Profile of MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Political Junkie Journalist

Lately, I'm addicted to MSNBC's Hardball, hosted by Chris Matthews. Hardball, for those who don't closely follow politics, is a top-rated weekday program devoted to poltical news and analysis. Matthews is known for his "hardball" grilling of interviewees, and for his in-depth knowledge of politics, owing to his 15 years as a Congressional aide.

Matthews is an interesting and contradictory character... accused of being both too liberal and too conservative. And I can understand both accusations. For example, he's been adamently opposed to the Iraq War since its 2003 inception, and yet, since 2001, he's been keynote speaker to an array of conservative organizations.

Chris Matthews is feisty and outspoken, and who can resist his infectiously hearty laugh so richly parodied on Saturday Night Live? I laughed out loud when, during the 2004 Democratic convention, frustrated Sen. Zell Miller of Georgia famously seethed to Matthews, "I wish we lived in the day where you could challenge a person to a duel."

Today, we learn political news filtered through the words, eyes and viewpoints of political commentators. I contend that it's therefore vital to understand who these commentators are, so we can separate the facts of the news from punditry slanting, conscious or unconscious, of those news facts.

Take the time to learn about MSNBC's Chris Matthew at my article, Profile of Chris Matthews, Host of MSNBC's Hardball & Political Junkie Journalist.

And while you're at it, be sure to read my other five profiles of journalists and pseudo-journalists at Profiles of the Press & Journalists.

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Profile of Christiane Amanpour, CNN Chief International Correspondent
Profile of Anderson Cooper, Journalist and CNN Anchor