MSNBC Pulls Plug On Don Imus

Cable Network Responds To Growing Outrage By Dropping Simulcast Of "Imus In The Morning"

(CBS/AP) 
The 10 members of the Rutgers team spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday about the on-air comments, made the day after the team lost the NCAA championship game to Tennessee. Some of them wiped away tears as their coach, C. Vivian Stringer, criticized Imus for "racist and sexist remarks that are deplorable, despicable, abominable and unconscionable."

The women, eight of whom are black, agreed to meet with Imus privately next Tuesday and hear his explanation.

"We hope not only to let him know who we are as basketball players, but let us see the man behind the radio personality," team captain Essence Carson said on CBS News' The Early Show. "His remarks are completely not us, and we hope to see a man different, a man other than what his remarks proved him to be."

Under what circumstances would the players accept Imus' apology, asked co-anchor Hannah Storm.

"We haven't decided yet," Carson, a junior from Paterson, N.J., replied.

Stringer said late Wednesday that she did not call for Imus' firing, but was pleased with the decision by NBC executives.

Imus has apologized repeatedly for his comments. He said Tuesday he hadn't been thinking when making a joke that went "way too far." He also said that those who called for his firing without knowing him, his philanthropic work or what his show was about would be making an "ill-informed" choice.

But not everyone was calling for Imus to be fired.

"If you can't get redeemed once people make an inflammatory remark, then there are many people who shouldn't be in the public eye, not the least of which is Al Sharpton," media critic and new CBS News senior political correspondent Jeff Greenfield said Wednesday. But Imus "needs to get the point that some of the humor and the humor that some of us haven't called him on, needs to be changed."

Greenfield has been a guest on the Imus show, and was on it Tuesday.

"One of the reasons I would like to see him survive is that when the show is not indulging in bar room, locker room humor, it has an interesting focus on politics and public policy. What that show has lacked is black participants," Greenfield told Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen.

At the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, N.J., about 300 students and faculty rallied earlier in the day to cheer for their team, which lost in the national championship game, and add their voices to the crescendo of calls for Imus' ouster. One of the speakers was Chidimma Acholonu, president of the campus chapter of the NAACP.

"This is not a battle against one man. This is a battle against a way of thought," she said. "Don Imus does not understand the power of his words, so it is our responsibility to remind him."

Ok, fine. Fire Imus, but your Network (CBS)will be seen as racist if you do not fire the Rap/HipHop garbage artists who demean women and others for money on your programs. Lets be fair, this garbage (Rap/HipHop)is no more free speech than what Imus said. Frankly Imus is just going with the flow of mainstream garbage that is on the airways with the accepted depiction and disrespect in the black culture of the vulgar demeaning of the entire race. And who is Jackson/Sharpton to speak for anyone, I'd rather hear for Bill Cosby. Jackson/Sharpton are money grubbing fools who make money using blacks as victims. Lets educate and move on, stop blacks from treating blacks with such disrespect!

[karenmary3]

Give me a break?

What Don Imus said was not funny, but to loose his job?

We are now in a society of reverse discrimination.

Mr.Imus...On to a Bigger and Better place than CBS

[tcarroll1023]

Public Officials talk openly about assassinating the President, an open act of treason; Rosie O%u2019Donnell continues her rants against America and everything that it stands for; Al Sharpton continues to talk hatred towards America and %u2018the white man%u2019 and invents problems where there are none. Who will force them to step down from their positions for the hatred they preach? Will Mr. Jackson and Sharpton ever apologize to the Duke Lacrosse Players after it was proven that they were Innocent of all charges? If Mr. Imus is being made an example of, will Senator Clinton give back campaign contributions made by record company executives whose clients sing about hatred towards the white man and the African-American woman? One person should not be held to a higher standard while others continue their hatred speech. For Mr. Sharpton, this is only the first step in tearing apart the First Amendment. Why does he get to say whatever he wants to whomever he pleases without consequence, and a radio talk show host says something in bad taste, after years of saying things in extremely poor taste, and he is shown the door with extreme prejudice? Where is the justice? For Mr. Sharpton and Jackson, it is ensuring that radio talk show hosts who understand the First Amendment and Freedom of Speech no longer have a platform.

[gardengirlmo]

I am appalled that Imus has been fired by CBS over his comments. He clearly apologized, right or wrong and that should be the end of it. We live in a country of freedom of speech and are being regulated by more and more all of the time. When will it end. I don't like rap music and what it often stands for and neither do many of my friends, should that be removed if I make a big enough stink and expect and apology because it offends me; or Rosie O'Donnell or Nancy Polosi. Please, this has to stop. I am outraged by what it happening to our country. Please change your mind and do the right thing! Apology accepted and move on.

[duh2me]

If Imus gets fired for his racist comments, tell me why Rush Limbaugh totally gets away with calling Barack Obama a "Half-rican American"???

