OLBERMANN’S SUSPENSION: “NOT A PUBLICITY STUNT”

MSNBC personality Keith Olbermann returned to the air on Tuesday after an “indefinite” suspension — that lasted precisely two days — for violating a company rule barring its hosts from contributing to political campaigns without permission. Although his return to the air was likely to boost ratings for his show, Olbermann insisted, “This was not a publicity stunt.” He then quipped, “Of course, if I had known all this was going to happen, I would have done this years ago.” He thanked the 300,000 people who signed a petition to have him reinstated and the 20,000 Tweeters who had protested against the suspension. It all felt, he said, “like a universal hug.” Although insisting that he was unaware of the rule that got him suspended and remarking that it was “probably not legal,” he commented that “It’s not a stupid rule. … It just has to be adapted to the realities of 21st century journalism.”