Press Coverage of Lott's Slip Dwarfs Byrd 'N'-Word Episode

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott's birthday tribute to Sen. Strom Thurmond has drawn a deluge of hostile coverage from the same media outlets that virtually ignored top Senate Democrat Robert Byrd's outrageous use of the "N" word during a nationally televised interview last year.

Since Lott praised Thurmond's 1948 Dixiecrat presidential candidacy last Thursday, saying that if he'd been elected "we wouldn't have had all these problems over these years," the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Associated Press, CNN and the Fox News Channel have intensely covered the story, with a combined total of 34 reports on the incident.

On Tuesday alone, both the New York Times and the Washington Post featured three stand alone reports each on the Lott-Thurmond flap.

The blanket coverage of Lott's comments, which have been described as racist by former Vice President Al Gore, stands in marked contrast to the major media's decision last year to give Sen. Byrd a pass for using the ugliest of racial epithets during a nationally televised broadcast.

Within five days of Byrd's March 4, 2001 outburst on "Fox News Sunday," where he twice used the phrase "white niggers" before insisting, "I'm going to use that word," the Washington Post featured just one story on the Byrd comment. The New York Times ignored the story altogether.

While the Fox News Channel featured 7 reports on Byrd's racist outburst, CNN mentioned the story only once. The Associated Press, which by Tuesday morning had covered the Lott-Thurmond brouhaha in 13 reports, covered the Byrd incident in just 4 reports.

The overwhelming majority of the coverage of Byrd's remarks led with news of his written apology, which was reported by "Fox News Sunday" immediately after he made the racially charged comments.

Though the Republican Senate leader has also apologized for what he described on Monday as "a poor choice of words," initial coverage of the story focused on the remarks themselves as well as calls by Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton for him to resign.

Though Byrd spent a good portion of the 1930's as a Grand Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan and referred to blacks in writing as late as the 1940's as "race mongrels," no civil rights leader called for his resignation in the wake of his use of the "N"-word last year.

Neither Gore nor ex-President Clinton and his wife Sen. Hillary Clinton have ever denounced the West Virginia Democrat's use of the demeaning racial insult.

A Tuesday morning Lexis-Nexis search reveals a distinct imbalance in the major media's coverage in the five days after Lott's comments, compared to how the press handled Byrd's remarks over the same period in 2001.

New York Times: Lott - 3 reports, Byrd - None Washington Post: Lott - 3 reports, Byrd's Apology - 1 report Associated Press: Lott: -13 reports, Byrd's Apology - 4 reports CNN: Lott - 9 reports or mentions. Byrd - 1 mention Fox News Channel: Lott - 6 reports or mentions, Byrd: 7 reports or mentions

The focus on Lott is particularly curious since nowhere in his remarks did he mention the word race, reference blacks or segregation or use the "N" word or any other racial epithet. According to NBC News, Lott's offending comments went as follows:

"I want to say this about my state. When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over these years, either."

In contrast, Sen. Byrd demonstrated a marked level of comfort with the ugliest of racial epithets when asked about the state of U.S. race relations. According to the Fox News transcript, he replied:

"I just think we talk so much about it that we help to create somewhat of an illusion. I think we try to have good will. My old mom told me, 'Robert, you can't go to heaven if you hate anybody.' We practice that. There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time; I'm going to use that word."

Since Lott praised Thurmond's 1948 Dixiecrat presidential candidacy last Thursday, saying that if he'd been elected "we wouldn't have had all these problems over these years,"

I disagree with Lott's statement. 1948 was a little over 80 years after the end of the Civil War. The people who fought that war and their children were dying out. Race was going to be an important issue as a new generation of politicians and voters came to power.

Newsmax.com just doesn't get this one. They are stuck on process and haven't dealt with the substance of the issue. The fact of the matter is that Byrd was a dodering old fool, not a current majority leader who is supposed to be leading the Senate. Republicans are the ones who are making this a big deal because they don't like it and they don't want to associate themselves with his remarks. NewsMax.com just can't see beyond their kneejerk "its the PC police" thinking. The senate majority leader on live tv cannot make a racially insensitive joke without seeming racially insensitive. We have worked too hard to earn some black votes and I don't want to see that thrown away by an unwise majority leader.

"My old mom told me, 'Robert, you can't go to heaven if you hate anybody.' We practice that. There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time; I'm going to use that word."

The problem is that Byrd sstill believes in the concept of "[insert racial slur her]" itself.

NewsMax.com just can't see beyond their kneejerk "its the PC police" thinking.

You have made a valid point concerning Lott's leadership role and supposedly "HAVING TO" appear above reproach. However, this article just shows ONE MORE example of media bias and contempt for Repubs by the Hypocritical Pharasidic Press.

Well put, sirchtruth.

The past few weeks, them dems have been complaining about Right Wing Media Bias. Even Rush commented on the demise of the liberal media. This would seem premature, as evidenced by the numbers sited in this article.
Anyway, I like the world better with a liberal slant in mainstream media. It makes for good reading.

The extremely short life of this "controversary" ( it has now hit about the 12th of it's 15 minutes) will actually prove to be yet another bitter reminder for the rats and the rat controlled media that they no longer can select what is or; what is not an important story. The laugh here is that even on FOX there has been some speculation about this having an effect on Black voters. Believe me,Black voters who thought they had had an election stolen from them in Florida, could not must up an anger that was visable and Black voters nationwide won't be any different, They will vote the way the rat plantation owners tell them to period. You can't do better than 90% anyway!

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