Michael Graham
Mr. Beamish has notified me that Michael Graham is scheduled to be in the no-spin zone tonight which airs on the Fox News Channel, 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., EDT. Will CAIR also be represented?
More information, dated August 23, 2005, about Michael Graham here.
Excerpt:
"The First Amendment and I have been evicted from ABC Radio in Washington, DC.Read more at the above "here" link.
"On July 25th, the Council on American-Islamic Relations demanded that I be 'punished' for my on-air statements regarding Islam and its tragic connections to terrorism. Three days later, 630 WMAL and ABC Radio suspended me without pay for comments deemed 'hate radio' by CAIR.
"CAIR immediately announced that my punishment was insufficient and demanded I be fired. ABC Radio and 630 WMAL have now complied. I have been fired for making the specific comments CAIR deemed 'offensive,' and for refusing to retract those statements in a management-mandated, on-air apology. ABC Radio further demanded that I agree to perform what they described as 'additional outreach efforts' to those people or groups who felt offended.
"I refused. And for that refusal, I have been fired...."
posted by Always On Watch @ 8/23/2005 07:33:00 AM
9 comments
9 Comments:
AOW,
He was on FOX News yesterday with John Gibson. It is starting to get some national attention. If I were a listener to that station I would talk to advertisers and boycott any that won't pull their ads.
he's on neil boortz now
I agree with the sentiments expressed (above). The problem with individual boycotting is that it has almost no effect whatever. Now if it involved an organization with a large membership, it would work. And this is the advantage that CAIR has over Mr. Graham and the likes of us. In my view, CAIR is following the lead of Jackson's Ranbow/PUSH coalition, which in many respects is little more than blackmail.
As far as Mr. Graham is concerned, he's been in trouble before, and I think that anyone who exercises his or her right to freedom of expression must understand that in some cases, there are consequences to exercising that right. For example, you have the right to tell you boss what you think of him, but the consequence of that is getting fired. One also has the absolute right to make defamatory comments, but the consequences could involve a lawsuit.
I think the issue with Graham is more basic: ABC/WMAL caved in to CAIR's threats when in fact what he said wasn't actionable in a court of law. Thus, ABC/WMAL displayed cowardice in their unwillingness to confront what could be an organization that is dangerous to the safety and welfare of the American people. For that reason alone, ABC has lost my respect and I for one refuse to watch or listen to any of their networks.
Semper Fidelis
neal bortz talked about it today as well. I only emailed him about 40 times with this.
Good that the Media is finally getting around to t
I'm glad to hear the media is picking up Graham's story. I know we've been posting on our own blogs and others.
I still think a boycott in the DC area could so something. It could be a start to a political action group ...
According to today's Washington Post (I left my copy at the swimming pool, and I don't have time right now to access the Post's web site. The article is in the Style Section), CAIR claims not have to have gotten Graham fired. I wonder what CAIR's web site says? Previously, CAIR's web site was calling for him to be fired--I think.
Here's the Washington Post excerpt I was looking for @
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
wp-dyn/content/article/
2005/08/22/AR2005082201255_pf.html :
"[Graham's] comments drew complaints and prompted an organized letter-writing campaign against WMAL and its advertisers by a Muslim group, the Council on American-Islam Relations (CAIR) of Washington. The protests led several advertisers to ask WMAL to stop airing their ads during Graham's weekday show, although the station says it didn't lose any advertisers amid the controversy.
"In a statement yesterday, Graham blamed CAIR for his firing and defended his comments: 'As a fan of talk radio, I find it absolutely outrageous that pressure from a special interest group like CAIR can result in the abandonment of free speech and open discourse on a talk radio show.'
"Graham, in an interview last night, said he and the station had reached an agreement on terms of his return last week, but the station called back to withdraw. 'It was a done deal,' he said. 'They revoked it because, after further consideration, it didn't contain an apology. And I will not apologize for something that is true.'
"Chris Berry, WMAL's president and general manager, disputed Graham's characterization, saying in an interview that no one involved in this decision ever had any contact with anyone from CAIR.' Instead, he said, Graham was terminated because he violated station policy and disregarded 'management direction' to redress it.
"Officials at WMAL, which is owned by the Walt Disney Co., had initially declined to take disciplinary action against Graham, defending his comments as part of the overheated rhetoric of talk radio. But that stance began to change as complaints about Graham's remarks mounted.
"Graham, 43, is one of several conservative talk hosts featured on the station. WMAL (630 AM) also carries Rush Limbaugh's and Sean Hannity's nationally syndicated radio shows. Graham's WMAL show is not syndicated.
"The station had hoped to work out an agreement that would return Graham to the air, Berry said, but it was evident by early yesterday that Graham would not agree to the station's terms. He added in a statement: 'Some of Michael's statements about Islam went over the line -- and this isn't the first time that he has been reprimanded for insensitive language and comments. In this case, as previously, Michael's on-air statements do not reflect the attitudes or opinions of station management. I asked Michael for an on-air acknowledgment that some of his remarks were overly broad, and inexplicably he refused.' In 1999, Graham was fired from a Charlotte station for saying that the killing of athletes was a 'minor benefit' of the Columbine shootings. He apologized the next day.
"CAIR applauded WMAL's decision. The organization had asked the station for a retraction or an apology, but 'we didn't get specific on what [Graham] should say,' said Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman. 'We were looking for an acknowledgment that his statements were anti-Muslim and hateful, and harmful to our community and our country's image.'"
"'We were looking for an acknowledgment that his statements were anti-Muslim and hateful, and harmful to our community and our country's image.'"
said a CAIR spokesWOMAN...pay special attention that that "woman" part....they are trying hard ("they" being the muslims groups in America) to put forward a better face.....so the truth is "anti-muslim"?
The truth is "hateful"???
This only PROVES that CAIR hates the TRUTH...
as for being "harmful" to their "community", that is only true if America wakes up and realizes that islam is NOT a religion of peace as it is being practiced in the majority of the world....then the "harm" to their "community" comes when we throw them out!!!
Yes, WMAL has the right to fire Graham. There are consequences to what is said on the air. But, as Mustang points out, the big question here is how much power does CAIR wield?
Every day, "offensive" things are said on the radio. Not often is the talk-show host held so accountable.
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