March 26, 2013…

In an open letter to MSNBC TV executives, including to its owner’s Comcast Corporation we have complained of race-baiting antics of its compensated-pundits. NYCRC Executive Director Michael Meyers addressed his letter, dated and e-mailed yesterday, to Comcast Chairman Brian Roberts, NBC Universal Chairman Patricia Fili-Krushel, and MSNBC President Phil Griffin. In the letter we take sharp exception to the “reckless” accusation from MSNBC contributors Mike Barnicle and Al Sharpton [on yesterday morning’s Morning Joe TV show] that there is a “level” of “anti-Semitism” to the criticism directed at New York’s Mayor Bloomberg over his funding of a gun control legislation advertising campaign. Meyers told the MSNBC/Comcast brass, “Enough is enough”, and urged the MSNBC bosses–whom he referred to in his letter as the “grownups”–to require the pundits to show evidence to back up their “reckless, tasteless, reprehensible, irresponsible, despicable, deplorable, and outrageous” smear that accused critics of Bloomberg’s policies and funding effort of harboring anti-Semitic feelings.

The letter reads, in part:

“Neither Mike Barnicle nor Al Sharpton offered any evidence for their accusation of anti-Semitic feelings toward Mayor Bloombergfrom any quarter—only their own opinions that there are in their view a “level” of anti-Semitic feelings toward Mayor Bloomberg, the Mayor of a big liberal city.  As such, Messieurs Barnicle and Sharpton cheapened the nature of anti-Semitism just as they and otherMSNBC pundits have denuded the power of the allegation of “racism” inasmuch as they have made the accusation of racism a kind of sport in their commentary especially toward critics of President Obama’s policies. Is there no end in sight for such irresponsible compensated-opinion and reckless conjecturing from MSNBC pundits? Will the grownups at MSNBC—and at Comcast—ever step up and say “Enough is enough” to the smearing of critics of President Obama as anti-black and, now, MSNBC pundits depicting critics of New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg as “anti-Semitic”?  

 

“The constant charges of racism and, today, MSNBC pundits invoking the specter of anti-Semitism to bolster their side of the argument on social issues and public policy debates—in ways to discredit and intimidate the opposition to their sheer rhetoric—is so reckless, tasteless, reprehensible, irresponsible, despicable, deplorable, and outrageous that it warrants not only refutation but disapproval from the top management at MSNBC and Comcast.”

The text of Meyers’ letter follows:

 

 

March 25, 2013

Brian L. Roberts, Chairman & CEO
COMCAST CORPORATE OFFICE
1500 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102

Patricia Fili-Krushel, Chairman
NBC Universal News group
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York 10112

Phil Griffin, President
MSNBC
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York 10112

Dear Messieurs Roberts and Griffin, and Ms. Fili-Krushel:

This morning’s discussion on Morning Joe regarding Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership and funding of a gun control advertising campaign took, even for MSNBC pundits, a new low—when MSNBC-compensated contributors Mike Barnicle and Al Sharpton hurled at critics of Mayor Bloomberg the scurrilous and baseless slur of anti-Semitism.

Neither Mike Barnicle nor Al Sharpton offered any evidence for their accusation of anti-Semitic feelings toward Mayor Bloomberg from any quarter—only their own opinions that there are in their view a “level” of anti-Semitic feelings toward Mayor Bloomberg, the Mayor of a big liberal city.  As such, Messieurs Barnicle and Sharpton cheapened the nature of anti-Semitism just as they and other MSNBC pundits have denuded the power of the allegation of “racism” inasmuch as they have made the accusation of racism a kind of sport in their commentary especially toward critics of President Obama’s policies. Is there no end in sight for such irresponsible compensated-opinion and reckless conjecturing from MSNBC pundits? Will the grownups at MSNBC—and at Comcast—ever step up and say “Enough is enough” to the smearing of critics of President Obama as anti-black and, now, MSNBC pundits depicting critics of New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg as “anti-Semitic”?

The constant charges of racism and, today, MSNBC pundits invoking the specter of anti-Semitism to bolster their side of the argument on social issues and public policy debates—in ways to discredit and intimidate the opposition to their sheer rhetoric—is so reckless, tasteless, reprehensible, irresponsible, despicable, deplorable, and outrageous that it warrants not only refutation but disapproval from the top management at MSNBC andComcast. We call upon you to demand of your two pundits evidence for this latest scurrilous accusation of anti-Semitism which they directed at people who disagree with Mayor Bloomberg on the matter of gun control legislation—or else remind the pundits that reckless, baseless conjecture from them about people’s motives, when such base motives are neither self-evident nor supported by even a scintilla of evidence—are not to be countenanced by NBC/MSNBC management and Comcast.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this urgent matter.

With best wishes,

Sincerely yours,

Michael Meyers
Executive Director