Sharpton has conditions for Imus
Not so fast, I-man. The New York Daily News gave the Rev. Al Sharpton some ink and newsprint to set forth the steps he believes New York radio personality Don Imus “should take to prove that he has learned from the experience (of getting fired) — and not simply waited for the furor to die down.” Imus settled with ex-employer CBS and is expected to return to the New York airwaves on a different station soon.
Among Sharpton’s conditions: Paying Rutgers player Kia Vaughn (and any other player who decides to sue Imus) a settlement for her defamation suit, a statement that Imus understands not to take “cheap shots at women and blacks or any other group” and a pledge to “refrain from attacks on innocent people who cannot defend themselves.”
Wait — there’s more: Set aside an on-air slot every week for an ombudsman from the National Association of Black Journalists, and “encourage all corporations, including the record industry, to stop subsidizing and promoting people who engage in racist and misogynist language, even in the name of entertainment.”
“It was not and is not our desire to interrupt the life of Don Imus,” Sharpton concludes. “We just want to ensure that he does not interfere with ours.”
– By John Smyntek
