An interesting issue: Dom Imus’ attorney alleges that CBS and MSNBC
had delay buttons and could have prevented his remarks from going out.
From a recent article:
“Attorney
Martin Garbus told ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” that CBS Radio and
MSNBC had delay buttons but didn’t use them when Imus made racist and
sexist comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team last month.
‘That means CBS and MSNBC both knew the language that was going out,
and both knew the language complied with (Imus’) contract. … It was
consistent with many of the things he had done,’ Garbus said.”
MSNBC
has said that there was no delay. CBS hasn’t said anything yet
regarding the delay (at least according to the article).
If there
was a delay (this still is an open question), then shouldn’t anyone
that could have stopped the remarks from being released also be
fired? They are just as complicit as Imus was.
Taking the argument from a different angle, if they shouldn’t be fired, then why should Imus have been fired?
If
a newspaper editor publishes a story with a racist statement, don’t
they have as much responsiibility as the reporter, if not more?
Why is it different for television and radio? The fact that on
television and radio, and in particular on a discussion/talk show, the
editorial decision has to be made quickly, without reflection, may
appear to be a distinction, but shouldn’t the “reflection argument”
also apply to on-air personalities that make remarks off the top of
their head?
There may be differences in timing and the amount of reflection in the different mediums, but this is not a reason why the
editors should be treated differently than the individuals that provide
the content. For clarification purposes, I do think reporters and
personalities, not editors, should bear the responsibility in many
situations–such as when there are detailed facts written or stated
that would be impractical for an editor to check.
