Last week it was the New York Times raising the question (as well as the White House). Today, the Associated Press’ David Bauder writes about the “uneasy coexistence” between NBC News and its cable counterpart, MSNBC.

“Now (Keith) Olbermann‘s ‘Countdown’ and Brian Williams‘ ‘Nightly News’ are produced under the same roof. NBC News personalities appear more frequently on MSNBC,” Bauder writes.

Bauder cites several examples of the blending news product of the two networks, but NBC News president Steve Capus disagrees with the premise. “Viewers are savvy enough to know the differences in that kind of programming,” Capus said. “The mission of NBC News hasn’t changed. The difference is that MSNBC has had some success, and success comes with attention and scrutiny.”

Bauder quotes Eric Burns (who apparently is still watch-ing the news) with his take on Olbermann’s NBC News impact. “He has made, just in terms of general image, MSNBC and by implication NBC (appear) much more liberal than it really is,” he said.