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.Story Continues Below Ad ↓
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.
Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.















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It's turning sour
April 12, 2007 - 09:38 ET by Cool ArrowSharpton better back off if MSM is asking logical questions too.
He's coming off as the High Priest of White haters, and he's now defending masogynistic rappers.
Imus' mistake was talking to
April 12, 2007 - 09:41 ET by MivvisImus' mistake was talking to Al Sharpton and that whole Race machine of his. The ONLY folks he should have spoken with were the players of that team period, he should have apologized to them directly in person and told Al Shaprton to go *** himself. He owes no other explanation to anyone, especially the race hustlers.
you know that if niether jack
April 12, 2007 - 12:53 ET by PKyou know that if niether jackson or sharpton apologize to the lacrosse players we might get the feeling that they were.....RACIEST...themselves.
No doubts about it here. Th
April 12, 2007 - 15:47 ET by steviep831No doubts about it here. They ARE racists. And they thrive off the promotion of racism. Without racism, where would they be? I'm not saying that racism doesn't exist and that a lot more can be done, but these two men have done nothing to end racism. They are just really good at pointing it out and ignoring the plank in their own eye.
i think there will be backlas
April 12, 2007 - 09:48 ET by pmohbucki think there will be backlash involved with the PC fever that has swept the country ... the firing of imus and the charges being dropped against the duke lacrosse players (with the accuser being able to just walk away from the mess) ... it is clear that there is a double standard. the fact that both jessie jackson and al sharpton have their paw prints all over BOTH cases proves it.
I agree. It's enough. We have
April 12, 2007 - 09:53 ET by Gat New YorkI agree. It's enough. We have had enough of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson who have made an industry out of perpetuating the victimation of Blacks and then slandering other groups of people that they don't feel they have to atone for. Enough.
you're absolutely right ... s
April 12, 2007 - 10:01 ET by pmohbuckyou're absolutely right ... sharpton and co. have earned nothing but fortune and fame by perpetuating the image of blacks being nothing but victims ...
Keep it going
April 12, 2007 - 10:00 ET by Cool ArrowWe owe it to America to continue the pressure against all racebaiters and hatemongers.
When an issue such as this comes up, we are just as capable and equipped as the best journalist to uncover the hypocrisy demonstrated by them. No, we are better equipped and better able because we refuse to be pressured into following the MSM party line
I have sinned!!
April 12, 2007 - 09:54 ET by Cool ArrowAs I've said in other threads:
Equivalent:
Neither confessors represent their respective races.
One Must Hope
April 12, 2007 - 09:59 ET by ChasvsWe can only hope that the backlash reaches the Libs who support the race-baters like Al and Jesse. You see these two con artists at every Democratic event, so we must hope they all are seen for what they are...Parasites on the backs of the poor uneducated masses that support them!
This is for you Hillary
April 12, 2007 - 10:06 ET by Cool ArrowMs. Hillary; I got the Black Rapper vote for you.
All I had to do was go on TV and say it's OK to hate African American women as long as you're Black.
I am not a fan of Don Imus an
April 12, 2007 - 10:06 ET by MassConservativeI am not a fan of Don Imus and do not regularly listen to his show. That being said, it is pretty obvious that despite his incredibly stupid remarks he is just the latest 'victim' of race-baiting vultures like Sharpton and Jackson.
Today and tomorrow is the annual WFAN radiothon which support various charities including Don Imus' ranch where he welcomes children with cancer for a chance to experience life on a ranch. This is not meant to be a sales pitch but if you believe he is being subjected to a ridiculous double standard by these race baiters then one way we can show our support is with our dollars as well by pledging to this radiothon. I have already done this. Go to www.wfan.com for more details.
Everybody knows who Don Imus
April 12, 2007 - 10:13 ET by InfomanOhioEverybody knows who Don Imus is and what he says...along with other shock jocks like Howard Stern. What Imus said was despicable, but he did apologize...which is more than I can say for Al Sharpton, who not only REFUSES to apologize for anything but is directly responsible for the deaths of eight human beings due to his racist comments. Talk about your hypocrisy.
If you don't like what you hear on the radio or TV, TURN IT OFF!
Without freedom of speech, there is no freedom.
Imus White Man Lynching
April 12, 2007 - 10:52 ET by Chicagoray40All we just witnessed was a public media driven modern day symbolic lynching of the white cracker man, alot in response to the dropping of charges in the Duke case and Imus won't be the last if legendary race-baiters Jackson and Sharptoon (as in cartoon) have their way.
The bosses over at NBC needed to throw some meat to the angry masses and Imus conveniently fit the bill.
Meanwhile, on Fox News this m
April 12, 2007 - 10:55 ET by Prester JohnMeanwhile, on Fox News this morning a black female defense attorney and a white talk show host in Durham got into it over the Duke case and Imus. She was extremely condescending to the talk show host, continually talked over him, and constantly referred to him as "sweetie" e.g. "now calm down sweetie", "you haven't been listening to me sweetie" etc, etc.
