Posted on 01/10/2005 6:38:47 AM PST by mhking
Reaction to the Armstrong Williams-Department of Education scandal was swift and furious over the weekend, as I wasn't the only one to make a lot of noise on the issue (LaShawn Barber, Michelle Malkin, Rob Bernard, DC Thornton, Amy Ridenour, Sisu, Nate Livingston, Expertise, Booker Rising, Eduwonk, Wizbang, The American Prospect's Tapped column, Powerline & others too numerous to mention).
In the wake of Friday's revelations, Tribune Media Services, who syndicated his column to newspapers nationally, abruptly dropped his column, and most likely, his television show, The Right Side with Armstrong Williams (syndicated on Sinclair stations and aired nationally on cable/satellite networks TVOne and The Liberty Channel) will be cancelled as well. No word on his radio show, which airs on a handful of stations across the nation.
Williams was apologetic in this morning's column, appearing on TownHall.com.
I understand that I exercised bad judgment in running paid advertising for an issue that I frequently write about in my column. People need to know that my column is uncorrupted by any outside influences. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for my bad judgment, and to better explain the circumstances.People have accused me, in various forums over the weekend, of wanting to 'throw Armstrong under the bus.' Nothing could be further from the truth. I certainly want conservative blacks of all stripes and from all quarters to thrive and succeed.The fact is, I run a small business. I am CEO and manage the syndication and advertising for my television show. In between juggling my commentaries and media appearances, I stepped over the line. This has never happened before. In fact, my company has never worked on a government contract. Nor have we ever received compensation for an issue that I subsequently reported on. This will never happen again. I now realize that I have to create inseparable boundaries between my role as a small businessman and my role as an independent commentator.
I accept full responsibility for my lack of good judgment. I am paying the price. Tribune Media has cancelled my column. And I have learned a valuable lesson. I just want to assure you that this will never happen again, and to ask for your forgiveness.
But at the same time, when ethical lines are crossed, I will call people on them. Period.
Many on the conservative side of the coin have railed on about people like Bill Moyers receiving tax monies to promote a political agenda in the past, yet those same voices are silent now.
The bottom line is that wrong is wrong.
I appreciate Williams' apology this morning, and his stock certainly rises a bit as a result. He has owned up to his mistake and is willing to move forward. I, too, am willing to move forward, and while I can certainly forgive his shortcoming in this case, I cannot ignore it.
I stand by my statement of Friday, when I indicated that his word would be suspect in the future.
While his apology appears genuine, only his actions as time moves forward will tell me if he truly has learned his lesson and is worth listening to again.
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Very sad. But Williams is not the only trusted person taking pieces of silver for betraying us. We must root out all paid propagandists. There are more eggregious ones than Williams, and they must be humiliated.
I like Mr. Williams. I'm glad he apologized. It was a dumb thing to do. Having done a number of dumb things myself, I can understand it happening. He has certainly taken a pummeling over this.
I saw him on O'Reilly. He messed up, and he knows it, and admits it. It's been a learning experience for him. I'm satisfied the problem has been fixed, and I'll continue to read what he says.
You'll get no argument from me on that.
Good thing that Pres. Bush didn't fall into that trap.
Armstrong Williams is a commentator and not a reporter. He should have just said that he never wrote or stated anything that that he didn't already believe and that he wouldn't have written about anyway.
It was their business if they wanted to pay him to KEEP writing what he was already writing and for the rights to publish it in the DOE journals.
Commentator...not reporter. I can't believe he fell into this remorse trap. It's so unnecessary.
I agree and lets start with the ACLU, NEA and MANY tax-exempt organizations that are overtly partisan (NCAA, PUSH, etc).
I am not trying to defend Williams but this kind of thing has been going on in liberal circles for over 30 years and been ignored by the masses.
Okay, I confess! Richard Mellon Scaife is paying me MILLIONS to do the DUmmie FUnnies Blog.
Of course I also wish I had known the lottery numbers before they were shown last week.......
Armstrong is guilty of nothing more than a petty technical oversight. He is and always has been a good and decent man of morals.
OPPORTUNISTS WHO SEEK TO USE THIS MATTER AND ARMSTRONGS BACK AS A STEPPING STONE SHOULD BEWARE!
That does not exclude him from having proper ethics. He said so himself.
“It’s a fine line. Even though I’m not a journalist — I’m a commentator — I feel I should be held to the media ethics standard. My judgment was not the best. I wouldn’t do it again, and I learned from it.”
I also believe that those ethics are necessary, and certainly follow those standards myself.
