Media Bias

MSNBC Denies Hannity “Rush to Judgement” Charge in the Face of Sharpton’s Trayvon Activism

No Comments

Last night Sean Hannity interviewed George Zimmerman, the White Hispanic  shooter who killed Trayvon Martin, and made what seems like a fairly reasonable and innocuous charge against MSNBC and Al Sharpton:

HANNITY: You know, look at what happened in this case because it became so public. Spike Lee is tweeting out what he thinks is your home address, the Reverend Al Sharpton and NBC News tries to use this case to bring up the issue of racial profiling. What do you say to Spike Lee? — didn’t know the facts of the case, they hadn’t been revealed — what do you say to Al Sharpton and those who rushed to judgment? What do you think their motives were?

ZIMMERMAN: I can’t guess what their motives are. I would just ask for an apology. I mean, if I did something that was wrong, I would apologize.

And yet, MSNBC released a statement actually defending Irreverent Al Sharpton against the accusation:
“MSNBC would like to set the record straight following some misinformation presented by Fox News during the interview with George Zimmerman last night… Reverend Al Sharpton never ‘rushed to judgment,’ as stated by Mr. Hannity. Reverend Sharpton repeatedly called for calm and for a more thorough investigation in the wake of the tragic events. Ultimately, the authorities agreed an arrest was warranted.”
Now there were two charges – that Blueberry Pie Al used the case to bring up racial profiling, and that he rushed to judgement. Notice that MSNBC doesn’t even attempt to defend him against the first charge, because it’s so blatantly obvious. They repeatedly made this a racial issue, going so far as to call Zimmerman the ridiculous description of “White Hispanic” in order to pitch whites against blacks.
But they have to defend him on something, so they make a strawman argument against Hannity.
To “rush to judgement” has nothing to do with calling for “calm” – which, to his credit, Al Sharpton actually did. He spoke out against any violence on either side of the Trayvon controversy.
But it’s completely ridiculous for MSNBC to try to defend him by saying he called for “a more thorough investigation”. He was literally screeching for Zimmerman to be “locked up” immediately:
“We are tired of going to jail for nothing and others going home for something. Zimmerman should have been arrested that night … you cannot defend yourself against a pack of Skittles and iced tea. Don’t talk to us like we’re stupid! Don’t talk to us like we’re ignorant! We love our children like you love yours. Lock him up!”
Who is the “We” and the “others” he refers to? This is obviously attempting to put blacks against whites. He doesn’t call for a “thorough investigation”, he demands that Zimmerman be locked up immediately, and it seems to be purely for racial reasons. This is exactly the charge Hannity made.
“Zimmerman should be arrested,” he said. “There’s more than enough probable cause to arrest him. The whole claim of self-defense is bogus. How do you claim self-defense against someone you are pursuing?”
He is not calling for investigation, he is calling for a specific conclusion to be drawn from the ongoing investigation, and further, assuming the conclusion of any trial.
He even went so far as to call for economic boycotts on Sanford, FL where the case occurred until Zimmerman be arrested.
Of course Al Sharpton is shamelessly jumping to conclusions. After making a career of race-baiting that has led directly to stabbings, riots, and deaths, the mere charge of  being quick to judge is nothing to a pathetic excuse for a human being like Sharpton.