US broadcaster to return to air Tuesday

Nov 8, 2010, 13:46 GMT

   Washington - The top liberal commentator for the US cable news network MSNBC is to return to the air Tuesday after being suspended without pay for contributing 7,200 dollars to three Democratic candidates running in last week's congressional elections.

   Keith Olbermann's contributions violated network policies that frown on journalists getting involved in partisan activities that could colour their coverage, MSNBC had said.

   The network's president, Phil Griffin, said in a statement released late Sunday: 'I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night's programme is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy. We look forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night.'

   The 51-year-old's primetime programme, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, was part of the duelling partisan politics of US cable news television in the United States with MSNBC on the left and Fox News on the right.

   Olbermann contributed 2,400 dollars to Kentucky's Democratic Senate candidate Jack Conway, who lost to Republican Tea Party favorite Rand Paul. He donated similar amounts to two Arizona congressional candidates. One of them, Raul Grijalva, appeared on his programme on the same day he made the donation, the Politico newspaper reported.

   On election night November 2, Olbermann was the lead anchor of MSNBC's election coverage, meaning he was covering races in which he had a personal interest.

   Political contributions are public information in the US. Politico was the first media outlet to report Olbermann's contributions.