When it comes to interviewing people, few people do it better than Don Imus. He has a gift. Any one who does interviewing for a living should watch his technique.
He is also generous. He truly cares about kids and kids suffering from life threatening diseases.

On the other hand,any one who watches/listens to his program with any regularity knew it was a matter of time before they crossed a line that even his most ardent supporters would have to say "No Mas!"

In my mind, Imus and particularly McGuirk cross a line every day. Where have been the protests been up to now? Take any transcript from any day and you will see a transcript that is peppered with descriptions of people that are offensive, distasteful and in anyone's definition racist, sexist and any other "ist" you can come up with.

Here's the thing though. They are equal opportunity offenders. Heaven help the person who might carry an extra 10 pounds. Or if you are Muslim. Or if you do business with Don Imus and charge him more than he wants to pay. Or if you invite him for an honor he doesn't want to accept. Or if you are a reporter that does a story about him that he doesn't like.

The list is endless.

A few years back Imus fired his then sports caster Sid Rosenberg because of a hideous remark he made of Kylie Minogue. I guess that crossed Imus' line.

From a viewer's standpoint I didn't find Sid's remark any less offensive that 90% of the vitriolic salvos they banter about every day about everyone and everything. It was offensive but why that more offensive then the filth that spews from McGuirk's mouth every day?

I'm thrilled they are getting called on the carpet for this one. Should he get fired? Well, if he worked for someone he probably would be.

But I believe Imus is the master of his own domain and its up to MSNBC and radio stations to decide whether they want to continue the relationship.

It will probably come down more to the bottom line rather than their ethics or values. A slap on the wrist, a generous contribution and IMUS and company will be back in business saying what they say.

I'm not sure what Imus' justification is -- I think they really believe if they say horrible things about every group then they are not offending any group.

Can Imus be Imus if censors himself? Like the drug user who doesn't think he can be creative without outside stimuli, if Mr.Imus and particularly Mr. McGuirk stopped their outlandish, offensive, cruel and vicious language for a quick yuck I think they'd find that could actually be funny.

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

Thanks Kim for the post. Wondering where the support from women's groups is a relevant, yet ultimately fruitless question. I really believe - from the lack of support from feminist organizations on other issues concerning black women, to some of the remarks from commentators on this site, that when it comes down to it, it is up to the black community and those who believe and are active in anti-racist activism to push for MSNBC to take further action against Imus. Just because he has - thankfully his program is not aired in Canada - is a "great interviewer and champion of children's issues" should not trump the fact that he and his co-hosts have taken shots at those who they, in their infinite wisdom, are of lesser value to them.

I don't think that I said MSNBC should not take any action. I believe I said, I don't think they will because of the bottom line. As far as feminists speaking out about this issue I think they should but I also think they should have been speaking out about the program's depiction of women in general. This is the latest in a long list of offensive statements.

Where have the feminists been? I think the media in general is afraid of him because until now he has been given a free pass.
I am in total support of demanding they change their behavior and apologize. I just don't have a lot of faith in MSNBC or radio stations that are making money on his program.

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

When I first heard about Imus' comment, which as you know, Kim, received lots of attention here in New Jersey since Rutgers is the state university, I thought, WOW! I didn't know Imus was still alive. He didn't look like one of the living either as he gave his apology.

This whole apology business is a farce: people intentionally offend others by debasing race and gender, get lots of attention, and then say, "I'm sorry," when we all know they don't mean one damn word. On the other hand, I believe what I said when I pointed out that the guy (Phil de Vellis) who did the fake "Hillary 1984" YouTube commercial lacks integrity: "The day we stop encouraging people to act with integrity is the day of our damnation." We should raise hell about demeaning attacks, racists/misogynistic language, if for no other reason than to counter hatred and propaganda.

In Imus' case, we must ask more than that he act with integrity. We must ask that he act with maturity. He lives in limbo, performing the jokes of young college boys' locker rooms. But as old as he is, maybe there's no hope for him. By "old" I mean his age multiplied by his unwillingness to grow. He is, after all, a seasoned media whore, someone who prostitutes him or herself in the media at the expense of hurting others, feeling no true sense of accountability. I use the word "whore" here by its third meaning, "a person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain." Media whores are all about attention, ratings, and money. Perhaps over time conscience abandons them.

Considering Elana's point, she's telling the truth. Money makes the world go around. And I don't think we get too far chastising an Imus. (Notice I said "an Imus" because there are many guys just like him running free and easy on the airwaves and on the Net.) We should be looking at MSNBC with more scrutiny for simply slapping him on the wrist and then winking at their conservative, male viewers as though to say, "See, boys, we got your back."

