Is this MSNBC trying to be "fair and balanced"? I'll let "them report", and you can "decide".
This just came in minutes ago (and has aleady been diaried here, here and here).
MSNBC just announced that it was "suspending" Morning Joe anchor Joe Scarborough for "two days" due to his previously undisclosed campaign donations over the years (and not, apparently, to the ones that he did disclose, which was why it supposedly didn't suspend him when it suspended Keither Olbermann recently).
From that trusted source of solid political reporting, Politico:
Joe Scarborough suspended from MSNBC for campaign donations
By KENNETH P. VOGEL | 11/19/10 1:37 PM EST Updated: 11/19/10 1:53 PM EST
MSNBC said Friday that it is suspending "Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough for two days after he acknowledged giving eight previously unknown $500 contributions to friends and family members running for state and local offices during his tenure at the network, a violation of parent NBC’s ban on political contributions by employees without specific permission from the network president.
"I recognize that I have a responsibility to honor the guidelines and conditions of my employment, and I regret that I failed to do so in this matter," Scarborough said in a statement. "I apologize to MSNBC and to anyone who has been negatively affected by my actions," he said, adding that after he was made aware of some of the contributions, he called MSNBC president Phil Griffin "and agreed with Phil's immediate demand of a two-day suspension without pay."
How nice of Joe to recognize this after realizing that he couldn't keep lying about it anymore:
POLITICO had sought comment from the network after finding evidence that Scarborough gave at least five previously unknown $500 contributions while serving as an MNBC host – all to Republican candidates to whom he was close who were running for state legislative seats in or near Scarborough’s hometown of Pensacola, Fla. After being contacted by POLITICO about the donations, Scarborough voluntarily disclosed three other $500 contributions to a friend running for county office in Florida.
Scarborough’s suspension, during which he will not be paid, will end Wednesday, Griffin said in a statement, adding "As Joe recognizes, it is critical that we enforce our standards and policies."
At least the two day "suspension" won't be over the weekend, when he isn't on the air anyway, and will force him to take a nice long weekend vacation in Florida miss two of his morning shows (poor Mika, what will she do on her own without Joe?).
The disciplinary action against Scarborough, a former Republican congressman who also writes a weekly column for POLITICO, came two weeks after MSNBC announced it was suspending "Countdown" host Keith Olbermann "indefinitely" for three contributions he made to Democratic candidates during the 2010 campaign cycle. The network later reduced the suspension to two days.
At the time of Olbermann’s suspension Griffin said he had a conversation with Scarborough about political giving. "In my conversation with Joe two weeks ago, he did not recall these contributions," Griffin said.
Ah, the old Gonzo excuse: "I don't recall"!
Well, kudos to MSNBC for at least trying to seem "fair and balanced" in enforcing its rather silly policy.
I am verklempt over Joe. Discuss amongst yourselves.