On April 21, the Washington Times’ headline was:
“O’Malley Swipes at Clinton – Trashed Republican Economic Agenda on NPR”
The Times’ S.A. Miller reported:
“Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley on Monday called the Republican Party’s economic agenda ‘bull****’ and suggested that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sets her agenda based on polls.”
“Mr. O’Malley, who is considering a Democratic run for president, said he could not find ‘any truth’ in Republican arguments that excessive federal regulations were holding back poor and middle-class families from economic advancement.
“‘It is not true that regulation holds poor people down or regulation keeps middle class from advancing. That’s kind of patently bull****,’ he said on NPR’s ‘Morning Edition.'”
But while the Times newspaper quoted O’Malley as saying “That’s kind of patently bull****,” the National Public Radio morning edition had no such restraint in broadcasting the full obscenity.
Since when have any broadcast networks or stations begun using such obscenities as “bull––,” which newspapers aren’t using?
The Times also reported:
“Mr. O’Malley’s use of colorful language to attack Republicans drew widespread media coverage, and the former governor basked in the attention.
“His campaign sent an email to supporters touting the interview with the message line: ‘Yeah, I said it. Let’s be real and call it what it is. That’s what I did on NPR this morning.'”
Ladies and gentlemen: If Martin O’Malley is able to turn the “S-word” obscenity into an on-the-air acceptability, how very quickly will the airwaves be filled with “F-word”?
And this raises the question as to whether such obscenity – which has not resulting in O’Malley being banished from any airwaves – should be tolerated when NBC’s Brian Williams’ non-obscene lies resulted in his six-month suspension. Now the Washington Post’s Paul Farhi reports that journalists in NBC’s Washington bureau have expressed their strong opposition to the return of Williams. During a February meeting with NBC News President Deborah Turness, they told her that Williams’ embellished statements about his reporting exploits had damaged NBC’s credibility.
Their meeting – which had not been reported before – was called after Williams’ six-month suspension.
The NBC correspondents reportedly told President Turness that this scandal had made them embarrassed to deal with their sources and to identify themselves as NBC.
“Turness, a British TV news executive hired two years ago by NBC, listened attentively, but she made no specific commitments.”
And when other media began raising questions, an NBC spokesman declined to comment. (No comment. Think about that – and about how many times network reporters have expressed outrage at such response.)
The network has not said what it intends to do about Williams, whose suspension is over in early August.
It seems to me that if Brian Williams’ series of misstatements was serious enough to have him removed for six months as anchor, that he has forfeited his right to continue in his nationwide news reporting post.
Moreover, I believe his substitute, veteran newscaster Lester Holt, has been doing an excellent job of replacement, even if ratings have fallen – which seems inevitable in any such shakeup.
The Post, however, reports. “The race remains close.”
Media wishing to interview Les Kinsolving, please contact [email protected].
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