When I wrote about Tucker Carlson, also MSNBC, applauding a judge's decision to sentence some Katrina looters in New Orleans to 15 years for stealing wine coolers during the storm, Steven Hart of The Opinion Mill left the following comment in response to someone else's comment.

The worst part of the joke, CDL, is that Tucker Carlson doesn't represent the opinions of the majority of anything. He's on because MSNBC, like CNN, thinks the way to reap profits is to go for the extra-Y-chromosome audience that Fox already has nailed down, and which isn't all that big anyway. The one time they had an avowed liberal show host, Phil Donohue (who wouldn't have been my first second or fiftieth choice), they cancelled him because a consultant said he was "out of step with the marketplce." His ratings were better for his time slot than anyone before or since, but they're going for that knuckle-dragger gold. (Steven Hart)

As far as feminism vs. racial injustice goes, Roland Martin and lainad have points worth serious consideration. While some people rightfully assert that when two minorities battle each other neither wins, it doesn't change the reality that African Americans sometimes have a problem with the feminist movement, and any feminist who forgets that or minimizes the problem walks through a minefield oblivious to its dangers.

Back to Imus, let's pray that Imus is not us but them and hope that one day those with his attitude stop peddling ignorance.

"Love is liquid. Brew and be drunkards!" ~~Nordette And here's a link to the blog.

No one is safe where Don Imus is concerned. Actually when i reflect what he said, its more of a bash against women..w/ racial overtones to it..This is unfortunate, but Imus has always been opinionated regarding women and their looks..ie. weight, physical appearance. He'd have a field day with me due to my extra weight I carry...The guy spares no ones feelings. Is it all about shock? Or is it just opinionated jock talk to rile people up or find fans who feel as he does? How do you change this man? Make him at least be considerate of his harsh words? No one is safe where Imus is concerned..at least we can take comfort in that..when he bashes he does it across the board. You can turn him off...i guess. He even seems to know he went too far this time...

I don't understand why this is even a question. The network should say -- "we do not want ourselves represented by such a chronic anus." He and his cohorts should be fired and told to express their rotten free speech for free somewhere else. they certainly should not be paid to pollute the airwaves like that.

What should we do?
1. Contact the station. Tell them you will stop listening to them. Imus’ New York radio home is WFAN-AM.
WFAN-AM
34-12 36th Street
Astoria, NY 11106
718 706 7690

2. Contact the MSNBC television network. According to MSNBC.com, the program is aired on 11 radio stations in New York State, none of which is in Western New York.

3. Write to the Federal Communications Commission about Imus’ remarks, calling them obscene and offensive.
You may file an FCC complaint easily by filling this out.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

I wonder if the response would have been different and stronger if he had insulted Black men?

I don't think they will get rid of Imus, because he is a cash machine. But I think, at the very least, they should allow representatives from the Rutgers team to come on the air for an hour or so to talk about what he said. I wonder what he would have to say to their faces. Do you think he would be brave enough to look a strong, intelligent athletic woman in the face and call her a...I don't want to repeat the slander.

Great post, Kim. And excellent points raised by Roland Martin on the silence from feminist organizations.

Mata, thanks for the great resources to take action. I also wanted to point folks to Sylvia's post at The Anti-Essentialist Conundrum, in which she lists specific contact people, as well as a list of sponsors of Imus's show.

Ultimately I think there's a larger problem here, which is that racism and sexism (or as their proponents would put it, "politically incorrect humor") in and of themselves have become sources of entertainment and revenue. Like Nordette said, shockjocks know exactly what they're doing when they make these racist and sexist insults. The apology and public flogging is just a small price to pay for higher ratings and more attention.

Carmen Van Kerckhove
NEW DEMOGRAPHIC
carmen@newdemographic.com
www.newdemographic.com

New Demographic is an anti-racism training company that goes beyond diversity buzzwords to tackle the real issues behind race and racism.

You know its scary the number of folks who think this a Big deal and how NO one from the left has a a snese of Humor. No one.

A part of me wants to talk about IMUS's work on combating autism.

A part of me wants to talk about his work with kids who have cancer.

A part of me wants to talk about his environmental work.

Michael Richards -- the Kramer guy who flipped out on stage --made his comments in a state a rage. It is what he really thought.

Jimmy the Greek made his comments about African Americans in a calm intellectual manner as did Rush windbag and his remarks about Eagles QB Donovan MacNabb.

