Murdoch wades into political commentators' row

by Staff, Brand Republic 20-May-08, 11:15

NEW YORK - Rupert Murdoch has intervened in the long-standing row between conservative TV pundit Bill O'Reilly of Fox News and a liberal rival on the MSNBC network.

O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann, the anti-war host of MSNBC's 'Countdown' programme, have clashed openly for years, with their most heated spats reserved for the war in Iraq.

Fox is famously pro-Republican and pro-war in Iraq while MSNBC and other US networks have been critical of the war.

But Murdoch's involvement in their latest clash shows signals that the boardroom battling has reached unprecedented levels.

O'Reilly has accused General Electric, the parent company of MSNBC and NBC, of doing business in Iran. The company, which has done business in the Persian gulf for years, is accused by US officials of providing weapons and training for Shiite militias in the Iraq conflict. It has scaled back its activity because of that criticism and pressure from shareholders.

Olbermann fired back, O'Reilly on the air last month: "After all the shilling and ass-kissing you did for the administration before this phony war, you are more personally responsible for the 4,000 dead Americans in Iraq than all of America's corporations put together."

In this latest twist, The Washington Post has reported that Murdoch has interceded to ask that Olbermann cancel his plans to air footage from a liberal activist protesting in front of O'Reilly's home. The film was never aired.