The
Don Imus story makes me uncomfortable — and I hope it makes news leaders
queasy, too. No one, not even those who
praise the man’s philanthropy, defends the sexist, racist spittle he aimed at
the women of Rutgers.
But
where have we all been before this?
Sample “Imus in the Morning” frequently enough and it’s clear that Imus
and company can be clever and funny, but too often misogynistic and racially
insensitive.
Did
the journalists and politicians who made guest appearances really listen to the
program content that bookended them? Did
they know they were playing in the pig pen?
If so, why did they appear? Was
it cool to be in his club and reap whatever benefits accrued? Status?
Book sales? Celebrity?
Everyone
has an Imus opinion now, but the conversation is narrowly focused on his show,
or rap music, or racism. Oddly, sexism
has taken a back seat in this discussion.
Kudos to the Journalism and Women Symposium, an organization of women
journalists, for adding its voice to the conversation.
Don’t
you wonder how his MSNBC colleague Contessa Brewer, whom Imus reportedly called
a “pig” and a “skank” on his program, is feeling these days?
Maybe
we’ve become inured to ugliness — even lured to it.
Even
the least-talented radio or TV host, opinion columnist or blogger can snipe.
Snark, after all, is seen by some as “authentic voice.” Just keeping things real. And the closer it
edges to the truly unacceptable, the more attention — and sometimes audience —
it draws. It’s “ear porn” — appealing to
those who are attracted by the public degradation of others, the more cutting the
better.
The
ad hominem attack has become so much a part of our media culture that I suspect
Imus was acting within the bounds of what he thought his audience wanted and
his bosses valued.
That
takes us to those bosses, the leaders.
If they hire and hold sacred those who produce ratings by any means
necessary, shouldn’t they be held as accountable as their stars?
What
would happen if the top managers had to pay the same price as Don Imus? If they were evaluated on quality of content
as well as quantity of revenue generated?
If, when Imus or others have to walk the plank, the bosses had to
follow?
If
you’re a news manager or media executive, this might make you uncomfortable.
Perhaps it should. Instead of looking at
this as someone else’s misfortune, consider looking inward. That can be a productive exercise in
discomfort.
To
that end:
- If you schedule guests for
your programs for their vitriol as much or more than their knowledge, be
uncomfortable.
- If you think it’s OK to
book yourself or your colleagues as guests on a show despite its forays into
smear and slime — justifying it as a valuable marketing opportunity — be
uncomfortable.
- If you look around your
organization and see few women or people of color in positions of power and
influence, people who believe they can push back against bad decisions, be
uncomfortable.
- If you’re not sure whether
to categorize members of your staff as journalists or entertainers, be
uncomfortable.
- If the only values you talk
about are bottom-line, be uncomfortable.
- If you think because rap
music contains offensive language, everyone else should be free to use it, be
uncomfortable.
- If you think “pushing the
envelope” is fine as long as it brings in ratings and revenue, be
uncomfortable.
- If you look the other way at
racist, sexist or crude, cruel personal attacks in the comments pages of your Web site, be uncomfortable.
- If you think it would be too
expensive to develop a system for dealing with such attacks, be uncomfortable.
- If you don’t know the
difference between critical thinking, self-control and censorship, be
uncomfortable.
- If you think free speech and
hate speech are indistinguishable and inseparable, be uncomfortable.
The
most comforting example of leadership I witnessed during this whole mess didn’t
come from the NBC or CBS executives who dropped the Imus show.
It
came from the members of the Scarlet Knights team in their news conference, who
spoke in thoughtful, measured tones about anger and pain. They stood their ground and never took a
cheap shot at their assailant. Without
so much as a raised voice, these young women demonstrated the value of reason
in the face of outrage. You don’t know
us, they said.
They’re
right.
It’s
a lot harder to treat those you know the way Imus treated the Rutgers women,
even in the name of ratings and revenue.
Isn’t
that an uncomfortable thought? And isn’t
it time to stop talking about Don Imus the performer and start talking about
ourselves as leaders?
