10 Commentators the Right and Left Love to Hate

Do you turn the channel when Keith Olbermann comes on Current TV? Does Rush Limbaugh make you crazy on the afternoon drive home?

As the 2012 election heats up, it seems like news commentators from both sides are becoming more provocative, leading Whispers to ask Washington's two prominent news watchdogs who they think are the most unfair in the business.

[See a slide show of the 10 most hated news commentators]

The conservative Media Research Center and progressive Media Matters for America played along, giving us the top five on their bias hit list.

First on the conservative chart is HBO's Bill Maher. The Media Research Center notes that he once suggested that Obama push through his agenda and tell the opposition, "Republicans, you can suck on it."

Second on the conservative hit list is MSNBC's Chris Matthews, slapped on Media Research Center's website this month for insisting that Ronald Reagan "wasn't a social conservative."

Third on the conservative list is CNN's Joy Behar, who suggested after the killing of Osama bin Laden that the GOP "should just skip the next election."

Ed Schultz of MSNBC is fourth for MRC whose website notes he had to apologize for calling righty talker Laura Ingraham a "right wing slut."

And fifth on the Media Research Center list of those they see as liberally biased is Keith Olbermann of MSNBC, who has used words like "Neanderthal" to describe Republicans.

First on the progressive Media Matters hit list is Rush Limbaugh. Says the group, "El Rushbo has demonstrated time and again that there is no depth to which he won't sink."

Second on Media Matters list is Glenn Beck, even though he's off the air. "Beck may have lost his Fox News platform, but the wacky morning zoo DJ-turned-end-times-conspiracy theorist is still peddling his apocalyptic wares on the radio and his newly launched online TV service," says the group.

[See photos of Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Rally]

Fox's Eric Bolling is third on Media Matters' target list. "In addition to being a birther, Bolling has landed in hot water more than once for inappropriate racial remarks," they say.

Fourth on the Media Matters list are the hosts of the popular morning show, Fox & Friends. "Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson, and Brian Kilmeade work seamlessly together each morning to turn Fox & Friends into a bubbly and poisonous mixture of right-wing talking points, Republican propaganda, and anti-Democratic hysteria," says Media Matters.

And fifth is Sean Hannity, also of Fox, who Media Matters says too often parrots GOP talking points.

• See this month's best political cartoons.
  
• See photos from the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.
• Read more about the 2012 presidential election.

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