THE IMUS OP AD THE NEW YORK TIMES REFUSED TO RUN

 

Not Fit to Print?

The TomPaine.com Staff

Editor's Note: On Monday May 8 TomPaine.com submitted the following ad to the New York Times for publication on the op-ed page. Subsequently, the Times informed us that the paper would refuse to publish the ad because it contains racial and ethnic slurs. We objected. The Times stuck by its position. Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr., the publisher, called to explain that the paper sets high standards for advertisements and that our ad violated these standards. We pointed out that we consider the ad a part of our news coverage. He insisted the ad is an ad, not news. We then submitted a revised draft of the ad excluding the slurs. This version of the ad is what the Times agreed to publish. The ad notes that the paper refused to publish the slurs which are the subject of the ad.

While the NYT believes that the Imus show slurs are not fit to print, the paper continues to advertise on the show. (TomPaine.com formerly advertised on the show but withdrew after writer Philip Nobile made us aware of the pattern of bigoted remarks.)

THE REJECTED OP AD

Power talker Don Imus could be losing his "God Squad."

Father Tom Hartman and Rabbi Marc Gellman, longtime regulars on "Imus in the Morning," might quit. Why?

They recently witnessed a racist outburst by Imus producer and sidekick Bernard McGuirk, who Mike Wallace once said "glories in the role of resident bigot."

"It was the most direct form of bigotry," Father Hartman said of McGuirk's April 28 'parody' of basketball player Jayson Williams.

"It's against what I believe in and what my Church believes in… If that is characteristic of the entire show, then we couldn't be on the show, but I don't believe it is."

Well, Father, the record shows otherwise.

A sample of the Imus team's routine sport:

On the New York Knicks: "chest-bumping pimps… the New York Crips."

On superstar Gloria Estefan: "this little Chihuahua-looking 'ho."

On serial gay-killer Andrew Cunannan: "Why are they bothering to catch this guy? He's just whacking off freaks!"

On Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a Native American: "The guy from F Troop."

On CNN's female anchors: "dyke-ie broads."

On media critic Howard Kurtz: "boner-nosed, beanie-wearing Jew boy."

Imus distances himself from the worst of it, but he's presiding, it's his show.

So the "God Squad" has second thoughts. What about A-list regulars like Tom Brokaw, Tim Russert, Dan Rather, Cokie Roberts, Howard Fineman, and Jeff Greenfield?

Clarence Page, the respected columnist, told TomPaine.com last week that he's "very reluctant" to appear again with Imus. And he thinks Imus should apologize to Gwen Ifill, Page's friend and accomplished colleague.

When Ifill, who like Page is black, worked for the New York Times, Imus said, "Isn't the Times wonderful? It lets the cleaning lady cover the White House."

Who's laughing?

This week at TomPaine.com - AnImus in the Morning… Who's Laughing? Featuring: Our ImusWatch catalogue of slurs ... "A-list Media: Going Along and Getting On," by Philip Nobile ... and Imus responses.

Published: May 23 2000