A funny thing happened over at MSNBC today as they “reported” on the “Whoregate” controversy in the Jerry Brown gubernatorial campaign.
Dylan Ratigan relayed the cursory details of the voice mail that inadvertently recorded a conversation between Democratic candidate Jerry Brown and his aides. But, when playing the audio back for their viewers, they *bleeped* out the word “whore.” On the accompanying graphic, they merely show “”w—-” with the title “Name Calling?” (why the question mark?).
Suddenly, NBC treats the word “whore” as so offensive that they can’t repeat it on their cable news network? Is this the same network that let’s Keith Olbermann’s misogyny sneak through when he called Michelle Malkin a “mashed up bag of meat with lipstick”?
Ratigan then continues his “report” by repeating the Brown campaign’s talking point that what was recorded was merely “salty language.”
The clear intent here by MSNBC is to try to lessen the impact of the Liberal-Democrat Brown and his aides referring to a female as a “whore.” By bleeping out the word “whore” and merely writing the slur off as “salty language” they are attempting to make the story appear as merely an embarrassment for Brown rather than an example of his crude views toward both women and his political opponents.
MSNBC knows that Brown won’t lose votes for using “salty language” but a story about he and his team showing blatant and offensive disrespect toward Whitman as a woman instead of merely a Republican could significantly erode his support with moderate female voters (a group he whose support he desperately needs if he hopes to win).
Why NBC has suddenly decided that the word “whore” is not worthy for broadcast is curious. ABC allowed the word on Good Morning America, and both CNN and Fox News also used the word “whore” without bleeping it out as they covered this story all day today. And earlier in the morning, the word was used during a discussion on MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Has there been a directive from execs at MSNBC to bleep out the word as the news cycle moves into prime time this evening?
We’ll keep an ear out and let you know.