Wrong is wrong. And yes, it was unnecessary -- all he had to do was to have full disclosure prior to his commentaries on the matter.
Case in point: Mary Mapes still has her job, right?
I actually think it has more to do with how they went about financing it.
If Dept of Ed is like any other Dept, they have numerous in-house journals. Hire the guy to write for those.
He gets paid by the papers for his columns. What's the difference?
And I've bitched to high heaven about it.
Just because THEY do wrong, does not mean that WE need to do wrong.
Wrong is wrong.
Mapes should be pounding pavement right now as far as I'm concerned.
As I've noted, I appreciate Armstrong's apolgy, and it is certainly far more than a leftist, caught in the same embroglio, would have done. And as I mentioned, his stock has risen some in my book from where it has fallen as a result.
But that does not negate the issue. And I need to see, over time, if he has truly learned.
If that means that I'm throwing him under the bus, I'm sorry.
I can't believe the wailings of the liberals on this board --- "I can never trust Williams again because he was paid for an advertisement!"
ALL radio shows, tv shows are PAID for advertising you brainwashed fools!
All hosts talk about their advertisers also during their programs --- it is expected in many cases and it is nothing unusual, rare, or below the board --- try listening to a LEFTIST SHOW -- they are easy to find on every tv and most radio news shows.
I see the left-wing radicals in this country have WON the case against the FIRST AMENDMENT and now if you are Christian abnd Conservative you are not allowed the FREE exercise of your rights.
Well I have one (two?) words gfor all of you who scream out that Willimas is GUILTY!!!
BULL-SH*T!!
What?....uh huh... uh, huh.... you mean?.... not D.U.?....!, What do you mean, "this isn't D.U."?.... Huh?.... Really?Oh..... heh heh heh...
never mind...
Stupid is as stupid does.
Those that "scream" Williams is guilty includes himself. Oh, I guess he's a brainwashed fool too.
Advertizers are straight up and acknowledged.
Government propagandists should be dragged through the streets naked.
"If that means that I'm throwing him under the bus, I'm sorry."
Bullshit. You're quite happy to do it......the campaign you are running here and elsewhere is only thinly disguised (as indignation) self-promotion of yourself.
Are you sure my George Soros check for opposing the Drug War isn't being deposited in your account? I keep missing it.
Seriously, though, foundations have to publish their spending. To take government propaganda money in secret is quite different.
Way out of line buddy! You apparently don't know Michael very well............
Honest...I did not know this ahead of time!
"You apparently don't know Michael very well............"
Good call. But he's doing his best to change that......AT ARMSTRONGS EXPENSE!
For example, let's say that he had some differences of opinion with NCLB that he developed over time. Let's say that he would like to see the abolishment of the DOE (as many conservatives do).
Mind you, I'm just throwing out examples.
But given that, how do we know that we aren't getting his honest opinion, as opposed to what the DOE has told him he HAS to say?
Boortz made a great example on the air Friday: He comes in and wants to decide on a topic of discussion. As opposed to what he wants to talk about, he talks about what the highest bidder wants him to talk about.
This is no different.
Great minds think alike, I guess....[g]
All I can say is...it's about time!
You don't know me, and that's fine.
You don't know what I've done, and that's fine.
And quite frankly, considering you don't know what work I do or don't do on an ongoing basis (or here on FR for quite awhile, mind you), bite me.
If I were trying to "promote myself," there are far more lucrative vehicles that I have at my disposal.
I have an honest concern for the image presented of and by black conservatives. And when people, ON EITHER SIDE OF THE AISLE, are out of line on something like this, then I'm going to call them on it. Period.
Quite frankly, you can take your blind allegiance, fold it thrice and insert it sideways. I don't care.
I think Michael is disappointed - I know I am - I still respect the man but thought he was smarter than this - he'll learn and not do it again -
Someone needs to ask him, then, if he wrote anything that he does not believe.
If he wrote his true beliefs, then that's what we get anyway.
One issue for me is "how do columnists normally get paid?" If the newspapers/media outlets are paying them, how do we EVER know we're not getting opinions slanted or softened to get past the papers' gatekeepers.
For example, you recall that someone (NYT) refused to run articles they'd commissioned Ann Coulter to write. I'm assuming they contacted her ahead of time...in other words, gave her chance to make changes that would bring the payday that had been promised.
I'm struggling to find what Williams has done that's abnormal in that world.....'cause Coulter appears to be one of the few to bring light on what they have to do to get their articles published.
THe next step = ok with you = is the total ban of all political speech.
Have you any idea what the FIRST AMENDMENT was written for? NO?
