Demand That Fox News, NBC, CNN Stop Promoting Ann Coulter
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) today urged community members and allies to call on NBC News, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN and Fox News Channel to publicly state that they will refuse to continue providing a platform for Ann Coulter's vulgar anti-gay prejudice.
In the photo: Ann Coulter without make-up
During her March 2 appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. – which aired on C-SPAN – Coulter said, “I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, but it turns out that you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot,’ so I’m – so, kind of at an impasse, can’t really talk about Edwards, so I think I’ll just conclude here and take your questions.”
This was the second time in the past year that Coulter, who is represented by the William Morris Agency, had used this slur against a public figure. After claiming during a July 2006 appearance on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews that former President Bill Clinton is gay, Coulter said, “He may not be gay, but Al Gore, total fag.”
Following considerable public condemnation of Coulter's on-air use of the slur at the Conservative Political Action Conference – including criticism by three leading Republican presidential contenders – Coulter used her March 5 appearance on Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes to defend her use of the slur and claim that the epithet is not offensive or anti-gay: “It’s a schoolyard taunt.”
Coulter's appearance on Fox News clarified three important facts. First, Coulter believes that calling people “fag” and “faggot” on television is perfectly acceptable. Second, she also considers schoolyard bullying and harassment acceptable and is intentionally extending that bullying and harassment into the media. And third, she intends to continue injecting such vulgarity and bullying into her future media appearances.
“Coulter has long been rewarded for her outrageous comments with increased levels of media visibility. That must stop,” said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. “The dangerous message that news networks send by their continuing embrace of Coulter's rhetoric is that there is no downside and considerable benefit for those who use vulgar slurs on national television.”
GLAAD has conducted a preliminary analysis of Coulter's media appearances over the past two years. To date, GLAAD has tracked 124 national news network appearances since January 2005, two-thirds of which (82) have been on the like-minded Fox News Channel (with nearly 60% of those – 48 – on Hannity & Colmes, where her most recent use of an anti-gay slur was defended by host Sean Hannity on March 5). Coulter also continues to be a regular guest on CNBC's Kudlow & Company (17 appearances), Fox News' The Big Story with John Gibson (13 appearances), The O'Reilly Factor and Your World with Neil Cavuto (9 appearances each).
Coulter appears to have been absent from MSNBC since her on-air use of an anti-gay slur in July 2006, though she continues to appear on NBC's Today, most recently in February 2007. CNN has not featured her as a commentator since November 2006, and CBS and ABC do not appear to have featured her as a guest at any time in the past two years.
Does this mean that news organizations shouldn't cover Coulter's defamatory attacks? Not necessarily. There will be times when something she says is so obscene and so high-profile that ignoring it as a news story would do a disservice to news audiences. It's also important to remember that civil rights and social justice organizations will continue condemning her attacks. But given her on-air behavior, simply inviting Coulter on broadcast and cable television to offer her opinion on the issues of the day – or allowing her to use those networks to promote her latest book or public expression of vulgarity – is irresponsible and dangerous.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
Please contact NBC News, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN and Fox News Channel today and call on them to publicly state that they will no longer feature Ann Coulter as an on-air commentator.
* Let these outlets know that in light of Ann Coulter's relentlessly vulgar behavior, no responsible news organization can afford to continue offering her a media platform. The events of the past year demonstrate that such behavior only rewards, feeds and escalates Coulter's vulgarity, and that publicly affiliating with her brand of bigotry creates unacceptable exposure and risk for any credible news organization.
* Please ensure that your emails and phone calls are civil and respectful.
* Please forward this link to any of your friends and others who may also wish to take action: http://www.glaad.org/action/calls_detail.php?id=3984
John Moody – Fox News Channel, Senior Vice President, News Editorial
Jonathan Wald, Vice-President CNBC News
Phil Griffin, Sr. Vice-President NBC News and
Dan Abrams, MSNBC General Manager,
Jonathan Klein, President, CNN/U.S
1 comments:
Maybe someone should just sprinkle water on her and she'll melt! Themore that creature opens her mouth, the shriller she seems to get, which I could only hope means that she's about to implode CGI-style over some television studio set. What disgusts me the most is how many television programs continue to PAY her as some sort of "expert" ...the only thing she can do for me is be an example of how not to raise your children. I shudder to think of what kind life experiences led her to be such an evil person.
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