Don Imus Fired From CBS
I just got the MSNBC "Breaking News" email alert telling me that Don Imus has been fired from CBS.
I don't like Don Imus and I've thought he was a jerk for years but I'm still kind of sad about this. I'm a sucker for second (and sometimes even third) chances and while I found his comments reprehensible I thought his apology was sincere. While I'm not really willing to argue that he shouldn't have been fired I think it would have been enough for his leash to have been shortened and he should have been given a chance to clean up his act (or enough rope to hang himself, whichever the case may be).
It also needs to be said that we as a culture are just as responsible for these comments as Imus himself. I remember the day after Katie Couric's CBS New's debut the big story wasn't how well she did but that she had pictures of Suri Cruise. This is because in modern times it isn't enough for news to just be news, it has to entertain us as well. This is why I'm ready to forgive Imus - I don't think he meant what he said, he just tried to give the people what they wanted and went too far.
You can watch Don Imus' comment here. You'll notice in the video that Imus isn't the first person to refer to the girls as "hos".
Update (7:01 P.M.): For more on the Imus controversy I recommend this news story and for commentary with a view differing from mine I highly recommend this blog post by the Today Show's Al Roker, one of the main voices inside NBC that called for dropping the Imus simulcast on MSNBC. You can also find the CBS statement on the firing here.
Update #2 (7:40 P.M.): Media Matters has put together a good list of examples to show that the problem goes beyond Don Imus.
5 comments:
I read part (not all - too long) of the Media Matters report.
One big difference is that most of the offenses listed were against a single person, not a group. And very few were against African Americans.
Doesn't justify it and I rarely listen to most of those people. Listened to Rush today for about an hour, so that should be good for a month.
Points: Imus wouldn't have gotten the can for hitting on any other group. He probably wouldn't have gotten the can if he was on a lesser network (e.g. XM/Sirius). The networks made the decision to fire him, not the government. Let's keep it that way.
Keep up the good blogs...
Been thinking more about the Media matters report.
Why is it that Rosie O'Donnell doesn't show up in the hate speech list? Her comments against George Bush and Donald Trump are just as hateful.
Some group of concerned black women are calling for more federal regulation on public airwaves. I'm sure they want hate speech outlawed. But is it all hate speech or just hate speech directed at them? If the speech is on cable or sattelite, does that make it ok? And what about all that rap music?
I realize that this goes much further than you wrote about and may or may not disagree with some of my ideas. Just some additional thoughts
I think the list dealt only with radio personalities, that's why people like Rosie were omitted. I used to like Rosie (though I never really watched her show or anything) but I've just gotten so sick of her since she joined "The View". One point in her favor though is that in most cases with her the dialogue goes both ways. Trump said some pretty nasty things about her as well. Also Trump and Bush are public figures, insults tend to come with the role.
I agree, Trump and Bush are public figures, insults tend to come with the role.
Most of the insults listed on the Media Matters report were hurled at public figures. By the same logic, they should not be included.
My point is this. By it's ommissions, the media matter report loses credibility.
You make a good point. I do think the report illustrated my point that our culture generally accepts the outrageous behavior of talk radio hosts though.
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