I was hoping that he would call her "(brown) sugar" so I could see what her response would be.
Sharptons greatest hits>>>>>>
April 12, 2007 - 11:18 ET by nicksmith112Sharptons greatest hits>>>>>>>>>
*****In the Tawana Brawley case, a 15-year-old black girl was found smeared with feces, lying in a garbage bag, her clothing torn and burned and with various slurs and epithets written on her body in charcoal. Brawley claimed that she had been assaulted and raped by six white men, some of them police officers, in the town of Wappingers Falls, New York.
Alton H. Maddox, C. Vernon Mason joined Sharpton in support of Brawley. A grand jury was convened; after seven months of examining police and medical records, the jury determined that Brawley lied about being assaulted by the police. Sharpton, Maddox and Mason accused the Dutchess County prosecutor, Steven Pagones of being one of the perpetrators of the alleged abduction and rape. The three were successfully sued for slander and ordered to pay $345,000 in damages, the jury finding Sharpton liable for making seven defamatory statements about Pagones, Maddox for two and Mason for one.
*****The Crown Heights Riot occurred after a car accident involving the motorcade for the Lubavitcher Rebbe killing a young boy Gavin Cato. A riot was sparked after a private Hasidic ambulance came to the scene and, on the orders of a police officer, removed the Hasidic driver from the scene. Gavin Cato and his cousin Angela were picked up soon after by a city ambulance. Caribbean-American and African-American residents of the neighborhood then rioted for four consecutive days fueled by rumors (in part driven by Sharpton), that the private ambulance had refused to treat Cato.
Sharpton became the de-facto representative for the Cato family. During the funeral he referred to "diamond merchants" considered a code word for Hasidic Jews, for shedding "the blood of innocent babies" leading marchers shouting "No Justice No Peace". Sharpton did not start the riots but his rhetoric was seen as inflammatory and unhelpful in easing the tension between the black and Jewish communities. A visiting rabbinical student from Australia by the name of Yankel Rosenbaum, 29 years old, was killed during the rioting by a mob shouting "Kill the Jew".
*****In 1995, Sharpton led a protest in Harlem against the plans of Freddy's Fashion Mart, a Jewish-owned clothing store, to expand into a black neighborhood, displacing a black retailer. Sharpton told the protesters, "We will not stand by and allow them to move this brother so that some white interloper can expand his business." Three months later, an armed protester forcibly entered the store and burned it down, killing himself and seven others. Sharpton distanced himself from the crime, claiming the perpetrator was an open critic of the civil rights leader and his nonviolent tactics. Nonetheless, Sharpton later expressed regret for making the racial reference, "white interloper," though he denied responsibility for inflaming or provoking the violence.
***In November 2005, Sharpton appeared in advertisements for LoanMax, an automobile title loan company. Sharpton was criticized for appearing in the ads, as LoanMax has been accused of predatory lending charging fees, and for marketing them to primarily poor, urban and African American audiences. The ads featuring Sharpton were run in predominantly African American markets.
On December 7, 2005, he ended his relationship with LoanMax. In a letter to Rod Aycox, LoanMax president and chief executive officer, he said, "I respectfully, but firmly decline your offer for further engagement on my part, and will not engage in any business relationship to promote auto lending with LoanMax." Sharpton said he had not done the research before agreeing to the commercials.
from Wikipedia!
TB case - has he said he's so
April 12, 2007 - 11:38 ET by FastEdTB case - has he said he's sorry? or sent her to college?
Crown Heights - has he said he's sorry for Yankel's death?
Freddy's - a back handed sorry, but he's no friend of Korean's
LoanMax- did he give the money back?
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V
Thanks so much Nick..I was tr
April 12, 2007 - 12:01 ET by bigtimerThanks so much Nick..
I was trying to remember the situation with Sharpton and his involvement with the deaths due to his crap with Freddy's Fashion Mart and the Jewish situation, I have been waiting for someone in the media to bring that up, the death and destruction he caused...very few have even had the balls to bring up Brawley which I remember well...the only one I have really seen bring it up was Dick Gregory...which he was of course offended by...not that there haven't been others, but I was happy to at least see that.
The hypocrisy with this whole situation is so overboard that I cannot believe it...I heard Jackson talking about the Duke rape case, how he supported the so-called rape victim all the way and was going to give her funds for her going to college on CNN last night...he was asked what he thought now that the boys were found innocent...he had the audacity to bring up how dare they sin by having strippers at a party in the first place...this man who is a two timing hypocrite....paid money out of his Rainbow Push Co. for an illegitimate child he brought into this world by his lover while married and nothing and I mean nothing happened to this man....just a little media..some words of retribution....
What hypocrites all...and then we could go into his compliance with this tax situation too...
On and on these hypocrites march...leftist media holding them up as some kind of paragons of virtue!
Censorship Empowers What it seeks to Destroy
April 12, 2007 - 12:52 ET by whodatLet the market decide if Imus stays or goes.