Friday, April 13, 2007

Not Had Enough Yet?

If you still need more Imus coverage.....just kidding.

No one needs more Imus coverage; however, David Carr of the NYTimes postmorts the entire saga and his analysis is worth reading in its entirety. If you prefer the Cliff Notes version, here are a few of money quotes:

“Imus has a long history of saying far more negative, divisive things,” said Robert M. Entman, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University. “In this case, he chose a college basketball team. College athletics is sacred in our culture in a way. We tell ourselves that it is a place that we have transcended race. This was an attack on the purity of sport, student athletes who are not paid to perform."
Regarding Imus' decision to appear on Sharpton's show:
By seeking absolution from people with their own political agenda, Mr. Imus lost custody of his apology.
And finally:
Who countered for Mr. Imus? The cadre of white, accomplished males who have been his running buddies for years. He may have black friends, but they don’t show up on his show much and that broadcast apartheid left him without meaningful allies. Mr. Imus was alone and ineffective in his defense, after years of being surrounded by sycophancy that has left him reflexively entitled and ill-prepared for media opportunities in which he does not control the microphone.
Now we see why Mr. Carr writes for the NYTimes and I've got this silly little blog. He's wicked smaht and he writes wicked good.

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