CNN morning anchor Carol Costello will apparently face no disciplinary action after telling viewers to “enjoy” audio of Sarah Palin’s oldest daughter, Bristol, reporting a harrowing assault to authorities. After issuing a short statement through CNN in which she apologized, Costello was back in her anchor position Friday. She didn’t even bother to repeat the apology on the air.
CNN’s business-as-usual response to Costello’s sadistic on-air mockery of a woman reporting an assault is in sharp contrast to the network’s much harsher treatment of its black staffers for doing much less.
In February of 2012, after Roland Martin tweeted perfectly innocent jokes that could only offend GLAAD, the black on-air contributor was suspended by CNN. Martin didn’t even make his jokes on the air. A year later, CNN chose not to renew Martin’s contract.
During the 2012 presidential campaign, Van Jones, also a black on-air contributor, called Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney a “douche.” Later that same day, Jones sheepishly walked out under the studio lights to do something the Costello has not done: publicly apologize for his comments.
Just a few months ago, Costello herself went on the CNN air to criticize and call for the suspension of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, for comments the black anchor made, ironically, about a domestic assault.
Costello declared Smith’s on-air apology (something she hasn’t done) insufficient. You can watch the CNN video here.
Costello’s use of CNN airtime to sadistically laugh at audio of a rattled single mother reporting a physical and verbal assault is objectively worse than anything her black colleagues have done. And yet, the white Costello has skipped away with nothing more than a two-sentence apology, while CNN’s black staffers have faced much worse.
CNN is already under fire for its treatment of black staffers by the National Association of Black Journalists. Moreover, a 17 year employee fired last year for alleged plagiarism has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the left-wing cable news network claiming, among other things, CNN discriminates based on race.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
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