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Topic: Is David Shuster A Reporter or Pundit?
| Author | Message |
| rockyroad | Posted – 2/11/2008 10:16:33 AM | show profile Biggest issue with MSNBC is they don't know the difference. Olbermann spews hate at Fox and all republicans yet anchors election night coverage and debates. Shuster spews such anger that his face freezes into a sneer yet he is called a reporter. At least on Fox, the line is clear. Hannity, O'Reilly, Colms are pundits. Chris Wallace, Shep Smith, Wendell Goller are reporters. MSNBC doesn't know the difference and it will be their downfall. |
| TruthOut | Posted – 2/11/2008 10:33:48 AM | show profile At MSNBC they don't bother themselves with lines or roles Olbermann is clearly a commentator but they bill him as an anchor. I guess Shuster was a little confused about whether he's a reporter/anchor or a commentator. That seems to be a problem over there at MSNBC. |
| SuburbanCorrespondent | Posted – 2/11/2008 12:51:00 PM | show profile Both times when Shuster was caught making a faux pas that got him in trouble, it was when he was guest hosting the Tucker show. I think the simple answer is that he considers himself a pundit of sorts when filling in for Tucker and speaks a little more loosely, just as Tucker would. You can also see him adopt this "persona" when he is on the Morning Joe panel. This isn't an excuse for his comments, of course, but I do think there is a seperation between Shuster the correspondent and Shuster the pundit. And as far as MSNBC being notorious for its blending of news and opinion - I am no Fox hater, but even a casual observer of journalism can tell you that Fox pioneered the tactic. Come on - Hume? Gibson? If it weren't for Fox, there'd probably be no Olbermann. It's almost like he was sitting at home, watching Fox, and was like, "Crap, we're allowed to do this now? Somebody get my agent on the phone!" |
| rockyroad | Posted – 2/11/2008 1:39:55 PM | show profile Provide some proof where a Fox reporter spewed such hatred at another network or a political candidate. Be careful not to mix pundits and reporters. Fox has great reporters and great pundits. MSNBC calls Olbermann a news anchor yet he is the main attack dog. Please, use common sense. |
| SuburbanCorrespondent | Posted – 2/11/2008 5:13:31 PM | show profile It is true that newscasters like Hume and Gibson don't explicitly attack anyone in particular - but they do use their coverage to go after the usual gang of Fox enemies (UN, ACLU, dems, hippies). They're much more subtle about it than Olbermann or O'Reilly, but it's there. You could make the same argument for a lot of other anchors (Lou Dobbs, for example), but Fox did it first and Fox does it best. And you're right about Olbermann - he is just as much a commentator as O'Reilly is and it is a mistake for MSNBC to not only let him claim the "anchor" title, but to make him the centerpiece of their network. The reasoning behind it is strictly money oriented, though - Olbermann is probably the most recognizable personality in their roster, and he's got the most popular show. So why not make him the poster boy? People love to find bias everywhere, whether it's on the left or the right, but in the end it's usually less about ideology than it is about the ratings. Oh look, we're talking about Olbermann again. Wasn't there some guy who said something about "pimping" last week? I forget. |
