[Wally_Kalbacken]

Take a look at the John Rocker incident - his insensitive remarks made in an auto driving up I-95. Rocker an SI report and another individual were driving up the east coast and SI chose to report what Rocker said. Prior to publication two people, at most, could have been offended by his remarks. Publish it in sports illustrated and, with the attendant regurgitation by the res of the media, everyone on earth is aware of it. Who has caused the greater damage, Rocker expressing his allegedly racist views in the presence of two others, or the media with its enormous megaphone, spreading the comments to the entire world?

I never listened to Imus and only watched a few minutes of his program on MSNBC - but I hope he takes a chunk out of the hide of CBS for caving in to th likes of Sharpton.

[mkjessup]

Oh you are absolutely right regarding John Rocker, and the same principle applies here, albit in a different manner.

Were the comments in either case objectionable?

Of course they were. But as you pointed out, Rocker’s words gained greater import due to Sports Illustrated’s decision to run with it, and the rest of the media (of course) piled on.

In Imus’ case, while his comments were rude and crude, they were not in reality ‘obscene’ as defined by the FCC, and it has already been reported that several past commissioners have stated that what Imus said probably didn’t rise to the level of an actual ‘obscenity’.

The fact is, CBS and MSNBC chose NOT to mash the delay switch because ANY broadcasting organization hates to blot out comments because the dead air that results is all but screaming to the public “WHOOOOOPS! WE screwed UP!”, in addition to the fact that when dead air is heard by many listeners, it is a mental cue to them to switch stations, and that means ‘lost advertising revenue’, so the decision to NOT bleep out Imus’ comments may have been based on a financial factor as well.

But the prize winner for MOST hypocritical is the non-Reverend Al Sharpton (who isn’t really a reverend as defined by the term), who has the blood of innocent people on his hands (his role in inciting a riot), in addition to destroying (or nearly destroying) the reputation of innocent people in the disgraceful Tawana Brawley scam.

Sharpton of all people, has no room to talk when it comes to immoral or questionable behavior.

But talk he does, ye gawds that clown never shuts up!