BREAKING NEWS: MSNBC Reports CBS has fired Imus from his radio gig. There's a bit more information here, in the CBS News story.
Now, read the background from earlier today...
I got an email today from somebody who wondered why I hadn't been posting much about the Don Imus situation. Beyond the basic information, I've honestly been a bit conflicted by all that's been happening. My first reaction was to align with Imus, respecting his long tenure on the air and the fact that I have a couple of very funny albums of his work from back in the 1960's and 1970's. It's tough to lose respect for someone you've long admired. I guess I should have opened my eyes, and paid closer attention, long ago. There's a bigger picture about how all of this could impact broadcasting in general. There are issues being raised about the "fairness doctrine". The snowball effect could mean massive changes in the direction of radio (and TV) in America. That, however, is a topic for future days and future posts. For now, consider this excellent post from Booman Tribune:
Was it really nine years ago? What have I been doing with my life? Bob Herbert dug up an old 60 Minutes transcript (Times Select), and it ended Don Imus's television career. "In a “60 Minutes” interview with Don Imus broadcast in July 1998, Mike Wallace said of the “Imus in the Morning” program, “It’s dirty and sometimes racist.” Mr. Imus then said: “Give me an example. Give me one example of one racist incident.” To which Mr. Wallace replied, “You told Tom Anderson, the producer, in your car, coming [...]
UPDATE: Along those same lines, read this from Capitol Hill Blue
Some claim the firing of Don Imus by MSNBC is a free speech issue. It's not. Free speech has nothing to do with whether or not Imus lost his job with the cable news channel and it will have nothing to with the final CBS Radio decision on his future. Free speech is a right that a government can or cannot grant. Free speech is not about the right of a highly-paid shock jock [...]
UPDATE 2: Making up for lost time, more thoughts from another blogger who broadens the horizon a bit...
Don Imus is another in a long line of knot headed celebrities who’ve put their own well-paid backsides in a sling. They exercised their First Amendment rights, while completely ignoring the accompanying responsibility to refrain from saying something terminally stupid. Critics of the I-Man - where “I” apparently stands for “Idiot” - have every right [...]
Tags: Don Imus, Bob Herbert, 60 Minutes, Mike Wallace, Imus in the Morning
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