Alterman fired from MSNBC

Posted by Melissa McEwan at 6:58 AM on September 12, 2006.

Eric Alterman, who has been writing the Altercation blog at MSNBC for a decade, has been fired.

Whether my termination is, in fact, a product of a political decision at GE/NBC, which according to reports I read and gossip I hear, has lately taken a much firmer hand in guiding the content of both MSNBC and MSNBC.com, I have no way of knowing. ...But speculation is not the same thing as evidence, and the good folks at MSNBC.com and GE/NBC can, I'm sure, give you good reasons why dumping Altercation is the right thing to do from a business standpoint -- though the natural speculation that arises is a damn good argument against the kind of media concentration that allows a company like GE to own NBC in the first place.

I'm quite interested, to say the least, to hear that explanation. If I'm being honest, I'm concerned that, if there's a progressive purge at MSNBC, liberal favorite Keith Olbermann would be next on their chopping block. I'd certainly like some kind of reassurance that he isn't going anywhere.

As for where Eric Alterman is going, you'll be able to find him at Media Matters, here.

Melissa McEwan writes and edits the blog Shakespeare's Sister.