the move.

Olbermann suggested that hiring Sharpton was part of a quid pro quo between the network and Sharpton’s National Action Network, which gave MSNBC president Phil Griffin its “Keepers of the Dream” award three months ago.

For Olbermann, however, who has an uncanny knack for avoiding the facts, it was just another opportunity to take a potshot at his former employer for in essence relegating him to cable television’s no man’s land.

But Olbermann wasn’t the only one unhappy with the possibility of Sharpton anchoring his own show in prime time on MSNBC.

Richard Prince of The Maynard Institute, which promotes diversity in the media, wrote on his blog that one member of the National Association of Black Journalists told colleagues that “This would still be just another non-journalist media ‘celebrity’ receiving a TV show based upon their name recognition, not their years of experience, training, ability and talent.”

Olbermann used that quote on his show and sent it rocketing throughout the Internet.

The NABJ member behind that quote was Jeff Winbush, a blogger and  former editor of  the Columbus Post, a black newspaper, who told Prince in an email that he wasn’t attacking Sharpton personally but that he simply wanted to see “Black journalists get a fair shot as well.”

That comment was directed at the fact that very few blacks who have their own cable news shows have a journalism background though the same can be said for some white hosts on cable news as well.

Just two weeks ago The NABJ and NAACP blasted CNN for its lineup of all-white anchors after they fired Eliot Spitzer and rearranged their prime time programming without adding a black host.

No doubt that MSNBC heard that criticism loud and clear and decided that they didn’t want to be next on the NABJ’s or NAACP’s hit list. After all, as the most liberal cable news network, you would expect MSNBC to have several black hosts on board, and Uygur’s poor ratings as well as his attitude gave them the opening they were seeking.

So once again Olbermann has taken aim and missed his target by a wide margin, all in the name of holding a grudge. Or maybe he knows more than the others about what really led to Sharpton’s rise at MSNBC. If so, he should share that with his audience.

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About the author

Don Irvine
Don Irvine is Chairman of Accuracy in Media. He is active on Facebook and Twitter. You can follow him @donirvine to read his latest thoughts.

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5 Comments for Olbermann Takes a Swipe at MSNBC Over Sharpton Hiring

Joseph

To be fair Uygur didn’t have poor ratings, and he was actually up in the coveted demo

Kathi

The fact of the matter was Uygur was dull as Hell

epj

I thought Sharpton was hired because he threatened to boycott NBC
because of the ugly comments Trump made about President Obama.
I assumed the hiring was a “call off the dogs” move tp prevent the
cancellation of Trump’s top rated show. Though I love Sharpton, I
still miss Olbermann.

Professional journalists need to accept the fact that high profilers
get the jobs. You only need to look at the movie industry. Rappers,
singers, etc. are hired over professionally trained actors.

J.C.

Sharpton in primetime = booty. He doesnt rep black people, he reps himself.

J.C.

And Allen West is Hopping Bob from Life. ” You dont want me to come down there, I aint nice like Boss”