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| Members of 'black media' say it's not their job to protect Bill Cosby | Members of 'black media' say it's not their job to protect Bill Cosby |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Bill Cosby has implored the “black media” to remain “neutral” as he faces mounting allegations of sexual misconduct that have threatened his career. But some members of the “black media”, if such a monolithic entity can even be said to exist, say it’s not their job to protect the fallen star, despite what he has meant to the African American community. | Bill Cosby has implored the “black media” to remain “neutral” as he faces mounting allegations of sexual misconduct that have threatened his career. But some members of the “black media”, if such a monolithic entity can even be said to exist, say it’s not their job to protect the fallen star, despite what he has meant to the African American community. |
| Nearly two dozen women have accused the embattled 77-year-old star of drugging and then raping or sexually assaulting them. The alleged incidents, which Cosby has consistently denied, stretch back more than four decades. | |
| After weeks of silence, Cosby gave a brief interview to the New York Post in which he criticized the media’s coverage of the stories about him and appealed to black media “to uphold the standards of excellence in journalism and when you do that you have to go in with a neutral mind”. (Cosby has since, through his lawyer, claimed the Post reporter with whom he spoke misrepresented himself as a freelance reporter for black news outlets.) | After weeks of silence, Cosby gave a brief interview to the New York Post in which he criticized the media’s coverage of the stories about him and appealed to black media “to uphold the standards of excellence in journalism and when you do that you have to go in with a neutral mind”. (Cosby has since, through his lawyer, claimed the Post reporter with whom he spoke misrepresented himself as a freelance reporter for black news outlets.) |
| “There’s something deeply painful about it all,” said David Wilson, co-founder and executive editor of the Grio. | “There’s something deeply painful about it all,” said David Wilson, co-founder and executive editor of the Grio. |
| “What people don’t understand, and particularly white Americans don’t understand, is that Bill Cosby changed the way black people saw themselves,” Wilson continued. “And if this guy is somehow a phony, if this guy is somehow a crooked person, then what does that say? How do we go back and be proud of what this guy’s done – the thing that he’s done that made us feel so great about ourselves? That’s why it’s such a big story for black America.” | “What people don’t understand, and particularly white Americans don’t understand, is that Bill Cosby changed the way black people saw themselves,” Wilson continued. “And if this guy is somehow a phony, if this guy is somehow a crooked person, then what does that say? How do we go back and be proud of what this guy’s done – the thing that he’s done that made us feel so great about ourselves? That’s why it’s such a big story for black America.” |
| Akiba Solomon, the editorial director of Colorlines.com, called Cosby’s comments “insulting” to black journalists. “Media is media,” she said, adding that it’s unfair for the comedian to place the burden on black news outlets specifically. | Akiba Solomon, the editorial director of Colorlines.com, called Cosby’s comments “insulting” to black journalists. “Media is media,” she said, adding that it’s unfair for the comedian to place the burden on black news outlets specifically. |
| “It makes it seem that black media should take special care of him, and that by taking special care of him that we’re protecting a prominent black man who’s done nothing wrong,” Solomon said. “That’s problematic.” | “It makes it seem that black media should take special care of him, and that by taking special care of him that we’re protecting a prominent black man who’s done nothing wrong,” Solomon said. “That’s problematic.” |
| She said she interpreted Cosby’s comments as a strategic attempt to play up the idea that the allegations against him were part of a “racially motivated” conspiracy theory propelled by the mostly white media. She said this is a powerful tactic, because, as she pointed out, there are always people willing to bring down prominent black figures: “The FBI tracked Martin Luther King,” she noted as an example. | She said she interpreted Cosby’s comments as a strategic attempt to play up the idea that the allegations against him were part of a “racially motivated” conspiracy theory propelled by the mostly white media. She said this is a powerful tactic, because, as she pointed out, there are always people willing to bring down prominent black figures: “The FBI tracked Martin Luther King,” she noted as an example. |
| “It seems he was trying to say that black media has a greater responsibility to be ‘neutral’ because of this alleged conspiracy,” she said. | “It seems he was trying to say that black media has a greater responsibility to be ‘neutral’ because of this alleged conspiracy,” she said. |
