Tuned In

Sanitized? Olbermann Suspends 'Worst Person' After Rally

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After the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear Saturday, Keith Olbermann went on the defensive on Twitter, tweeting that Jon Stewart had “jumped a shark” in behaving as though left and right voices in cable news were equally as guilty for creating a toxic tone in media discourse. (To be fair, Olbermann said it was a small shark. Perhaps a lanternshark or dogfish. He didn’t specify.)

Last night, however, Olbermann announced that he was suspending his “Worst Person in the World” segment, in the rally’s spirit of toning it down. To be honest, I’ve never found “Worst Person”—which is often obviously hyperbolic and tongue-in-cheek—to be the most vitriolic thing on Countdown. That would be the sometimes over-the-top outraged commentaries, which even Olbermann has acknowledged (at least one in response to Stewart’s prodding) are sometimes blustery out of proportion.

But credit to the guy for making a change. “Worst Person” segment—you’ve been sani-tized!