IMUS made his distasteful comments as part of joke and satire. It is Not remotely close to the same thing.
At least once a week Bernard McGuirk ...one of IMUS's henchmen --does a really mean satire that is hysterically funny about catholic priests Cardinals and ArchBishops that exposes them for what we know MOST catholic priests are... hypocritical homophobes.

Imus rips up on ignorant southern hicks and Trailer trash and Nascar loving freaks.

It seems to me there should be some consistency here ... those demanding Imus be fired SHOULD of demanded the same thing the 1st time he crossed the line.

If IMUS speech / show offends you thats fine but to say something about it NOW when he has been doing this for years IMPLIES that a double standard.... when it comes to making comments about Blacks but saying it about Jews or Catholics is 100000% OK.

Don Imus has almost single handily got Harold Ford Elected senator from TN. How is he a racist?

On Thursday, our illustrious Vice President Dick Cheney repeated his assertions of al-Qaida links to Saddam Hussein's Iraq. He managed to do this as the Defense Department released a report citing more evidence that the prewar government did not cooperate with the terrorist group.

Cheney claimed that al-Qaida was operating in Iraq before the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, and that terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was leading the Iraqi branch of al-Qaida.

We had a verbal Imus mistake for which he has apologized. The Vice President on the other hand participated in creating a war that has killed and wounded hundreds of thousands of people. He did it by using words that led us into war, and it appears that he was intentionally lying in order to do what he wanted to do..

Lets geta grip.

I think your point about VP Cheney is well taken, Heather. I'll definitely follow up.

And you aren't the only person who argues that he shouldn't be fired. Here's a novel view from Rashunda Tramble, a black female journalist living in Switzerland:

"Imus should be allowed to stay at MSNBC. I should be allowed to choose not to watch him. He should be allowed to make as many dumb ass statements as he would like. And I should be allowed to take my dollars elsewhere."

"Because if nothing else, at least I know where he stands."

Imus was also excoriated yesterday from the pulpit of the church attended by Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer. Rev. DeForest "Buster" Soaries, a former New Jersey Secretary of State with close ties to the Republican Party, called for Imus' resignation.

In an effort to mend fences, Imus issued a 10-minute explanation of his remarks, describing himself as "a good person who said a bad thing." He also made a guest appearance on Al Sharpton's radio show, alongside Bryan Monroe, president of the National Association of Black Journalists. Both Sharpton and NABJ are among those who have called for Imus' ouster. Richard Prince's report on the show suggests that it was a contentious conversation, to put it mildly:

...Sharpton told Imus that if the Federal Communications Commission could fine Janet Jackson over a "wardrobe problem" that exposed her breast at Super Bowl halftime, "how can we stand for something like this?" Sharpton said.

"I don't think the issue is whether you're a good guy, but whether you can say something racist and sexist and if just be glossed over," Sharpton said.

"Don't think I'm not humilitated," Imus replied.

Imus was also told how hurtful his comments had been to all women, but especially the young black women at Rutgers.

The conversation became heated, and Imus said at one point, "I can't get anyplace with you people," and "I didn't come here to be slapped around."

He asked why more isn't said about the disrespect toward black women shown by some hip-hop artists, but Sharpton replied that he had spoken out on that issue, but that that was a separate issue from Imus' accountability...."

(Full disclosure: I am a member of NABJ.)

I also have received a statement reportedly from Bishop TD Jakes that condemns Imus' remarks, calls for his ouster and suggests that his sponsoring networks and advertisers should be held to account. It's from a trusted source, but I am trying to verify the authenticity of the statement before I publish it.

Heather suggests that a double standard (I'm not sure what kind) is being applied in Imus' case because offensive comments that he has made in the past have not attracted this kind of protest. If by that, she means that there haven't been protests in the past, she is mistaken -- FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) has been documenting and protesting Imus' remarks for years. Personally, I was done with Imus when I read FAIR's report on protests lodged against him in 2000. I hadn't listened to him before then, but after that, I made a point of avoiding him.

I'll add one more question about this that intrigues me. We've talked about the fact that Imus' popularity has insulated him from criticism in the past and may get him through this controversy. It's interesting to note that just the week before, his ratings (.pdf) led CNN to announce that it is replacing the anchor team for its morning news broadcast.

Now here's the thing I wonder: to what degree is Imus' power a reflection of media consolidation? From what I've seen and read, a lot of the people who appear on his show, such as Tim Russert, work for the same corporate parent, and they are cross-promoting their products. Would he be as popular with his access to the rich and powerful? And would he have that access if there were more real media competition?