| In an interview with TheWrap, the president of the National Association of Black Journalists, Bob Butler, said Cosby shouldn’t have singled out black media. | In an interview with TheWrap, the president of the National Association of Black Journalists, Bob Butler, said Cosby shouldn’t have singled out black media. |
| “I don’t see this as a racial issue. This is an issue of journalists who are reporting on allegations and asking for comments,” Butler told the website. “That’s what we’re trained to do. We look at both sides of the story. One side of the story are people making allegations, and it’s our responsibility to try and find out what his response is.” | “I don’t see this as a racial issue. This is an issue of journalists who are reporting on allegations and asking for comments,” Butler told the website. “That’s what we’re trained to do. We look at both sides of the story. One side of the story are people making allegations, and it’s our responsibility to try and find out what his response is.” |
| Twitter users responded with similar criticism of the star’s request. | Twitter users responded with similar criticism of the star’s request. |
| Oh and the NERVE of Bill Cosby with his "black media" will stay neutral. | Oh and the NERVE of Bill Cosby with his "black media" will stay neutral. |
| Bill Cosby tells "black media" to "stay neutral." Jingoism is the last refuge of the scoundrel. http://t.co/SsNnh3zThw | Bill Cosby tells "black media" to "stay neutral." Jingoism is the last refuge of the scoundrel. http://t.co/SsNnh3zThw |
| Nah, Bill. Don't come asking for help from the Black media. 10 years ago, I was sagging my pants. You're to good for my help. | Nah, Bill. Don't come asking for help from the Black media. 10 years ago, I was sagging my pants. You're to good for my help. |
| Wilson’s website, the Grio, whose audience is predominantly black, conducted a poll asking readers if they thought black media should be held to a different standard when covering the rape accusations against Cosby. Of the nearly 9,500 readers who responded, just under 60% said no, black media should “tell it like it is”; but 28% said yes, “[t]here is a history of mainstream media assassinating the character of good black men and black media’s role is to always counter that.” | Wilson’s website, the Grio, whose audience is predominantly black, conducted a poll asking readers if they thought black media should be held to a different standard when covering the rape accusations against Cosby. Of the nearly 9,500 readers who responded, just under 60% said no, black media should “tell it like it is”; but 28% said yes, “[t]here is a history of mainstream media assassinating the character of good black men and black media’s role is to always counter that.” |
| Wilson said readers have lashed out at the Grio for reporting on the scandal, but he said he doesn’t take offense. He understands their anger, he said, even if some readers don’t understand it’s his journalistic responsibility to follow the story – wherever it leads. | Wilson said readers have lashed out at the Grio for reporting on the scandal, but he said he doesn’t take offense. He understands their anger, he said, even if some readers don’t understand it’s his journalistic responsibility to follow the story – wherever it leads. |
| Cosby hasn’t publicly addressed the most recent claims against him. In a statement last month, Martin Singer, a lawyer representing Cosby, said the accusations against Cosby are “ridiculous” and “unsubstantiated, fantastical stories”. His wife, Camille, defended her husband in a statement on Monday that blamed the media for not thoroughly vetting his accusers. | Cosby hasn’t publicly addressed the most recent claims against him. In a statement last month, Martin Singer, a lawyer representing Cosby, said the accusations against Cosby are “ridiculous” and “unsubstantiated, fantastical stories”. His wife, Camille, defended her husband in a statement on Monday that blamed the media for not thoroughly vetting his accusers. |
| Wilson said if – and, he thinks, when – the star decides to respond, he wouldn’t be surprised if chooses to do so in a black media outlet. | Wilson said if – and, he thinks, when – the star decides to respond, he wouldn’t be surprised if chooses to do so in a black media outlet. |
| “He’s trying to appeal to the people who loved him most, and that’s the black community,” Wilson said. “America loved Bill Cosby, black people idolized him.” | “He’s trying to appeal to the people who loved him most, and that’s the black community,” Wilson said. “America loved Bill Cosby, black people idolized him.” |
| “He said ‘This is what black excellence looks like.’ And to have that ... ” Wilson trailed off. | “He said ‘This is what black excellence looks like.’ And to have that ... ” Wilson trailed off. |
| “Now we just have Oprah and Obama left.” | “Now we just have Oprah and Obama left.” |
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