If you’ve ever watched The Wire, you have an appreciation for how it brilliantly characterizes the actions of entire organizations as the whims of a few men in power.  Even in a fictionalized world imbued with caricature to prove a point, it’s still frightening to see back-scratching and petty power struggles between city officials dictating whether the police can build a true difference-making case.

By that logic, it’s scary as hell to read the first section of the Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz’s “Media Notes,” which details how an ideological feud between Keith Olbermann and Bill O’Reilly escalated into a smear campaign of General Electric and a pissing match between Rupert Murdoch, NBC chief executive Jeff Zucker, and Fox News head Roger Ailes using coverage as bargaining chips.

Everyone is well-aware of MSNBC’s third-place ranking behind CNN and Fox News in 24-hour news network primetime ratings, with Fox News scoring three times as many viewers in that slot back in August 2007.  A January 2008 ranking of the top programs by network also confirms MSNBC’s lagging position.

Olbermann’s status as the #1 rated MSNBC show is (at least) partially due to his constant trash-talking on O’Reilly.  Preaching to his allegedly smug, collegiate choir.  Everyone loves a good controversy!  Except when journalistic integrity is completely obliterated at its expense.

What began four years ago as a colorful feud between rival commentators, instigated by Olbermann as a way of drawing attention, has become a tale of bruised egos and secret maneuvering at the highest levels of two multinational giants.

and

Ailes called Zucker on his cellphone last summer, clearly agitated over a slam against him by MSNBC host Keith Olbermann. According to sources familiar with the conversation, Ailes warned that if Olbermann didn’t stop such attacks against Fox, he would unleash O’Reilly against NBC and would use the New York Post as well.

Both Fox and the Post are owned by Murdoch, who complained about Olbermann’s conduct in separate calls to Zucker and Immelt.

What transpired was pretty childish.  Read the full piece for details, but O’Reilly attacked GE (which owns NBC Universal) by way of some contracts GE  has in Iran, claiming that GE CEO Jeff Immelt should be the first target for the rage of families who have lost a loved one fighting in Iraq.

Asked about O’Reilly’s motivation, [GE spokesman Gary] Sheffer said that executives at Murdoch’s News Corp. “tell us if the attacks on O’Reilly end, the attacks on GE will end. They’ve had conversations with our news executives saying, ‘If you stop, we’ll stop.’ ” An NBC spokeswoman confirmed the calls.

Olbermann continued his bashing of “Bill-O,” Ailes, Murdoch, and “Fox Noise.”  NBC News President Steve Capus apparently admits to Roger Ailes that they do in fact harbor an anti-war sentiment as a network.

It’s all in there.  You can’t make this up.  And people criticize The Daily Show’s for being light on “real news.”