A week after a story appeared on A1 of the NYTimes, Brian Stelter updates his reporting with new information (this time on B1) and reiterates the original premise: attempts are being made to salvage “what was essentially a cease-fire between MSNBC and the Fox News Channel.” The long-running feud, Stelter writes, “temporarily resumed” this week.
Based on the insiders from both networks we’ve talked to throughout the week, don’t expect the resumption of the feud to be temporary.
“Despite the renewed tensions,” Stelter writes, News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch “and his counterpart at G.E., Jeffrey R. Immelt, are still seeking a truce in a feud that has embarrassed both companies, said three employees at the companies with direct knowledge of the situation.” Stelter continues:
The deal extends beyond the prime-time hour that Mr. Olbermann and Mr. O’Reilly occupy. Employees of daytime programs on MSNBC were specifically told by executives not to mention Fox hosts in segments critical of conservative media figures, according to two staff members.
While MSNBC did not comment for Stelter’s story, a Fox spokeswoman did, echoing the statement the network made to Howard Kurtz for his story Friday: “At this point the entire situation is more about major issues at NBC and G.E. than it is about Bill O’Reilly and Keith Olbermann.”
> Earlier on TVNewser: FNC vs. MSNBC: Immelt and Ailes Meet; Agree to End Personal Attacks. Source: “Zucker Prolonged the Assault on Immelt for Another Year”