Radio in black and white - bigotry in radio broadcasting

NEW YORK CITY

'FOR the rawest, highest-rated bigotry in town--attacks on blacks, gays, even the elderly--tune in Bob Grant's afternoon drive-time show on WABC." Thus did New York magazine introduce its October 17 cover story by Philip Gourevitch. The piece described Grant's work on the air as "racist, alienated, bullying, embittered, hyperbolic--the white equivalent of gangster rap." Gourevitch accused Grant of bigotry (he called Haitian boat people "sub-human scum") and vulgarity (he called Bill Clinton a "sleazebag").

In a pretense of balance, the same issue of New York contained a piece on Conrad Muhammad, Louis Farrakhan's New York representative. Fatuously titled "My Anti-Semite," this "nuanced" piece pronounced Muhammad a "moderate" and the Nation of Islam "irrelevant to the future of Jewish America."

The contrast between New York's treatment of Grant and of Muhammad reflects a general tendency on the Left to condemn white bigotry while minimizing or ignoring the black equivalent. The wider controversy that New York's Grant article sparked is a striking example of this double standard.

The magazine interviewed Grant in June but did not publish the article until three weeks before the elections. A few days after the article appeared, a group of black New Jersey clergymen demanded of Governor Christine Whitman, for whom Grant had campaigned last year, that she denounce him, which she did, saying she would no longer appear on his show. Then Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg challenged his opponent, conservative Chuck Haytaian--for whom Grant had been campaigning--to do likewise. Meanwhile, Jesse Jackson campaigned with Lautenberg in New Jersey, joined the black clergymen in condemning Grant, and called on Al Sharpton to organize a sponsors' boycott of Grant's show. Lautenberg, who is on the Senate's transportation subcommittee, pressured Amtrak to cancel its advertising on the show.

Grant has been called a racist for years, and not without justification. In a telephone interview, I read him a quote from his show: "We have in our nation ... millions of sub-humanodis, savages, who really would ... feel more at home careening along the sands of the Kalahari ... people who ... have not become civilized." He tried to explain the remark. "I use 'savages' to apply to a person's conduct, not their appearance," he said.

"But the reference to the Kalahari puts the 'sub-humanoids' in Africa," I noted.

"Well, it speaks for itself," he replied. "I said that." He called his language "unfortunate" and "unwise," adding that there is no bigotry in his heart.

So Grant's critics have a point. But they are curiously quiet about bigotry when it doesn't come from white conservatives. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), which joined the attack on Grant to advance its crusade against the "white, right-wing line-up" on talk radio, issued a press release citing dozens of Grant quotations it said "reveal a pattern of racial bigotry." FAIR called on "politicians and journalists to demonstrate a consistent standard on bigotry."

If only FAIR took its own words to heart. You don't see the organization monitoring bigotry on the notoriously hateful black radio stations WWRL and WLIB--both, like WABC, located in FAIR's home base of New York City. Hosts, callers, and guests on WLIB and WWRL (who have included Conrad Muhammad, Leonard Jeffries, and Steve Cokely) promote anti-white racism and anti-Jewish conspiracy theories. Yet FAIR senior analyst Steven Rendall appeared on WWRL to rail against Grant, Rush Limbaugh, and WABC. "We chose to look at ABC because it's the major flagship corporation," Rendall said. He also noted that Grant aids prominent Republicans: "Grant is a guy that D'Amato, Giuliani, and Christine Whitman called up to thank for his role in their successful election."

FAIR claims Grant incites violence, but it remains silent when WLIB talkshow host Clayton Riley puts white journalists on his hit list: "Man, there are some things I would like to say to John Taylor, but the FCC prevents us. ... We talk about what Colin Powell said: 'You find the enemy, you isolate it, you kill it.' ... OK, John Taylor, you're number two on the list. Jim Sleeper tops the list." Jim Naureckas, editor of the FAIR publication Extra!, told me FAIR has not called attention to such inflammatory statements because WLIB is a local station, and FAIR's focus is national. Rendall said FAIR has confronted anti-Semitism on the Pacifica radio network.

Other critics of Grant have an even more serious credibility problem. Jesse Jackson, who called Grant's comments "foul" and "divisive," has been known to use the terms "Jewboy," "Hymietown," and "kike." Jackson boasts of a "sacred covenant" with Farrakhan, and he is a WLIB shareholder and a frequent guest on the station. Sharpton, too, is an odd crusader against bigotry. As a candidate for the U.S. Senate, he accepted Farrakhan's endorsement and defended Khalid Muhammad, the Nation of Islam official whose racist and anti-Semitic remarks at Kean College caused a public outcry last year. "I agree with much of what [Muhammad] said," Sharpton declared. "He is a very articulate and courageous brother." Blasting black politicians who had denounced Muhammad, Sharpton vowed, "We're going to retire some of you Toms this year."