Posted on 04/09/2007 5:45:14 AM PDT by presidio9
http://ajr.org/rem/article040907.htm
From AJR, Online Extra
Shunning the I-Man
Its time for all those big-name journalists and politicos to abandon Imus in the Morning.
By Rem Rieder
Rem Rieder (rrieder@ajr.umd.edu) is AJR’s editor and senior vice president.
There are many things I dont understand. Nuclear physics. The stock market. Why anyone would watch American Idol, even at gunpoint.
Add another to the list: Why people who should know betterpeople like Meet the Press host Tim Russert and Newsweeks Evan Thomas and Sen. John McCainappear on Imus in the Morning.
Thats Imus as in Don Imus, the radio host with a penchant for racist insults.
Imus is in the news again for his comments about players for the Rutgers womens basketball team. After Rutgers lost to Tennessee in the NCAA championship game last week, Imus engaged in this sprightly dialogue with his sidekick and producer, Bernard McGuirk:
Imus: Thats some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, theyve got tattoos
McGuirk: Some hardcore hos.
Imus: Thats some nappy headed hos there, Im going to tell you that.
That Imus would say something like this is about as surprising as Britney Spears busting out of rehab. He has, as they say, a history. And while insulting African Americans is nothing new for the I-Manhe once called Gwen Ifill, now host of PBS Washington Week, a cleaning ladyhes pretty much an equal opportunity jerk.
His latest paroxysm was greeted, quite rightly, with outrage and calls for his ouster. But it looks like Imus will skate yet again. After first dismissing the contretemps as no big deal, he wisely did a one-eighty and went into damage-control mode, apologizing for an insensitive and ill-conceived remark.
WFAN-AM, where Imus nationally syndicated show originates, and MSNBC, which simulcasts the program, both distanced themselves from the trash talkers racist comments but gave no hint that any disciplinary action was in the works.
Thats where those big-time regulars come in.
Its time for Russert and Thomas and NBCs Andrea Mitchell and Hardball impresario Chris Matthews and Sens. McCain and Joseph Biden and Joe Liebermanand many, many moreto, in the immortal words of Nancy Reagan, just say no.
By continuing to appear on a program hosted by a guy who makes comments this far beyond the pale, Russert & Co. are giving their tacit approval. They give Imus a protective cover of legitimacy. Its as if theyre all members of the same club. Imus may be naughty, but, hey, hes just being Imus.
Well, naughty is fine. Ugly, racially tinged comments are not. And this isnt a one-shot episode. This is a career-long pattern. And, no, this isnt about political correctness. Im a big fan of freewheeling debate, and Im concerned about the effort to sanitize speech, to enforce cookie-cutter views, to go so far to protect feelings as to stifle vigorous discussion. But this is a different level of magnitude. And, hey, Imus has a First Amendment right to say whatever he wants. While its discouraging that WFAN-AM and MSNBC want to embrace this type if behavior, I guess bidness is bidness.
That makes it all the more important that Russert and Thomas and McCain and the rest of the A-list do the right thing and walk away.
If he makes a deal, you can be sure that support for Hillary will be a big part of it! LOL
He said Imus said..that when Hillary spoke in Selma, AL.."maybe next time she'll have on corn-rollers and gold teeth and give a crypt sign"..
He won't be throwing a fund-raiser for her.
The reality is..Don Imus is a class A-1 Jerk, who has gotten away with his type of offensive "shock jock" for far too long.
He's denigrates most everyone..and should just retire now. He is beyond redemption.
sw
She needs to go as well..
sw
I wonder where Greaseman is these days.
Thanks! Bookmarked for later listening. I lived about 60 miles outside DC and worked 30 miles or so closer in and could pull in Greaseman on DC101 for most of the drive. Hard to believe it’s been over 20 years since then...
He works for CBS but is broadcast by NBC???
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