[ciacciom]

You're a little off here. NBC and CBS executives didn't just wake-up one morning and discover the foul content of the Imus in the morning show. They knew about it for years and were more than willing to tollerate it as long as the advertising dollars kept flowwing in. Both NBC and CBS let Imus stay on with a 2-week suspension unil the "advertisers" and big ones, GM, Amex, etc. started pulling their ads. No money ... no show. It's that simple. As usual. it's not a "black" problem, nor a "white" problem. It's a "green" problem! - mike c ...oh , and by the way, I admire The Rutgers Girls for standing up for themselves. As a matter of fact, I bet they would really feel good about thenselves if they gave back all their scholorship money and paid for their education like I had to!

[classicfem]

Enough with the double standards! Imus was wrong for his comment but he apologized and suspension would have sufficed.
Sharpton and Jackson have never been punished nor have they ever apologized for calling people names and for the violence they bring to our communities! NO MORE!! Call and write congress and the media. Start educating people in your communities. Get all involved!

[slmcc]

By the way, who were the sponsers that pulled out of the Don Imus show? Perhaps they should face a boycott!

[slmcc]

I completely disapprove of his comments. That said I think that more wrong than his comments is the firing! Frankly I am sick and tired of the racist card being played at every opertunity! No, I am not a racist, but the truth is if his comment had resembled any other race hardly anyone would have given it a second thought.
I am deeply disappointed in CBS and MSNBC! Seems we have reached a place where we have placed one race on a pedestle simply because of thier color. Take a black man and a white man and the black man will almost always get preference no maatter what the other circumstances are. That is not right.
Don Imus has admitted his wrong, and apologized profusely. Where is the forgiveness? And who amoung us is perfect and has never mad a mistake or do we now think we are good enough to judge who is worthy of forgiveness?
I wonder, what would happen if we had a White entertainment channel.....

[pgm187]

Boycott CBS and their sponsors.

[weld4tec]

Why does this country give in to the blacks everytime an issue of race comes up?I would like to know what Jeese and Al would have said if Imus were a Mexican!!!I don't think there would have been much reaction.........If anybody is a racist it is AL SHARPTON&JEESE JACKSON.I hope Imus goes to a satilite radio show where he can say what he wants to say...........

[weld4tec]

Why does this country give in to the blacks everytime an issue of race comes up?I would like to know what Jeese and Al would have said if Imus were a Mexican!!!I don't think there would have been much reaction.........If anybody is a racist it is AL SHARPTON&JEESE JACKSON.I hope Imus goes to a satilite radio show where he can say what he wants to say...........

[weld4tec]

Why does this country give in to the blacks everytime an issue of race comes up?I would like to know what Jeese and Al would have said if Imus were a Mexican!!!I don't think there would have been much reaction.........If anybody is a racist it is AL SHARPTON&JEESE JACKSON.I hope Imus goes to a satilite radio show where he can say what he wants to say...........

[weld4tec]

Why does this country give in to the blacks everytime an issue of race comes up?I would like to know what Jeese and Al would have said if Imus were a Mexican!!!I don't think there would have been much reaction.........If anybody is a racist it is AL SHARPTON&JEESE JACKSON.I hope Imus goes to a satilite radio show where he can say what he wants to say...........

[weld4tec]

Why does this country give in to the blacks everytime an issue of race comes up?I would like to know what Jeese and Al would have said if Imus were a Mexican!!!I don't think there would have been much reaction.........If anybody is a racist it is AL SHARPTON&JEESE JACKSON.I hope Imus goes to a satilite radio show where he can say what he wants to say...........

[weld4tec]

Why does this country give in to the blacks everytime an issue of race comes up?I would like to know what Jeese and Al would have said if Imus were a Mexican!!!I don't think there would have been much reaction.........If anybody is a racist it is AL SHARPTON&JEESE JACKSON.I hope Imus goes to a satilite radio show where he can say what he wants to say...........

[weld4tec]

Why does this country give in to the blacks everytime an issue of race comes up?I would like to know what Jeese and Al would have said if Imus were a Mexican!!!I don't think there would have been much reaction.........If anybody is a racist it is AL SHARPTON&JEESE JACKSON.I hope Imus goes to a satilite radio show where he can say what he wants to say...........

[weld4tec]

Why does this country give in to the blacks everytime an issue of race comes up?I would like to know what Jeese and Al would have said if Imus were a Mexican!!!I don't think there would have been much reaction.........If anybody is a racist it is AL SHARPTON&JEESE JACKSON.I hope Imus goes to a satilite radio show where he can say what he wants to say...........

[weld4tec]

Why does this country give in to the blacks everytime an issue of race comes up?I would like to know what Jeese and Al would have said if Imus were a Mexican!!!I don't think there would have been much reaction.........If anybody is a racist it is AL SHARPTON&JEESE JACKSON.I hope Imus goes to a satilite radio show where he can say what he wants to say...........

[weld4tec]

Why does this country give in to the blacks everytime an issue of race comes up?I would like to know what Jeese and Al would have said if Imus were a Mexican!!!I don't think there would have been much reaction.........If anybody is a racist it is AL SHARPTON&JEESE JACKSON.I hope Imus goes to a satilite radio show where he can say what he wants to say...........