As much as I like Keith Olbermann and as much as I dislike all the attention that Paris Hilton gets and the way she manipulates that attention to get more of it (like I’m doing now), I have to agree with this commentator’s take on what happened during Countdown’s celebrity gossip round-up:

Last night in his Paris Hilton reporting, Keith Olbermann reported that Hilton claimed to have been punched in the face at a nightclub by former Miss U.S.A.-cum-”Dancing With The Stars” castoff Shanna Moakler ). Underneath footage of Paris going to the police station to file a report was the tagline “A Slut and Battery,” which stayed on the screen for a full 20 seconds (of a 32-second clip), including during footage of Moakler.

Now. No one is making the argument here that Hilton is a blushing virgin. But there is something really unseemly and misogynistic about that particular phrase — not only is it stunningly inappropriate for MSNBC and Olbermann (the recent holier-than-thou voice of America Wronged, lest we forget) to throw that label on anyone, but particularly in the context of a claim of assault, which diminishes the seriousness of an assault charge and suggests that assaults on ’sluts’ are less worthy of serious consideration.

It was way out of line. It is National Enquirer-level journalism. And worst of all, it gives her more attention. Just drop the celebrity gossip, Keith. It is demeaning to you, your valid political message, and to your audience.

edit to add: feministe has some interesting thoughts on this.

And this is why Olberman’s comment bothered me: because he’s buying into that same paradigm, using it to slut-shame Paris, and through that reminding all women that our sexual status is more valuable than our physical safety. Something that makes us “whores,” even if it’s consensual and not painful, is worse than something which leaves us physically bruised. The fact that this view isn’t uncommon — and was used as a cheap joke on a “progressive” television segment — speaks volumes.