After four years, MSNBC cancelled the talkshow of African-American writer and political scientist Melissa Harris-Perry. The cable news network had repeatedly pre-empted her weekend morning show, and in response to questions about her absence from MSNBC’s roster had scheduled Harris-Perry to appear in a weekend news-reading role. This led Harris-Perry to write a memo to her staff that explained she was turning down this assignment, saying:
The purpose of this decision seems to be to provide cover for MSNBC, not to provide voice for MHP Show. I will not be used as a tool for their purposes. I am not a token, mammy or little brown bobblehead.
This memo—which pointedly noted that “social media has noted the dramatic change in editorial tone and racial composition of MSNBC’s on-air coverage”—was effectively the end of Harris-Perry’s career at MSNBC. “It’s highly unlikely she will continue” at MSNBC after the memo became public, a network executive told the Washington Post’s Paul Farhi (2/28/16). The email was “destructive to our relationship,” the executive explained.
So bringing up the status of people of color at the network is something that you can’t do at MSNBC without destroying your relationship there—despite the fact that, as CNN’s Dylan Byers (3/2/16) pointed out, MSNBC has cancelled or sidelined numerous non-white hosts in recent years, including Martin Bashir, Toure, Karen Finney, Al Sharpton, Joy Reid, Alex Wagner and José Díaz-Balart.
What you can do without permanently harming that relationship, however, is fabricate stories about historical events, as Brian Williams did—because he’s being brought back to be the channel’s regular “breaking news anchor.”
Gawker‘s initial report (5/18/15) on domestic violence allegations against Bill O’Reilly.
Another thing that won’t necessarily destroy your relationship to a major cable news network is being accused of domestic violence by your child. In proceedings that resulted in Fox News host Bill O’Reilly losing joint custody of the two children he had with his ex-wife (Gawker, 2/29/16), a psychologist testified that O’Reilly’s teenage daughter had described an incident in which “her dad was choking her mom or had his hands around her neck and dragged her down some stairs.” (Choking, by the way, is considered one of the most serious signals that a physically abusive relationship could turn deadly.)
The allegation was first reported by Gawker in May 2015; the news site followed up by publishing the relevant court transcripts. The story doesn’t seem to have affected Bill O’Reilly’s relationship with Fox one bit, where he continues to have a platform to fulminate (2/11/16) about how “the dissolution of the black family has led to the rise of young black male crime.”
Jim Naureckas is the editor of FAIR.org. Follow him on Twitter at @JNaureckas.
I understand the lady’s frustration and anger, but, to paraphrase her own thoughts towards those of another, “I can tell the difference between a substantive criticism and a personal attack. It is clear to me that [Harris-Perry’s] ego, not the health of American democracy, is the wounded creature in this story.”
Karmic or ironic, it’s a pleasure and I hope Cornell West smiles, at least briefly, at the news.
I’m not at-all sympathetic or supportive of someone (MHP) who took the Establishment stance, and ridiculously made-fun of Edward Snowden, as illustrated at the link below. Fortunately, a true progressive (Abby Martin) put Melissa’s pathetic theatrical skit in perspective, with help from Glenn Greenwald. It’s pretty sad when a Democratic Party Apologist is touted as some kind of journalistic hero.
GOVERNMENT TERRORISM — POLICE STATE LOGIC
Rightly understood, the sole purpose of government having deadly force is to prevent a more deadly higher class from enslaving those in a weaker class.
For wealth is power, with the pecking order being High Society, Country Club class, middle-class and laboring-class.
For intelligence is the speed at which you can rationalize a problem and take corrective action, the speed you can kill in combat and compete in capitalism. Which is why the ability to achieve wealth and to kill to protect wealth, this is in direct proportion to the class you belong to.
And so, to be safe from those more intelligent and wealthy, we need an honest government that has a monopoly on the use of force and violence. The reverse of what we have now, as capitalism is everyone empowered by the law to enrich themselves upon the misery of those in a lower class.
Funny, but a few days ago someone steered me to the Robert Silverberg sci-fi novel, “Invaders from Earth.” The plot-line’s central trope of the fugitive whistleblower, demonized by the corporate media, pretty much anticipated the likes of our modern day “outlaws” Snowden, Manning, Assange, et al.
Be well.
Man, Silverberg had the MSM’s number back in the late 1950’s.
Hello,
My name is Tamara Reeves and I’m in the process of working with State Representatives, to create a public registry for repeat violent offenders in the state of Texas. I’m a three year survivor of domestic violence, and found out five months ago that my ex husband Christopher Polvado has been cyberstalking me since I divorced him in 2013. In July of that year, I followed the order of the law, and filed assault charges against him, as well as a protective order.
Since finding this out, I’ve reached out for help from local law enforcement agencies, and have received no help to secure my safety and privacy. I believe the only way to ever stop these repeat violent offenders from escalating their violence and committing murder, is by publicly shaming them and holding them accountable in the public eye. They are more concerned with their perceived image from the public, than they are with the devastation caused to their victims by their use of all forms of abuse.
My story was featured last Wednesday on WFAA and since then, the positive response I’m getting for the registry has been overwhelming, from people across the country. I believe a nationwide registry would have a tremendously positive impact on the crime rate across our county. I will be making several guest appearances these next two months, and sharing my story and the need for this registry. The registry will be very beneficial and will serve a two fold purpose.
First, it will allow victims, access to their abuser’s current address, upcoming court dates and a list of any new charges they may have incurred. Second, it will serve as a place for future innocent victims, to check for a history of violence, on those they are possibly interested in pursuing in a more intimate manner.
Links to both interviews are located below.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/domestic-violence-victim-pushes-for-state-registry-for-abusers/318970425
http://youtu.be/dGS0gB6AuoE
Thank you for your consideration to appear as a guest, and feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Tamara Reeves
972-987-9783
Email : ProverbialPrincessProject@aol.com