Thursday, April 28, 2005

It's Not The Vetting

Drudge reports that the Secret Service is reviewing a portion of the Randi Rhodes show that was aired Monday night. Here's a summary of the airing, per Drudge:
The announcer: "A spoiled child is telling us our Social Security isn't safe anymore, so he is going to fix it for us. Well, here's your answer, you ungrateful whelp: [audio sound of 4 gunshots being fired.] Just try it, you little bastard. [audio of gun being cocked]."

The audio production at the center of the controversy aired during opening minutes of The Randi Rhodes Show.

"What is with all the killing?" Rhodes said, laughing, after the clip aired.
According to Jon Sinton, President of Programming, Air America "regret[s] that a produced comedy bit that was in bad taste slipped through our normal vetting process. We do acknowledge that it was an internal error and internal discipline will be enforced."

It's not their "normal vetting process" that's the problem. Everyone, individuals and corporations, has an internal vetting process. It 's the standards that matter, and Mr. Sinton describing as the airing of the skit as an *internal* error such that some *internal* discipline will be enforced, accurately describes a situation of trying to control a bunch of *external* mad dogs when they're *internally* at work, not one of organinzing a disparate group of sane people for a particular endeavor.

It sad, but not surprising, to see that the standards at Air America requires a normal vetting process of which keeping a watchful eye for *comedy bits* that might actually be illegal under even normal circumstances is a necessary part. But it is also not surprising the standards are that low; if they raised them a smidgeon, Randi Rhodes wouldn't be an employee there.


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