It wass written to PROTECT POLITICAL SPEECH - not for nambla to go seek little boys to screw! But that would be ok to you?
If they succeed in this small jerk of the chain, the final goal of these monarchists & TYRRANTS is to block ALL FREE SPEECH if it is political, and as a BONUS, they can ban ALL ads for recruiting of Army, Navy, CoastGuard ,and Marines!
THAT is also one of your ultimate goals also!
You would prefer that there can only be advertisements where the host/station/ownswers/stockholders do NOT believe in the company/source?
Why can't anybody have an ad ...let's say for SNAPPLE ... and during the show say "I like Snapple." ?? That is called FREE SPEECH --- He can also say -without the threat of being arrested, like all of you want to befall Williams- "I hate Snapple." SO?!? He will love an advertiser, but is is free speech.
If Williams, during his show, screamed and hollered like an idiot on how stupid the president was right after playing the govt ad ... would there have been a protest from you? Hardly!
If he wrote his true beliefs, then that's what we get anyway.
Chicken or the egg. Does he believe it because he's getting paid, or is he getting paid because he believes it?
[shrug]Contrary to some of the whiners here, there IS a need for columnists to be above board here -- if for the ability to be able to criticize the hand that feeds it (as it were), if nothing else.
The implication with someone who is paid and does not disclose is that they are an extension of the paying body, as opposed to an independent voice who has come to the same (or similar) conclusion.
I guess I'm voicing my distrust of the independence of just about any columnist who's paid by the LSM.
Therefore, I don't see William's problem as much different.
I'll not argue, though. You make a good point. Disclosure certainly never hurts.
I just wonder, though, if disclosure for "general" columnists should include all those times when editors ask them to change things to make their columns "better."
Misplaced modifiers, wrong tenses, misspellings...fine. Let the editors edit. But what about when they make "recommendations" on content? Should that be disclosed?
I'd vote yes.
This doesn't excuse Williams. View it as a separate issue for another discussion at another time.
Indeed.
Dear TonyRo76,
"Case in point: Mary Mapes still has her job, right?"
It's my understanding that as of 10 am EST today, Ms. Mapes is without a job.
Although that seemed to have occurred about 3 minutes after your post. ;-)
sitetest
Dear mhking,
Your comments are on the money.
sitetest
No, she doesn't. She was fired.
I don't know if anyone here was more stunned than I was :-O
See #24 :)
LOL.
"If I were trying to "promote myself," there are far more lucrative vehicles that I have at my disposal."
Sure you are......in terms of general public familiarity, you Armstrongs lesser. He is well-known and well liked. The thorn you are becoming in his side will backfire at you.
I wish you well in your effort that is going to harm you and ultimately assist Armstrong. He didn't need YOUR blessing to get where he is......and he sure doesn't need it now, either. Get off his back, man, in the long run it will only harm you.
btw, "promoting" ones self is rarely in and of itself lucrative......(something about a chicken and egg there, too, LOL. Bon chance! thrice, even)
What part of 'I don't care' do you have problems understanding?
I've written more than this prior to now, and will do so long in the future.
To hear you tell it, I don't have quarter to criticize anyone.
Tough.
And if anyone's on anyone's back, it appears that you are the one riding his jock. That's your prerogative. Enjoy.
Ever feel like the universe is just teasing you?
Interesting. I consider this a technicality, since he was a supporter of NCLB anyway. (I disagree with him, since Federal involvement in education is unconstitutional.)
I think his "apology" is sincere, and the situation doesn't affect my opinion of him - especially since I thought he was wrong on this topic to start with. Of all the nationally-syndicated Black Conservative writers, I think Armstrong Williams displays the most spiritual depth.
Uh huh, humiliating government propagandists is the END OF FREE SPEECH??? Yeah, sure, whatever.
You apperently didn't read my comments. Advertizing is making an honest living. There are laws against domestic propaganda for a reason. Even the legally sanctioned propagandsists deserve to be spat on and humiliated. Was Tommy Thomspon right to LIE about one of the anthrax victims "was a hunter," "drank from a stream?" No, he is a lying sack of excrement, and deserves every bit of derision heaped on him.
And contrary to your bleatings, dissention is not the sign of someone trying to use him as a ladder.
I'm not trying to be "better than" Williams or "worse than" anyone else.
I'm trying to be who I am, and to be the most honest person I can be.
But given that you consider honest dissention and criticism to be a jerk, there's obviously not any honest or open conversation with you.
No great loss there.
I would appreciate if you cease with the personal insults and direct your conversation elsewhere.
I'm going to presume that you are not attempting to troll for a response.
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