Joe Scarborough’s tweet last week slamming Keith Olbermann has gained some attention, including from their boss:
Griffin sent a memo, obtained by the Huffington Post, to network talent and executive producers clamping down on infighting within the network.
“We have many strong personalities with differing, passionate opinions, but it is important to remember that we are all on the same team,” Griffin said in the memo. “I want to reiterate my long-standing policy: We do not publicly criticize our colleagues. This kind of behavior is unprofessional and will not be tolerated.”
Earlier this week, “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough blasted Keith Olbermann on Twitter for his comments that Scott Brown is “an irresponsible, homophobic, racist, reactionary, ex-nude model, tea-bagging supporter of violence against women and against politicians with whom he disagrees.”
The Huffington Post has the full memo here. Mediaite, a site founded by MSNBC legal analyst Dan Abrams, adds:
We hear Scarborough apologized to Griffin for his comments. Griffin also talked to Olbermann, and Olbermann didn’t think it merited punishment. So the letter to staff (but really to Scarborough) went out instead.
We asked on Tuesday if it was “MSNBC civil war,” and it doesn’t sound like it. But with Scarborough’s private apology and Olbermann’s public acknowledgment that, yeah, maybe the Scott Brown thing was a little over the top (although because of what Stewart, not Scarborough said), it seems that both sides have dialed it back.
Scarborough has one of the worst rated shows on network news, while Keith has one of the best. I’m sure that thought was in Griffin’s mind when he sent out that memo and I wouldn’t doubt if Joe was reminded of that fact.