Glenn Beck Attacks Ed Schultz for Being an Advocate Not a Journalist

The hypocrisy meter nearly exploded today when on his radio show Glenn Beck attacked MSNBC’s Ed Schultz for engaging in political advocacy instead of journalism. Beck claimed that nobody is watching Ed Schultz because he supports Obama, “Maybe people aren’t watching you because, ‘you busted your ass for Obama.’ That’s not journalism. That’s advocacy.”

Here is the audio courtesy of Media Matters:

Beck played an edited clip of Ed Schultz’s speech at Netroots Nation saying that he busted his ass for Obama, and now Obama doesn’t talk to him. He goes to Bret Baier on Fox News. Beck said, “Stop just a second. Maybe because people are watching Bret Baier and not you, Ed, and maybe people aren’t watching you because quote to quote you, ‘you busted your ass for Obama.’ That’s not journalism. That’s advocacy. It’s not even opinion. I mean that is a, that’s an activist, and nobody is watching because you are in the minority.”

So when Glenn Beck offers to hold a fundraiser for Michele Bachmann he is not engaging in political advocacy? I guess Beck’s on air campaigning for Doug Hoffman wasn’t advocacy either. According to Beck his role as the mouthpiece for the Tea Party isn’t advocacy either. At least Ed Schultz does hide his advocacy behind charity the way that Beck will be on August 28. This arrogance and hypocrisy is even more astounding when you consider that just this week, Fox News got busted for using some of their “advocacy” to get Shirley Sherrod railroaded.

Glenn Beck’s sole defense for his actions has always been that he is not journalist but an entertainer, so it is interesting that Beck views himself as qualified to lecture Ed Schultz, who does do advocacy, but unlike Beck he doesn’t feel the need to hide it. Notice that when somebody does something in support of Obama, it is advocacy, but when Fox News race baits and creates phony scandals, it is journalism, such are the ethics, or lack thereof, of Fox News.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association