Just wondering.

BlogHer Contributing Editor
Law and Journalism/Media
Professor Kim

Contributing Writer,Online Journalism Review

From WIMN's Voices:

...I’m tired of racist, sexist haters like Don Imus hiding behind the notion that they’re courageously being “politically incorrect” and striking a blow against evil “political correctness” by using hate speech. Word up, Don: being racist, sexist, and disrespectful towards women and others isn’t cool, hip, or a revolutionary act of politically incorrect subversion, it’s plain wrong. Period.

Ditto for those rappers, fans, producers, profiteers and others for whom tales of a hard knock life, drug dealing, and contempt for women seem too often to be the foundation upon which success is built....

Read the whole post, which also gives well-deserved props to Byron Hurt's ground-breaking documentary: Beyond Beats and Rhymes.

BlogHer Contributing Editor
Law and Journalism/Media
Professor Kim

Contributing Writer<

What he said was demeaning to an entire group of women. It shouldn't matter who it was, if he insulted a white, Asian or Latina B-Ball team he should be roasted.

Should he be fired? Yeah, I don't think you should be able to profit by insult and so called political incorrectness. I would give Rush the boot first with Imas catching the other foot.

But they do not exist in isolation. There are multiple industries that make money insulting and degrading women. I'm not talking porn. The recording industry has crap on their hands. The film industry. The advertising industry.
The food industry. And yea even the fashion industry.

These men are not original thinkers. They look around to see who and what can be exploited for profit. They are supported by consumers. Consumers are us, we and the ubiquitous "they".

It is easy to give Imas the boot. What about the rest of them? I've been talking with folks about this all day. I guess I want more than the easy answers. Don't boycott him (I didn't even know he was still on the air). Shun him.

Shun him, his sponsors and the networks. To shun someone is powerful. You make it known that you and your folks will have no association period. No violence but no recognition. Play this out for a bit. If he is truly shunned he would have no sponsors, no guests, no callers, no nothing.

How long do you think he would last? He'd only have his staff and the crickets. I wish it could happen but I know where I live.

Around the corner from Short Attention Span-itis.

Gena - Out On The Stoop

The announcement came on the NBC Nightly News. Also, here's the official statement from Bishop Jakes, which reads,in part:

Imus is a broadcast industry professional, who I hold to a higher
standard. Imus' employers are broadcast conglomerates that I also hold to a
higher standard. And the advertisers that spend millions on Imus' show
should also be held to a higher standard. Allison Gollust, senior vice
president for news communications at NBC, has stated: "We take this matter
very seriously." If so, Imus and Bernard McGuirk should be unemployed today
and the excuses should stop, so that the healing can begin.
On behalf of decent moral people of all backgrounds, and specifically
for women of color, we heard the so-called joke. But now the entire media,
advertisers and industry executives should deliver the punch line.

Rev. Soaries and Bishop Jakes have about 40,000 congregants between them. I have already seen email blasts coming around with instructions on how to file an FCC complaint. It will be interesting to see how many complaints are actually filed, and what the FCC response will be.

BlogHer Contributing Editor
Law and Journalism/Media
Professor Kim

Contributing Writer<

A-freaking-men to this:
"those demanding Imus be fired SHOULD of demanded the same thing the 1st time he crossed the line."

It sounds like a bunch of people who've never listened to his show caught one episode and got offended. This is characteristic of his entire shtick - what, NOW everyone is going to get all up in arms over him? Where was the outrage when he referred to Simon and Shuster as "thieving Jews?" Or any number of his other slurs made in the name of entertainment? Shock as entertainment is not revolutionary, it’s hackneyed. Shock is not art. It's lazy.

I think Imus deserved to get canned a long time ago. I think it smacks of hypocrisy that Hollywood makes big bucks off of degrading black people (a song that calls women "bitches" and "hoes" won an Oscar for crying out loud) and Jesse Jackson isn't standing in Universal's/Sony's/Atlantic's/Def Jam's/etc. lot protesting every day. We can't pick and choose what to boycott and what not to. I'm not saying that any of you feel this way, but I don't recall anyone losing their jobs for what popular culture objectifies daily. Know what I mean?

Contributing to charities and one's feelings on racial issues are not one and the same. Even the devil can quote Scripture.

Dana
Mamalogues.com
In the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Pop Mama
Since Eve

MSNBC has decided to drop the television simulcast of Imus' show no doubt due to losing several top advertisers.

