I do not believe that this could be written by any supposedly responsible member of the press, much less make it past one of the supposedly “racially sensitive” editors in our modern newswooms. I’ve bold-faced the slur, just to make the point.

Still, Powell rose higher than almost any black Republican by making the party faithful comfortable with his non-threatening and non-demanding presence on racial issues. Powell flamed out after his ego no longer allowed him to be an unquestioning spearchucker in Mr. Bush's war.

The use of the slur was intentional and done with malice aforethought. What is more, both the author and the ombudsman defend the use of such racist language directed at conservative and Republican African-Americans. I guess when you are black and writing for a second-rate waste of wood pulp, journalistic standards and basic civility are inapplicable.

Contrast this incident with the response to a slip-of-the-tongue incident in St. Louis recently.

A St. Louis radio station wasted no time firing a talk show host for using a racial epithet to describe Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on his morning show Wednesday.

KTRS president and general manager Tim Dorsey came on the air to announce the firing shortly after talk show host Dave Lenihan used the word "coon," a racial slur, instead of "coup" in describing her attributes for the post of NFL commissioner.

Dorsey and Lenihan both called the use of the word a "slip of the tongue," but Dorsey said the utterance was nonetheless "unacceptable, reprehensible and unforgivable."

Prior to the utterance, Lenihan was heaping praise on Rice, a big football fan, who has frequently said she aspires to run the league one day. But as recently as Wednesday, Rice ruled out applying for the job of NFL commissioner after Paul Tagliabue retires.

After taking several calls from listeners, Lenihan offered this on the air:
"She's been chancellor of Stanford. She's got the patent resume of somebody that has serious skill. She loves football. She's African-American, which would kind of be a big coon. A big coon. Oh my God. I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that.

I guess it is just another example of the double standards that inhabit American broadcast and print media today – only some have to be racially sensitive, and only some are entitled to racial sensitivity.

(H/T – Opinion Journal)

Posted by: Greg at 10:49 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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