Keith Olbermann: biased journalist

Television host, Keith Olbermann, was suspended November 5^th without pay for making monetary contributions to several political candidates. He claims that he never encouraged anyone else to contribute publicly or privately, and that this was his first time contributing. The liberal host was reinstated on November 9^th 2010. Mr. Olbermann should not have been reinstated so quickly because he compromised his journalistic integrity by openly choosing a political side. Journalists are supposed to remain objective, however by donating money to only one type of politician; it was quite obvious where he stood politically. Journalists need to avoid any type of conflict of interest in order to maintain their objectivity. It does not matter if this is perceived or real, people should have to know you personally in order to know your political stance. No one will respect a journalist opinion if they believe that their own political prejudices are getting in the way of their objectivity. They also need to avoid open political involvement. This goes right along with avoiding conflicts of interest. As a journalist, politics is going to be a hot button issue, the audience needs to believe that you are being fair and unbiased, so that they can make a fair and unbiased decision themselves. Using the power of the media, to push a political agenda is manipulative, especially when the public trust you. And finally journalists must stay far away from any association that may damage their credibility. In the case of Olbermann, any viewer who has read the story, or even heard about his suspension, will see him in a different light. He will not longer be the unbiased television host looking out for the audiences good, instead he will be an agenda pushing news anchor, and the respect and credibility level will go down. Many people say that journalists should have the right to show their support in politics, however they chose this profession, and it is not their job to give their personal opinion; it is their job to report the news truthfully and accurately without bias. Instead of reporting personal opinion Olbermann simply needs to report the truth, that is the most important thing that he could do. Hopefully in the future Mr. Olbermann, along with other journalists will learn to keep their personal opinions under wraps, and share only what can be proven with the public.