Rev. Al Sharpton is quoted in this Boston Globe article calling for a broader examination of the use of sexist and racist language for the purpose of entertainment:

"I think we also have to have now a broad discussion on how the music industry allows this to be used," said the Rev. Al Sharpton. "I don't think that we should stop at NBC and I don't think we should stop at Imus. I think we really need to address how the public airways is used to denigrate women and desecrate people according to their race."

What should be done about Don Imus? He should be taken off the air. The only way to do this, however, is to convince CBS Radio, which broadcasts his invective, that it's not in their interest to keep Imus. (They make an estimated $20 million in ad revenue from the show.) And the the only way to convince CBS Radio is to contact the show's sponsors and complain. I don't have a list of sponsors yet, buy I do have the name and address of the guy who runs CBS Corp. (and oversees all aspects of the conglomerate, including CBS Radio):

Leslie Moonves
President and CEO
CBS Corporation
51 W. 52nd St.
New York, NY 10019-6188

I sent a letter to him this morning (so far I haven't been able to find a working email for him; the original one has been canceled, not doubt b/c of all the complaints he's been getting.) You'll find a copy of it at CeaseRacism.blogspot.com. Feel free to cut and paste and re-use as you like.

MSNBC, which simulcast the Imus show on TV, yesterday announced they will no longer do so, after sponsors quickly distanced themselves from his racist comments. It's working folks. I don't think it'll take much more pressure before CBS pulls the plug too. Please write the CEO!

My personal opinion in regards of this "Imus situation" is that african american women or any woman that might have been offended by this, shouldn't just concentrate on some remarks a radio celebrity might make, if it really bothers them to be called "nappy headed hoes" why do they allow it to be said in the radio in almost every other hip hop song out there? Rappers and some african-american comedians, women and men, refer to women as bitches and hoes all the time, we have now days teenager who sing along to this songs everyday, so I would say to Reverend Jackson, if it really bothers you what Imus said, if it really offended your daughter like you said, then how about start with your own people that sing about what they're going to do to their bitches and hoes in their songs, dont try to get a man fired over a stupid ignorant comment, the type of comment that is made by african american men everyday in rap songs, if you want to make a change, make a real change, not just with one particular person only because he is a white male who happens to be a celebrity, when black man refer to their women in that way everyday in their songs, it's not ok to talk down on any woman, just because rappers happen to be of the same race than the women they talk about, it doesnt mean they can get away with it!

Perhaps folks do not realize that Black and other people have been speaking out against self-hate, Black-on-Black violence, misogyny, etc in "gangsta" rap for a long time.

A couple of good places to start: here and here.

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

I want to add something that I didn't say earlier.

I never agree with Rosie O'Donnell on anything; in fact I am convinced that we could never, ever party together, but I cannot agree more with what she said here.

Free speech is free speech. The consequence of free speech? We can choose not to listen. Companies can choose not to air something. We can choose not to support. We can choose to change the channel, the station, to write letters; to exercise OUR free speech and say that this apathy, which the Imus situation highlights, is intolerable. What we don't need is exactly what O'Donnell said: thought police. I'd rather have some ignorant hick on the street corner spouting off than have our voice constantly monitored to make sure they comply with the regulations of the state. It's not a slippery slope, it's just connecting the dots.

Dana
Mamalogues.com
In the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Pop Mama
Since Eve

Imus takes a powder:

http://christopher-king.blogspot.com/2007/04/kingcast-watches-as-don-imu...

....and not the kind he used to put up his nose. From my first post:

I loved Don Imus when I was a kid in Cleveland. He had a show there and he's part of why I went into media in the first place, for example noted herein where I drank beers with Jerry Springer and tracked an asshole named Ken Blackwell 17 years before we started KingCast. Imus seemed knowledgeable yet playfully irrevorent and whatnot.

But over the years his comments seemed to come with more vitriol and from an agry-conservative voice. So now he just seems less a role model and more like an asshole for calling the runner-up lady Rutger's basketball team a bunch of "nappy-headed hos" while praising the beauty of the Tennessee team. Excuse me but there is no professional context under which such a comment is remotely permissible. Maybe all those effin' rails he used to push up his hooter made him into the Devil, I dunno.

I have not checked in with Cousin Mike (Wilbon) on this but I can tell you that Browns Sportsblog reports that off camera the word "jiggaboo" was even tossed around.

.....but now I hear that that may have been a Spike Lee School Days reference, I don't know.