×
A GOOD PERSON WHO SAID A BAD THING. That is how Don Imus described himself in the aftermath of the uproar that his characterization of the Rutgers women's (predominantly black) basketball team as "nappy-haired hos" caused. Imus has apologized for his comments and appears to think that it is time to put the whole episode in the past. Others are not so ready to make nice.The whole debacle raises further questions. What is the legal or ethical responsibility of MNSBC, say? It issued an apology, noting that MNSBC didn't produce the program; it just broadcast it. As David Carr points out, the distinction is an odd one:
Before apologizing, network executives at MSNBC pointed out that, " 'Imus in the Morning' is not a production of the cable network and is produced by WFAN Radio," which is a little like saying that they did not manufacture a bomb, they only delivered it.Imus is not the only talk-show host with the propensity to stick a foot in his mouth. Glenn Beck is well-known for similarly thoughtless comments. Yet despite this tendency (or perhaps because of it) he works for ABC's Good Morning America. It would be interesting to know if the same bomb-delivery argument would work for ABC in the next Beck-induced uproar. Or perhaps any sincere apology suffices?
--J. Goodrich
