Countdown host Keith Olbermann has just been indefinitely suspended for donating money to three Democratic campaigns, and thereby violating MSNBC policy. MSNBC president Phil Griffin says he learned of the contributions last night; it was first reported by Politico in a piece published this morning.
A quick search through a Center for Responsive Politics database on OpenSecrets.org of political contributions reveals he’s not the only journalist to put himself in murky territory. (More on that murkiness, from CJR here.)
Here are just a few journalists and media professionals, chosen un-scientifically, who show up in the database. (Note: the positions/employers that people specified at the time of their donations may have since changed.)
-Bruce Alberts, editor in chief of Science Magazine – $2,400 to Arlen Specter (D-Penn.), $300 to the DSCC
-Jesse Angelo, managing editor of the New York Post – $3,400 to Jack Conway
-Herman Cain, Cox Radio host – $13,600 to five Republican candidates
-Kelley Carter, editor at Time Inc. – $4,600 to Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.)
-Christopher Hayes of The Nation, and tonight’s fill-in host of MSNBC’s Countdown *[Update: Nope, MSNBC changed its mind on that.] – $250 to Josh Segall (D-Ala.)
-Seymour Hersh, freelance journalist – $1,000 to Walt Minnick (D-Idaho)
-Harold Huggins – reporter at The Tennesean and sports writer at Nashville City Paper – $2,925 to several Republican candidates and the NRSC
-Michael Kinsley – former co-host on CNN’s Crossfire, founding editor of Slate, now columnist at Politico – $500 to Mickey Kaus (D-Calif.)
-Elizabeth Lack – contributing editor of Vanity Fair – $2,000 to Alan Khazei (D-Mass.) and $4,800 to Scott Murphy (D-N.Y.)
-Bethany McLean, contributing editor of Vanity Fair – $2,000 to David Hoffman (D-Ill.)
-Martin Peretz, managing editor of The New Republic – $4,800 to Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
-Katha Pollitt, writer at The Nation – $500 to Thomas Geoghegan (D-Ill.)
-Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue – $30,400 to the DNC, $2,000 to Timothy Bishop (D-N.Y.)
-William Zwecker, reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times – $1,000 to Alexander Giannouilias (D-Ill.)
*[Update: This list previously included Camilla Cowan, who was identified as an editor of The Dallas Morning News. The CRP database’s info was outdated in this instance, as she was not ever an editor, and has not been employed there since 2001. Her name has been removed from this post. Andrew Katchen, formerly of the New York Daily News, was also previously listed in error, and his name has been removed as well.]
Lauren Kirchner is a freelance writer covering digital security for CJR. Find her on Twitter at @lkirchner