Cokie Roberts: News Media Exacerbate Racial Tensions
ABC News commentator laments emphasis on conflict in speech to RTNDF
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/13/2009 3:24:00 PM
Posted March 12, 11:24 p.m. ET
ABC News political commentator Cokie Roberts says that broadcasters in New Orleans are exacerbating racial tensions there.
Roberts, accepting a free speech award from the Radio-Television News Directors Foundation, used the opportunity to suggest broadcasters in her home town, and elsewhere, might be a little too free with the speech they are putting on their airwaves, though she distinguished that from debate or the airing of conflicting opinions.
While she said that the news media during and after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina did an admirable job of "bringing people together in a terrible time," she said that "now, I'm sorry to say, it's helping to split people apart."
Roberts said that racial tensions in New Orleans are rising to levels not seen in decades and that media coverage, especially broadcast coverage, is "exacerbating those tensions."
Roberts said that disagreements between politicians are being magnified into "some kind of incident." She went further, saying that "the most incendiary, not to mention totally crazy people, are screaming on the airwaves."
"We cannot do that here, in the Nation's Capitol," she said. "It is too sensitive a time; it's too scary a time," a line that drew applause from the journalists and others in the crowd.
Roberts said the New Orleans coverage was an example of "highlighting confrontation," a problem not confined to hurricane-ravaged southern cities, she suggested.
She said the media need to let people hear from "the sensible souls" and "to be careful not to turn our microphones over to the shouters and the extremists. As we put our programs together, the first question should not be: 'Where's the argument.'"
Roberts said she was not suggesting the media shouldn't air "conflicting good ideas," saying that was meaningful debate. "But we all know there's a big difference between a couple of thoughtful people trying to get to some solution and a shoutfest where the shouter is seeking attention and the broadcaster is hoping for ratings."
Roberts was receiving the Leonard Zeidenberg First Amendment Award, named after the late B&C senior reporter.
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Well the respect I had for Ms Roberts just went down the drain. What planet is she living on? Her city she says? If it were so she would be behind us in fighting for our city.
Either she has not taken the time to become informed on the challenge that we the citizens are facing or is relying on bad information reported to her and just doesn't 'get' what is going on here in Nola.
OR, she has ties to the corruption and therefore is putting down the efforts to correct things and improve the scandalous government now in place.
There is a lot of hard work by good people, a lot of sweat and tears fighting good against evil right now and how dare she comment that things are blown out of proportion.
Black and white alike are fighting for what's right, along side each other and we support the media reporting on this every day. We don't want it to be out of the papers or off the radio!!
Are peoples lives not important? Is the recovery of the city not important? Those in charge stealing money, ignoring peoples needs not important?
Whatever it takes to expose this is important. Of course those betraying us will not be caught red-handed. It will take unraveling a chain of deceit, and that has begun, no matter how big or small the start.
We are afraid to be too positive, but we believe it is happening, finally. The criminals will be exposed and ousted, and the city can progress.
Everyone here can see this (read the Times Picayune comments) and is supporting those on the city council whose interests are bettering the city, the news media, and the community who are fighting to have real representation and get on with repairing the city.
The racism here is by much of the local government, not the locals. It exists. It is being exposed.
WE WANT IT EXPOSED. We are outraged by this. If she hears this in the news that's because that is what is going on. This is developing every single day.
She needs to either not comment or get her facts straight. Her comments have belittled this hard fight and it just sickens me.
D. Broussard - 3/13/2009 7:08:27 PM EDT -
Mrs. Roberts makes some good points about the media doing stories on racist idiots with big mouths.
Unfortunately one of these crazy people is C.RAzY Nagin.
The mayor of New Orleans set the tone for this. Jesse Jackson and crew were hell bent on making sure a "black" man got elected as our mayor. Not the right man. Somehow they proclaimed the election to be fair. Had a "white" man won, you can bet that there would have been lawsuits filed over the election results.
The 'religious' leaders perpetuate the separatism. They scream and yell racism at every step.
Don't welcome everyone back...like the criminals...who cares what color. You say something like that and the loudmouths label you a racist.
Smaller footprint for the city is mentioned...next thing you know everyone that thinks that, is a racist.
When is someone with Cokie Roberts credentials going to address these real issues?
Answer: Never
Why: They are too weak and not interested in risking their careers.
New Orleans should be a united city and we could have been. Most black, white and in between people do get along. Believe it or not, some actually love and respect each other.
When you cater to the lowest common denominator...this is what you get.
Cokie is the media. We know she loves New Orleans. How about producing some of those "conflicting good idea" stories!!!!!!!
Gregg Huber - 3/13/2009 6:55:40 PM EDT
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