As NewsBusters reported earlier, CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti said "f--king n--ger" on the air Easter Sunday.
Less than 24 hours earlier, CNN's Don Lemon advocated "n--ger" be used during news reports rather than the more politically correct "N-word" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
DON LEMON, ANCHOR: But also, to, when someone calls me like, you know, we talked about the racist tweets that I've been getting in people, I'm getting them now, right?
DEAN OBEIDALLAH, CO-FOUNDER, NEW YORK ARAB-AMERICAN COMEDY FESTIVAL: Don.
LEMON: Yeah.
OBEIDALLAH: I apologize.
LEMON: See? That's the thing. People are like apologizing, why, because you're, because what, you're...
OBEIDALLAH: I sent them to you.
And when I said, when I said that word, I'm going to say it again, the N-word, I just wish, I hate saying the N-word. I think it takes the value out of what that word ready means, especially when we are reporting it. And I don't care what color the reporter is, I think someone should say, "That person calls someone nigger," instead of saying the N-word, because I think it sanitizes it.
BUCK DAVIS, DIVERSITY EXPERT: Well, and I think, Don, that you confuse white people when you use the word the N-word, because we're going, "If you can use it, why can't we use it?"
LEMON: No, no, no. I don't mean in that context. I'm not talking about on the street. I hate it in music -- listen. Listen. Hang on. I hate it in music. I hate in those kinds of things. I hate one when it's misogynistic 's and rap and all that. But what I'm saying is in the reporting of a story, you should say the word not to sanitize it.
Although many on both sides of the aisle might agree with this - it is, after all, a somewhat arbitrary determination that this word is too offensive to be used by anyone that isn't black - you still have to ask "Why now?"
For decades n--ger was totally unacceptable.
Now, weeks after the shooting of Trayvon Martin - as the media try to fabricate a race war to assist the reelection of Barack Obama - not only are CNN employees saying n--ger on the air, a CNN host is advocating the previously offensive term be used in all reports rather than the politically correct one.
With racial tensions being ginned up by irresponsible so-called journalists, the N-word suddenly "sanitizes" what n--ger "really means."
As NewsBusters asked hours ago, can "the N-word now be used on CNN" if it dramatizes racism?
Lemon certainly thinks so.
(H/T Pat Dollard)
