"Nuts" Case: How Media Handled Jackson's "Crude" Word

When a major political figure or celebrity utters a newsmaking, off-color, remark it is always interesting to observe how different news outlets handle the offending word or words.

We monitored this recently when former President Bill Clinton called Vanity Fair writer Todd Purdum a bunch of names after the reporter had raked him over the coals in a major piece. Everyone in the media quoted the "sleazy" part of the Clinton quote but most skipped the "scumbag" reference.

So how did the media on Wednesday handle the now-infamous Rev. Jesse Jackson off-mike reference to Barack Obama while awaiting an appearance on Fox and Friends a few days ago?

The New York Times was coy: "Mr. Jackson made disparaging remarks, apparently including a crude reference to male genitalia, about how Mr. Obama was talking to black people." A later Times article cited a "vulgar reference."

But CNN.com let it all hang out, so to speak, quoting Jackson: "See, Barack's been talking down to black people ... I want to cut his nuts off."

Reuters quotes the Reverend, evermore: "I want to cut his nuts out."

The New York Post topped that, of course, putting it right in the headline: JESSE JACKSON SAYS HE WANTS TO CUT OBAMA'S 'NUTS OUT.'

Huh? "Off" or "out"? USA Today's "On Politics" blog tried to address that. It quoted Jackson saying, "I want to cut his nuts off," but added, "a Fox News transcript has that last word as "out."

Bollocks! It's the sex pistol!

The Los Angeles Times' "Top of the Ticket" blog went with: "crude language."

The AP first quoted Jackson mentioning the "regretfully crude" choice of words. Later in the day it got a little more specific, citing "a slang reference to his wanting to cut off Obama's testicles."

The Washington Post's "The Trail" blog really played it cool: "Whatever the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. said in a live microphone on Fox News, it was really, really bad...."

But the Chicago Tribune eventually offered a more full report than nearly anyone: "'I want to cut his nuts out,' Jackson added, gesturing as if grabbing part of the male anatomy and then pulling."

UPDATE: I will be be on Olbermann tonight talking about this, along with O'Reilly/Fox role....check out the MSNBC site if you miss.
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Greg Mitchell's new book is So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq. Mitchell is editor of Editor & Publisher.

Comments

[TroubleNYC]

We're such prudes. Really, we are. I mean, "nuts" is too taboo?

[TheDailyBanter]

I was just watching the BBC Ten O'Clock News on BBC 1 (I live in Amsterdam) and the very distinguished British anchor George Alagiah had absolutely o trouble reading the full quote out, though he did appear to get a kick out of it. But there was no stuttering or stumbling, just a straight presentation of the facts. Unfortunately that is something the BBC excels in that the American media has been unable to do for sometime. Though I have to say that even CNN/International had no trouble with it.
Its sad that we've become so prudish that an anchor cannot just report the story...

[eden4barack08]

Greg, I laughed so hard reading your article, that I'm actually in tears.

Thanks.

[eden4barack08]

Ok, I've regained my composure, and just wanna make clear I wasn't laughing at Jackson's regrettable words on Obama, but rather, the treatment by the press of the subject and the sympathetic narration by Greg Mitchell.

Peace.

[eden4barack08]

Greg, I laughed so hard reading your article, I'm actually in tears.

Thanks.

[cindyw]

The words Jackson used don't bother me as much as the idea behind them, which seemed to indicate that he really wanted to undermine Obama. That's very disturbing and disappointing. Maybe Reverend Jackson is feeling less relevant these days. Maybe it's the same affliction that caused President Clinton to say some things that were less than helpful. It's too bad.

[zippywpinhead]

Day Two- Nutgate

The MSM continues to blather on nonstop about Jackson's idiotic comment. Meanwhile, apparently nothing else of import has happened anywhere on the planet, given the absolute lack of coverage...

[momster]

You can't unsay a cruel word!

[TexasDem0]

Interesting choice of words for an ordained minister and man of God.

[mediamarv]

Letterman uses nuts at least once aweek... always in a joke involving squirrels in Central Park... No one seems to mind that.

Americans can be so foolish, if you believe the MSM... which I don't.

[littlepuffycloud]

Oh crap; now we have to endlessly analyze whether it was 'off' or 'out' and what's Jackson's real agenda.......blahblahblah. He said a stupid thing. Good thing nobody else has ever said something they later regret. Just another distraction to take our eyes off the economy, people losing homes, more Americans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[unclesmedley]

Jesse, Al, Tavis and the rest of the tired, old, 40-acres & a mule crowd have been in a snit ever since that boy from Illinois started messing with their gig without first asking their blessing. Nothing undermines the culture of grievance and entitlement more than a call to personal responsibility and accountability.

I always knew that the bad guys would blink first. Watch for Sharpton to be the next to self-inflict.

[rmajh5]

There is more than enough blame to go round on this latest debacle starring, among others, Jesse Jackson. Jackson of course is front and center for his foolish behavior. One doesn't expect such conduct from one of his stature which, come to think of it, should teach us something. And then there are the media darlings. In the past, Jackson's inappropriate behavior would have never seen the light of day, and we would have been none the less for it. But today, rather than focus on specific issues important to our nation and to the world, too many of our so-called media people focus on anything but because it appeals to the worst of our nature and builds business.