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Did McCain Oust a Reporter From Event Because He Was Black?
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Anonymous
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There has been much talk this week regarding John McCain's apparent turnaround with regards to the press; many people are remarking that the much ballyhooed "Straight Talk Express" has changed lanes. The most recent, and perhaps extreme, case in point is that of Stephen Price, a senior reporter from the Tallahassee Democrat who was kicked out of a McCain event yesterday. He was later told he'd been asked to leave because he was a local reporter in an area reserved for national ones (but wait, isn't McCain supposed to be all over the local reporters these days?). However, according to Price there were plenty of local reporters around and he was the only one removed. He also happened to be the only black reporter at the event. The McCain camp categorically denies that race had anything to do with the decision. Price appeared on Countdown last night to discuss the incident.
http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/media_events/did_mccain_oust_a_reporter_from_event_because_he_was_black_90882.asp |
jsteele
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I would be surprised if McCain's campaign singled out the reporter because of his race, but then I am surprised about a lot of things the McCain campaign does. In that regard, I am replying primarily because when I read your message, an ad was running to the right showing a picture of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears (I think, though it could have been Nicole Richie -- I'm not up on my celebrities). The ad was sponsored by the McCain campaign and clicking on it lead to a page running the now famous "celebrity" ad. I can't tell you how much enjoyment I get from the thought of McCain paying to advertise on DCUM.
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Anonymous
| Price's account was certainly disturbing - it did sound like a case of being ousted for reporting while black. |
Anonymous
| Please-this is laughable--it would never happen. I work in the media and absolutley know this would never happen although I have seen reporters play the race and gender card when it suits them. I would say the same thing if I heard it coming from the Obama campaign on if a white reporter wasn't allowed in--I wouldn't believe. |
Rich
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I also do not believe McCain, or anyone high in his campaign, would intentionally oust a black reporter. But you may recall that a similar incident involving a Muslim woman ousted from an Obama photo got quite a bit of press. Let's see whether this is treated similarly by the MSM. |
Anonymous
Have you watched Price's account of what happened? |
Anonymous
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Didn't believe it until I saw the interview. I believe it now.
I certainly wasn't there but it wouldn't surprise me if this is what happened: white staff person sees a black guy and wonders what is he doing there (possible underlying anxiety about black men or just sees this person standing out -- who knows which?). Finds out he is a local press person and realizes, oh, we can't have local press people there. Other white reporter pipes up in support of black reporter and staffer realizes he/she has to be consistent and throws other reporter out because he/she has already gone out on a limb. End result: black reporter gets thrown out. Staffer tells him/herself it was because the reporter was local but the reality is if the reporter was white, the staff member NEVER would have noticed him. This is filled with all the ambiguity of race relations today. And, as I've been told (being white and not having experienced it first hand), it can be exhausting never knowing why things are happening. Was it chance or was it racism? Hard to tell sometimes. Is McCain an out and out racist? No, I don't think so. But is this emblematic of a certain anxiety some (often well-meaning) white people still have about black people? Could very well be. We as a nation have a long way to go before we transcend our racist past. |