Saturday, September 19, 2009

Racial Insensitivity At Nightly News

During Tuesday's Nightly News story about race in politics, Rep. Steny Hoyer was identified by an on-screen caption as "(D) House Majority Leader". Moments later, Rep. James Clyburn was identified only as "(D) South Carolina" despite the fact that Rep. Clyburn is the House Majority Whip, the third most powerful position in the House. Why was Hoyer, a white congressman, identified by his prestigious House leadership position, while Clyburn, an African-American congressman, was not? This would be a disrespectful omission under any circumstances, but to have it occur during a story about race in politics is truly appalling. I believe that Rep. Clyburn deserves an apology from Brian Williams, Kelly O'Donnell (who reported the story) and the producer who was in charge of the segment.

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