Bozell Letter to CNN's Piers Morgan: Coverage of Limbaugh Apology Is a Double Standard
Editor's Note: MRC President Brent Bozell sent the following letter to CNN Host Piers Morgan on Tuesday, March 6, 2012:
Dear Mr. Morgan,
I am disturbed by your ongoing double standard when it comes to coverage of political rhetoric. On your show, you recently called Rush Limbaugh out for his insulting comment about a Georgetown law school student: “Limbaugh’s disgusting comments are the work of an archaic old dinosaur living in a warped, ugly swamp, who thinks it’s okay to degrade decent young women for sport and ratings. Well, it isn’t it. Shame on you, Rush Limbaugh.” Fair enough. However you have seemingly turned a blind eye to the similar rhetoric of one of your guests – Bill Maher.
Rush Limbaugh made the regrettable blunder of calling Sandra Fluke, who testified on behalf of the administration’s mandate against religiously affiliated institutions, “a slut.” Let’s all agree Limbaugh crossed a line. He agrees. He issued an apology to Fluke “for the insulting word choices.” This should be sufficient, but it’s not and the skewering continues.
On the other hand, when Bill Maher and other leftist commentators make similarly inappropriate remarks, they are practically ignored. To be fair, you are not alone when it comes to such a double standard. Indeed, CNN and the media overall are guilty of such unacceptable hypocrisy.
Nearly a year ago (March 18, 2011), Bill Maher on his HBO show used far more vile sexist language to insult Sarah Palin as a “dumb twat.” Even after NOW condemned Maher — “Stop degrading women with whom you disagree and/or don’t like by using female body terms or other gender-associated slurs” — CNN never once bothered to report it.
Instead, CNN has warmly received Maher on its programs and elevated him as a leading “progressive” political pundit. Over the past year, Maher has appeared on CNN five times, plus another appearance on CNN’s Headline News Network. Not once was he asked about his sexist comments, or the scores of other vulgar and offensive remarks he makes on a regular basis.
Indeed, when Maher appeared on CNN on March 22, just 4 days after attacking Palin — interviewer Eliot Spitzer (“In the Arena”) refused to raise the issue. Instead, he lavished Maher with praise: “Your show is brilliant. I love watching it.”
During the current Limbaugh controversy, only one CNN host (Anderson Cooper) raised the double-standard issue, noting very briefly on March 2 that “Bill Maher, on the left,” has “said some pretty outrageous things,” but offering no examples or any further discussion of Maher.
And there are many more examples of such lewd comments made by Maher at CNN. For a year, CNN has been pampering and promoting Maher.
And it’s not just CNN. Limbaugh has been singled out and condemned across the national media – ABC, CBS, NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, NPR, PBS, Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today. How many of these outlets have condemned Bill Maher with equal vigor for his attacks on Palin? How many of these outlets condemned him at all? Ed Schultz called Laura Ingraham a “slut” on his radio show. MSNBC suspended him for a week, but none of Schultz’s advertisers dropped his show under media pressure. There was no pressure. Some of the same sponsors now pulling out of Rush’s show still support Schultz.
In the interest of promoting and cultivating a meaningful dialogue based on mutual respect, you and other prominent figures in the media, including other journalists at CNN, ought to report such defamatory personal insults made towards all public figures.
Double standards only serve to make these situations worse. If you are really serious about promoting civil discourse you should treat figures like Maher, Schultz and other liberal pundits the same way you treat Limbaugh.
I think a constructive conversation can be had in the media addressing such a double standard, and you are certainly in a place to do just that.
Sincerely,
L. Brent Bozell III
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Comments
Simply THANK YOU
Submitted by Tomorama on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 12:04pm.
I am SO DAMN PROUD WE FIGHTING BACK. Mr Breitbart is also damn proud of it as well.
THX to Brent and Laura Ingraham and NB and the others that are continuing the "fight".
Ditto
Submitted by Rush Fan on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 5:30pm.
`
Great letter, Brent. Please
Submitted by NCfairandbalanced on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 12:05pm.
Great letter, Brent. Please post his reply (if you get one)!
Thank you Brent
Submitted by cocodrie on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 12:13pm.
This site is my main source for news and entertainment. May god bless you with a long happy life. Its already a productive and honorable one.
Jesus Loves You so much He died for you
There's also the matter of
Submitted by Onepersonsopinion on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 12:28pm.
There's also the matter of Maher also mocking Carrie Prejean in an insulting manner, who was a private citizen. That seems to be an argument the Left is making about Ms. Fluke, that she is a private citizen.
