Feb 13, 2008

Truth Brigade Issues Team

MAKE MSNBC STOP BEING SEXIST IN ITS REPORTING

ACTION

Send an e-mail to NBC News President, Steve Capus, protesting the heavy predominance of misogynistic language and attitudes of its program hosts and guests.

Contact Information

steve.capus@nbc.com

ISSUE

MSNBC is acquiring quite a reputation for misogynistic attitudes that are especially troubling as they take aim at one of the candidates for president from the Democratic party, Hillary Clinton.

First, Don Imus made racist and sexist comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball players. After a firestorm of protest, MSNBC cancelled the Don Imus program.

Chris Matthews also has a long history of misogynistic attitudes and comments on his program and has been especially critical of Hillary Clinton. After his comment that Hillary is only a candidate for president because her husband was unfaithful, he was pressured by an outpouring of critical mail and by his management to apologize.

Now, David Shuster has described Chelsea Clinton, campaigning for Hillary, as being "pimped out" by her mother. After a barrage of critical letters, MSNBC suspended him for an indefinite period of time. In contrast, Keith Olbermann was chosen to offer the MSNBC apology for David Shuster’s comments.

Last year another MSNBC program host, Tucker Carlson, said of Sen. Clinton: "[T]here's just something about her that feels castrating, overbearing, and scary." Further, Carlson has said of Clinton: "I have often said, when she comes on television, I involuntarily cross my legs." Unlike his colleagues at MSNBC, Mr. Carlson never apologized for his hostile, sexist comments.

These instances are only samples of poor taste and coarse conduct evident on the MSNBC network.

But citizen outrage is having a salutary effect on the lineup of MSNBC talent and their conduct.

TALKING POINTS

* Sensationalism of the sexist and misogynistic type has no place on a television program that specializes in bringing news and information to the voting public.

* Sexist language is not only coarse and distasteful, it can be interpreted as favoring male candidates for president and as fostering a hostile attitude toward the single female candidate, Hillary Clinton.

* As Americans go to the polls this year to select the next president of the United States, news organizations like NBC News and MSNBC have a sacred duty to be good stewards of accurate, balanced, and responsible political discourse.

* The number of recent incidents in which MSNBC hosts have mishandled their responsibilities to the American public and indulged in sexist comments about candidates or their families suggests that the entire network is riddled with an unseemly attitude toward its journalistic responsibilities.

* While the current series of missteps by MSNBC hosts involve sexist comments hostile toward women, comments that are harshly aimed at people of either gender, any race, religion, age, nationality, or political party, or afflicted with any disease or disability are not acceptable.

* In addition to programming content, we hold MSNBC responsible for the tenor of the advertisements aired on their network.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Visit You Tube and watch the David Shuster segment in which he made the insulting comment about Chelsea Clinton. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmFJ-VQNe5Q&NR=1

Read about the media matters study showing that Chris Matthews made ten times as many critical comments about Hillary Clinton than about Rudy Giuliani , and about his sexist comments regarding other women. http://mediamatters.org/items/200801110011

Listen to Keith Olbermann’s comments on the behavior of David Shuster. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/08/msnbc-reporter-begrudging_n_85706.html

Previous Alerts:

GET THE FEC BACK INTO OPERATION FOR THE ELECTION

CLOSE GUANTANAMO PRISON

MUKASEY CONFIRMATION AS ATTORNEY GENERAL

STOP CORPORATE MONOPOLIES ON OUR NEWS AND INFORMATION

OPPOSE SPAKOVSKY NOMINATION TO FEDERAL ELECTIONS COMMISSION

SUPPORT THE BEST FISA REVISION
REGARDING WIRETAPS

RESTORE HABEAS CORPUS

STOP APPT. OF CIA GENERAL COUNSEL

STOP FUNDING FOR IRAQ WAR

NBC AND TUCKER CARLSON'S COMMENTS

FISA COURT REVISIONS FOR WIRETAPPING