Ifill tells Russert and Brooks a thing or two
On Meet the Press, Gwen Ifill points some stuff out to Tim Russert and David Brooks. Via Think Progress:
That doesn't obligate large corporations to promote and sponsor such speech. If it's "all about the color green," then the public has every right to vote with its pocketbook and make its views known to the folks who want their hard-earned money.
And pure "entertainment" shows, such as "Desperate Housewives," along with music groups, are distinctly different from shows where the biggest names in politics and government are interviewed on a regular basis. You can argue whether Imus was more Howard Stern or Charlie Rose, and he was some of each, but in the end comparing Imus to rappers is absurd. When MSNBC gives a rapper three hours each weekday morning, then we can talk.
If discussions about deplorable lyrics happens, that's fine, as long as all genres are considered, and it's not used to make excuses for Imus.
This morning on NBC’s Meet the Press, PBS anchor Gwen Ifill directly called out host Tim Russert and fellow guest David Brooks for failing to speak out against Don Imus’ offensive remarks.Sometimes, you don't know when or how change is going to come. But the media landscape is now changed. As many have pointed out, it's not a First Amendment issue. Anyone can go say hateful or crazy stuff on the internet or the streetcorner.
“There has been radio silence from a lot of people who have done this program who could have spoken up and said, I find this offensive or I didn’t know,” Ifill said. “These people didn’t speak up.” She then turned Russert and Brooks, frequest guests on Imus’s show. “Tim, we didn’t hear from you. David, we didn’t hear from you.”
Ifill added, “A lot of people did know and a lot of people were listening and they just decided it was okay. They decided this culture of meanness was fine — until they got caught. My concern about Mr. Imus and a lot of people and a lot of the debate in this society is not that people are sorry that they say these things, they are sorry that someone catches them.”
That doesn't obligate large corporations to promote and sponsor such speech. If it's "all about the color green," then the public has every right to vote with its pocketbook and make its views known to the folks who want their hard-earned money.
And pure "entertainment" shows, such as "Desperate Housewives," along with music groups, are distinctly different from shows where the biggest names in politics and government are interviewed on a regular basis. You can argue whether Imus was more Howard Stern or Charlie Rose, and he was some of each, but in the end comparing Imus to rappers is absurd. When MSNBC gives a rapper three hours each weekday morning, then we can talk.
If discussions about deplorable lyrics happens, that's fine, as long as all genres are considered, and it's not used to make excuses for Imus.
