Friday, January 14, 2005

Black, White and Racist All Over: II

A series of events involving outright racism in the media have pushed the issue back into the limelight in 2005. First, of course, is the controversy now swirling in the wake of a MediaChannel.org report earlier this week, which revealed a culture of racism within the offices of Metro International, a company that is now in the midst of a deal to sell 49% of its free Boston daily to The New York Times. Metro is scrambling to repair damage done while the racist remarks have added gasoline to the “newspaper war” already raging between the Times-owned Boston Globe and cross-town rival Boston Herald.

The second report comes from Philadelphia where radio shock jocks "Star" and "Buc Wild" at Clear Channel-owned WUSL called an Indian customer service representative "a filthy rat eater" and threatened to "come out there and choke the ‘F’ out of you." Nice. This clip aired without incident last month. It was only after an employee posted it on the station’s Web site, that a public backlash began.

The next report comes from Chicago where radio talent Joel Murphy, aka "Java Joel" was fired from Clear Channel-owned WKSC after he talked on air about adopting "three black kids" and "taking them to the zoo to see where they came from."

My question for you is particularly relevant in the last two cases: How does the consolidation of outlets under a single owner contribute to this caliber of media content?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you need to be careful about 1st Amendment issues when making a case against this lowly sort of speech. Still it's worth trying to make a link between consolidation and bottom feeder content. It seems the right connection to me, I just don't know how you're going toprove it. ** J. House

Anonymous said...

The comment about Martin Luther King was inappropriate for the air.
I really wonder why the word God is so protested and removed from the public places to please the protesters, and the people that don't wish to worship Martin Luther King Jr. are protested upon and called racist.I see more racism in the accusers,than in the accused.If everyone we thought did a great deed, had a National Day of Rememberance off, who would work? First Ammendment Rights only get exercised for a certain few.

Anonymous said...

If the editors of Metro International are accurately reflected by their New York City Editors, then they are rightly citicized for being intolerant and racist. I have never read such purile, thoughtless shallow nonsense in my life. Metro New York mistakes contoversy for journalism and petty arguements for contoversy.

Metro chose to put a naked traumatized Haitian child on the cover of one of its hurricane editions, showing no respect for the boy's suffering. I wonder if they would have dne the same to a Caucasion child. Somehow I doubt it.

I loved it when that Christian wrote that letter about the homophobic editorial they published that supposedly was in support of gay marriage. The editors could not see their underlying disrespect for homosexuals anymore than they see their racial bias.

What really stuns me is Metro Internation is their casual intolerance toward Christians. How can people proclaim to be open-minded and tolerant and then show such intolerance? Metro even had chutzpah to make fun of Christian parents who want to encourge their children not to have sex. Like any sane parent wants their teenage daughter to become pregnant or their boy to get AIDS! Only a cynic or someone who does not love their kids would be unconcerned about the consequences of teenage sex - especially since it was proven a few years ago that the New York City Board of Ed knowingly distributed defective condoms.

Metro deserves everthing that is coming to it and more. I am glad that Metro International is running into difficulty. I rejoice to see that their New York City edtion has become increasingly thin due to lack of advertisement. Their casual comntempt for minorities and for the Christian majority is biting them in the butt and I say good!

Anonymous said...

Every commentary has to state "what if it had been caucasian?" Racism lies in the mind of the constant challenger. The challenger that won't LET IT GO.Won't let the "racism" die, Just keep it going. Stop challenging the caucasian and live at peace in the world with them.Only the negative thought in your mind makes the word "racism" a reality to you.

Anonymous said...

Freeing my mind from racism does not eliminate the reality of racism.

There have been many horrific disasters in this world since Metro started publishing in New York. I have noted that Caucasion children are tend to be shown with clean faces and bodies. Asian and other darker skinned victims are more likely to have torn clothes or mud.

Are my observations statistically significant? Probably not.

Unfortunately this thread is not about the lack of respect for gays, Republicans, or Christians. (Gayism, Republicanism, Christophobia?) Metro's is intolerance of these groups belies their supposed liberal views. If one is truely liberal one can be broadminded enough to accept all thought even if one does not agree with it.

It is interesting that one Metro's owners are pornographers. Perhaps that explains the anti-Republican , anti-Christian bias: They can not abide groups that disageree with them and have the courage to express their views.

I question whether Meteo believes that gays are equals to be respected not patronized.