Sarah Palin
Submitted by Joe W. on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:06pm.
So was Sarah Palin when Maher called her a "dumb twat".
I hope Mr. Bozell copied INS and the British Embassy.
Submitted by SickofLibs on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 12:29pm.
.
Who Screwed Ted Stevens?
Submitted by CJohnson on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 12:40pm.
The entire state of Alaska is waiting for an apology from White House.
I hope
Submitted by Bob K on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 12:52pm.
Mr. Bozell is not holding his breath waiting for a response to his letter.
Disraeli got it wrong
Submitted by Kevin Groenhagen on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 12:55pm.
Liberalism is an organized hypocrisy.
Liberals twice as good
Submitted by motherbelt on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 12:55pm.
As I said elsewhere, liberals are better than us, because they not only have standards, they have DOUBLE standards.
So they're twice as ethical, right?
I never thought of it that way before
Submitted by Tugboat Phil on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 2:07pm.
But I am literally LMAO!
Mr Bozell can say it like no
Submitted by SFCDeano on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 12:59pm.
Mr Bozell can say it like no other. Keep it up, Sir!
Heres another apology to Ms Fluke - from a conservative actress.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/patricia-heaton-apology-to-sandra-fluk...
Especially like the last sentence - "Not worried about my career- G-d (sic) gave it to me, He can take it away. But Christ's highest commands: Love G-d w/hrt&soul, neigh as self," explained the actress." Kudos to you Ms. Heaton.
I may have to take Cool
Submitted by motherbelt on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:03pm.
I may have to take Cool Arrow's advice and copyright that!!
For starters, I'll make it motherbelt's axiom #2:
Liberals are more ethical, because they not only have standards, they have double standards.
⇒ Good idea mb
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:03pm.
But can I steal it anyway?
Bill Maher
Submitted by I hate marxists on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:03pm.
I would really enjoy the opportunity of meeting this piece of rat's ( I ) and allow him to say something to my face about any conservative in a demeaning manner. It would be a pleasure to smash his nose push the bone into his head kick his kidneys to the point where he would be splitting blood and then see who else wants to step up from the left, I would do the same to Bill Ayers and in case anyone forgot it was Ayers that tried to blow up a federal judges house in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. That judge's name was Murdoch.
I wish Limbaugh would take the poster's advice on Sat
Submitted by merly1 on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:13pm.
Donate 1 million to Owebama's superPac--and then declare he is "right" with the media world.
It would great schtick, and what's an extra million to Owebama's billion dollar war chest?
They'll never catch on so why bother?
Submitted by lrgon on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:30pm.
Those who claim that they love less government, lower taxes and constitutional government sat quietly through 8 long years of Bush deficit spending while Rush went on and on about the other party.
While Bush bailed out Wall street bankers, Rush the self described "entertainer" stuck a pacifier in his listeners mouth and talked endlesslly about the sins of the other party and even pitched a mini campaign for Hillary.
He should have been booted off the air for his pure lack of guts for not calling the Bush administration a big government boondoggle! But his fans glued to the EIB really believed that "el Rusbo" really fought the battle for America by bashing the "big spending" Democrats. Big spending Republicans were savaging the budgets and "Dubya" was sealing off millions of square miles of earth out of the reach of energy developers and handing the earth to the environmental nutcases. But Rush never saw it that way, so he didn't say a word on his EIB "nitwork" about Bush the radical environmentalist.
Why bother to include the url link since, hey, if Rush didn't mention it on his show then Bush never did those "liberal" things,right? Right. What the hey, I'm an optimist:http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2009/2009-01-06-02.html
How sad that Rush is in hot water over calling a fluke a .... ....oh yea, never mind, like a man he apologized for that. Brave man that Rush. Have you signed the petition yet?
Yawn
Submitted by Free Stinker on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:38pm.
Yawn
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
Zzzzzzz.
Submitted by SickofLibs on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:45pm.
Zzzzzzz.
Another petition worth looking at.
Submitted by bkeyser on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:42pm.
I signed it.
Sandra Fluke: "I Was Having Sex When President Obama Called"
Submitted by HollyW on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:43pm.
According to a report in the Daily Rash, Sandra Fluke told MSNBC news that she was having sex when President Obama called her. http://www.thedailyrash.com/sandra-fluke-i-was-having-sex-when-president...
Buy a banner ad.
Submitted by SickofLibs on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:47pm.
.
There' a word to describe her . . .
Submitted by Free Stinker on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:56pm.
