The other day, I read with great interest Ted Koppel’s screed against the opinion-focused nature of modern-day cable news, in which he specifically named Keith Olbermann and Bill O’Reilly as individuals that aren’t helping. And while Koppel is undeniably intelligent and accomplished, the piece was a tinged of a “Get off my lawn!” attitude that seemed rooted in a refusal to accept or adapt to the economic realities of modern journalism. I’m not saying we should surrender to Nick Denton’s mantra of “the most hits wins,” but certainly there has to be a happy medium out there somewhere.
Tonight, Keith Olbermann responded not merely with a rebuttal, but with a complete subversion of Koppel’s entire premise. Compelling stuff: