Mon. July 7, 2003
New York City -
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation today applauded MSNBC's decision to cancel "Savage Nation" after GLAAD brought to their attention Michael Savage's vicious, homophobic attack on a gay caller during his July 5 MSNBC cable show.
"Frankly, it's about time," said GLAAD News Media Director Cathy Renna. "Michael Savage's latest rant made the clearest possible case for why this kind of behavior has no place on any reputable news network. MSNBC has now found itself broadcasting exactly the kind of verbal assaults GLAAD's been warning them about for the past five months. And to their credit, MSNBC and NBC News have backed up their promises to hold Savage accountable for his behavior."
After cutting off a self-identified gay caller whose comments were edited out of the broadcast, Savage referred him as a "sodomist," a "sodomite" and said, among other things, "You should only get AIDS and die, you pig." GLAAD brought Savage's remarks to the attention of MSNBC executives this morning and called on them to hold Savage accountable for his attacks. A full transcript and video of the segment can be found at www.glaad.org.
"Savage's reprehensible attack violated even the minimal journalistic standards that had been applied to his show," Renna said. "By offering him a show in the first place despite his history of racist, sexist and homophobic rhetoric, MSNBC ultimately had to choose between keeping Savage and maintaining its integrity as a news organization."
On Feb. 12, MSNBC announced it had offered Savage his own weekly cable television talk show. That same month, GLAAD launched a public education campaign to call attention to Savage's frequent hateful attacks on diverse Americans, leading a broad-based coalition that called on MSNBC, NBC News and corporations to reconsider their decisions to associate their brands with Savage's attacks.
In a March 7 "St. Petersburg Times" article, columnist Eric Deggans asked MSNBC President and General Manager Erik Sorenson what might happen if Savage engaged in his trademark verbal assaults on gays and other minorities, including use of terms such as "Turd World" or "homosexual perversion." Sorensen said: "Those statements as quoted by GLAAD and FAIR are not appropriate for MSNBC. Those kinds of statements will not be permitted. And if they do happen, they won't happen more than once."
Prompted by a GLAAD-led advertiser education campaign, virtually every major national advertiser has withdrawn their support from MSNBC's "Savage Nation," with only remnant advertising from small companies (many of whom are unaware their ads appear during the show) and NBC promos and public service announcements filling advertising time on the show.
"In an often hostile and overly sensationalized cable news environment, we hope MSNBC and NBC News' decision conveys a strong message that media outlets must exercise accountability for the way they and their personalities represent the diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community," Renna said. "These kinds of attacks on our lives will not go unchallenged."
For more information about GLAAD's work regarding the launch of Savage's television program, visit MSNBC & the Anti-Gay Savage at GLAAD.org.
©Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. reprinted with permission - Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
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