Posted on 04/12/2007 7:05:01 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
Give Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira credit. On this morning's "Today," Lauer suggested to his boss's face that in firing Don Imus he had caved to pressure from advertisers and people like Al Sharpton. And Vieira held Al Sharpton's feet to the fire, now that he had Imus' scalp, about going after rappers and others who use similar language every day.
Here's part of the exchange, which came at 7:05 AM EDT, between Lauer and NBC News President Steve Capus:
View video of Lauer-Capus interview here.
CAPUS: This one went so far over the line, Matt, that it was time.Sounds like Matt and Al Roker might be at odds over this one. In any case, it was not just Lauer's words, it was his tone and the manner in which he interjected his comments that were striking. This was anything but a fawning employee seeking to ingratiate himself with his boss. Kudos.
LAUER: But the timing, the timing. You really don't have to try too hard to think that NBC News caved to the pressure from advertisers like Proctor & Gamble and GM and others and perhaps caved to pressure from people like Reverend Sharpton, who we'll talk to in just a second.
CAPUS: There was all kinds of voices raised all across the country; a nerve was touched. Advertisers, people on the outside. But the voices that I heard loudest were the people that work for us at NBC News [note: "Today" weatherman Al Roker was one who publicly called for Imus' firing].
LAUER: Here's what you said: "I believe Imus took some smart and courageous actions. The fact that he sat down with the Reverend Al Sharpton and listened -- I wanted that process to continue and while that was happening we were having our own discussions on 'Today' and MSNBC and 'Nightly News' and throughout the country on race relations. What has been going on is a lot of listening and talking." So, if Imus took some courageous actions, was smart about it, if the listening and talking continued, why put a period on it right now if not for pressure from advertisers?
CAPUS: I'll expand the question to say why do you have an integrity policy if you're not going to enforce it? And that's what I heard from the people who work for us over and over again. And it was time to look at the body of work. And he has done some great work but he's also done some things nobody's proud of. And this one went so far over the line.
LAUER: I received a lot of emails, as we all have, over these last several days, and some of the people who emailed me said they think perhaps NBC listened to the loudest voices here [at NBC]. That perhaps the people who supported Don Imus remained quiet, especially after they thought the punishment had been doled out -- the two week suspension.
Meredith Vieira then took a similarly tough tone with Al Sharpton. SHARPTON: It has to start with a standard of government-regulated broadcasting.When Sharpton claimed that he and Jesse Jackson's group have been trying to deal with the issue, Vieira interjected: "But it's all over the place. What have you done?"
VIEIRA: Let's talk about accountability, sir. Because when you had Imus on your show on Monday you brought your daughter out at one point, and this really resonated with me because I have a daughter. And you asked him to look at your daughter and you said "this is not a ho. This is my daughter." A lot of people around the country understood what you were saying because so many young ladies and young men, every day on the airwaves are exposed to ugly language: to the n-word, to the b-word, to the word 'ho,' much of it orginated in the black community with rap music, with hip-hop music, as you have acknowledged. What are you going to do now to immediately stop that filth that is coming over the airwaves in the way you've tried to stop Don Imus?
What's Sharpton's point? That he wouldn't mind so much if the people profiting from the degradation were themselves black?SHARPTON: The music industry heads, many of whom have nothing to do with the black community but make the profits from this.
VIEIRA: Do you agree there has been a double standard, sir?View video of Vieira-Sharpton interview here.
SHARPTON: No, there has not been a double standard. These young people do not go on regulated radio as hosts, as Imus.
VIEIRA: They're all over the radio; they're all over television.
SHARPTON: They're over radio as commercial artists that these companies are putting on. They don't work for the radio companies. Imus did.
VIEIRA: But they spread the message. And it permeates through society.
Imus ping to Today show list.
Of course they defend racists who are not considered “right wingers.”
“Government regulated broadcasting.” How’s that for a chill wind?
Interesting. Thanks for watching.
Democratic Underground is calling Imus a “right wing Republican.”
So, he’s saying it’s OK for young black ‘artists’ that get paid for it?
OMG...they FIRED IMUS?? FOR THAT?? UH oh. Talk radio will be next....
Bingo! He's a liberal rump swab and they protected him for years. If somebody like Rush had said these things they would be leading the posse to lynch him. The hypocrisy is nauseating.
Backlash - thy name is Sharpton.
To them, anyone to the right of Pol Pot is a "right-wing Republican."
Neoliberalism is a mental disorder.
Rappers will keep it up. If Sharpton was serious about racism
and sexism he would be calling for BET to be shut down.
It was Al Rokker that did Imus in on NBC.
As for me, I just decided to never watch one more thing on NBC or MSNBC; join me?
Oh, FGS, they are insane.
SHARPTON: The music industry heads, many of whom have nothing to do with the black community but make the profits from this.
so it’s the white guys fault??
Here’s how Imus gets out of this:
Simply go on the air and read the lyrics to some rap songs with pleasant music in the background. Heck, bleep out the curse words. Just as effective.
BTW, I saw this NBC guy on cable last night; he could barely look into the camera; he knows he’s been had.
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