Cheap is but one of many many options.
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
There is No reasoning with the Liberal Elite Media
Submitted by JCLINE on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:50pm.
I have very high regard and much respect for Mr Bozell ,
Even though his are well chosen words and form a very benevolent message , I am afraid they are falling on deaf ears and falling short as a whole.
The liberal media is not interested in such things as discussions concerning fairness, balance and truth, they are only interested in furthering their paymasters political agenda, and we all know by now exactly who that is.
It would be better to defund these cretins of journalistic lies by avoiding their channels, tabloids, events etc.
It would behoove Americans everywhere to raise a loud hue and cry to our Congressmen and Women about the media’s continued close involvement in organizing our most important political discussions such as open debate and campaigns venues, and to demand from the US Congress that otherwise unaffiliated impartial moderators be positioned to help debates and these other venues to better function.
I don't believe in a war of pure reason, while we all need to use our reason and logic to wage a war.
It is after all War and in this War we take no prisoners , we give no quarter and certainly we do not expose ourselves to our attackers , instead we go on the attack from a defensive posture until it is necessary to reach out and actually apply verbal violence when and where it is of the utmost need .
As conservatives we have proven time and again that we are more capable, more organized and certainly more civil in our structure of addressing our enemies from the media, but are we really united?
In order to win these battles and eventually win the war we will have to quiet our minds and decide among ourselves that we will not drop to the levels of our adversaries , but instead use our higher moral skills to cut the ground right out from under their feet giving them no leg to stand on to fight back .
We also need to weed out any doubtful thoughts that would deter us from acting as one with calm resolve against these scoundrels, and remove all doubt from our minds what it is exactly we are fighting them about ...to do this we will need to recognize the Pollyanna's among us and correct them each time they waver, we must constantly remind ourselves that this battle is for everything and any doubt about our motives will leave us with nothing and possibly even worse..Less.
CNN & Bill Maher . . on Wolf Blitzer's "Situation Room"
Submitted by Gary Hall on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 1:55pm.
Maher was a regular political pundit on CNN's, "The Situation Room," w/ Wolf Blitzer. Interestingly, it doesn't appear that he's been a guest since Blitzer interviewed him on May 12, 2010. That's almost 2 years. Does Blitzer have higher standards than others on CNN?
Maher's been on Anderson Cooper's show as recently as Jan. 25, 2012
March 03, 2012 on Piers Morgan; where's he's appeared 4 times in a show that's only just over a year old.
While Maher hasn't been a guest on Howard Kurtz's "Reliable Sources," since 2003, Howie did open this past Sunday's show with a clip of Maher's comments on the Limbaugh issue.
Hmm - this is almost surprising, as we all know how close to the Obama White House, Fareed is; Maher's not appeared on Fareed Zakaria's "GPS," since Dec. 5th, 2010. Come-on, that should have discredited Fareed there-after.
Now, this is interesting. There were two spots on Bill Maher on "Showbiz Tonight," on June 16th, 2009. The topic? "The fury over Bill Maher's Attack on President Obama," and "Bill Maher slams President Obama."
Apparently Bill Maher compared President Obama to Lindsay Lohan. Well, now wonder CNN got upset. Maher should know that he is not allowed to slam those on the left.
Oh, so sorry - I missed the larger point here:
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maher said the president is on TV more than the ShamWow guy. Folks who normally rage at Maher couldn`t believe their ears.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I can`t believe my ears. Bill Maher ripping into the president for being too big of a star.
I suspect, if he'd simply called Obama the "C-word," they'd just laughed it off.
(;~/ gary
Oh and BTW,
Submitted by chiefpayne on Tue, 03/06/2012 - 2:10pm.
If ANYONE says that she is just a private citizen and Palin was a celebrity so it was OK to call Palin disgusting names...
You might want to educate them to the fact that Fluke is a professional pro-abortion activist!
Sandra Fluke a Self-Described Professional Pro-Abortion Activist
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/03/05/sandra-fluke-a-self-described-profess...
So if they are going to try to nail Rush for saying what is really true with words they don't like, then they need to nail all the liberal jerks who use foul language that is NOT true.
One other thing...IMO if a woman IS going broke trying to pay for birth control, either she's a prostitute or she's a pretty dumb consumer since you can get condoms from the health department for FREE.
Oh yeah, and if I were the insurance companies, I would ONLY provide coverage for condoms (and the inexpensive ones would be the only ones on my formulary), and to justify that, I would submit that the pill is insufficient because it does NOT provide protection from STDs! :-)