ESPN disavows host Jemele Hill’s tweets calling Trump a ‘white supremacist’

[Tennis]

https://www.thestar.com/sports/2017/...premacist.html

ESPN on Tuesday issued a statement disavowing host Jemele Hill’s tweets calling U.S. President Donald Trump “a white supremacist,” “a bigot” and “unqualified and unfit to be president.”

“The comments on Twitter from Jemele Hill regarding the president do not represent the position of ESPN,” the Disney-owned sports media giant said via its media relations department’s Twitter account. “We have addressed this with Jemele and she recognizes her actions were inappropriate.”

Beyond the statement, it was not clear Tuesday if Hill would face discipline for her Monday night Twitter activity.

Hill’s tweets about Trump remained online as of this writing and on Tuesday she co-hosted SC6, the 5 p.m. edition of SportsCenter, as usual.

The tweets about President Trump spun out of Hill’s link to a report about performer Kid Rock (a.k.a. Robert Ritchie). Flirting with a U.S. Senate run in Michigan, Rock wrote on Facebook he “loves black people” and accused the “extreme left” of “trying to use the old confederate flag BS” to label him a racist.

“He loves black people so much that he pandered to racists by using a flag that unquestionably stands for dehumanizing black people,” Hill tweeted.

In a Twitter discussion stemming from that, Hill over several tweets wrote that Trump was “a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists” and that he “is the most ignorant, offensive president of my lifetime.”

“The height of white privilege is being able to ignore his white supremacy, because it’s of no threat to you,” Hill tweeted. “Well, it’s a threat to me.”

In response to someone on Twitter vowing not to watch “SC6” unless ESPN fired her — stating “U have the right 2 have ur opinion but u mix it with ur job it isn’t right” — Hill on Tuesday tweeted, “Do you know the difference between twitter & TV?”

ESPN has pushed back against conservative critics, sensitive to accusations it and its personnel infuse politics into coverage in service of a left-leaning agenda.

Some of the backlash from the right can be traced to the 2015 Espys, when ESPN gave its Arthur Ashe Courage Award to Caitlyn Jenner.

In June, ESPN released a study it commissioned that found the vast majority of viewers detected no bias in its content and 64 per cent of those surveyed believed ESPN was striking the right mix of sports news and political issues.

While 30 per cent detected a bias and 63 per cent of that subgroup (about 19 per cent of the total) found ESPN too liberal, about 30 per cent of those sensing bias (roughly 9 per cent overall) thought it was too conservative.

But charges of media bias have become common with 62 per cent of the U.S. adults surveyed in a Gallup poll released in April saying they thought the media favoured one political party or another, up from around 50 per cent in 2000.

Fighting that perception is one reason media organizations seek to rein in employees from political activities and entering hot-button frays through social media.

Here in Chicago earlier this year, sportscaster Mark Giangreco of Disney-owned ABC-7 was suspended after a tweet in which he referred to Trump as a “cartoon lunatic” and America as “a country full of simpletons.”

Some felt the punishment was too harsh for something expressed off-air. Others felt it wasn’t harsh enough.

Station management at the time said this was “appropriate action” because “Giangreco’s Twitter comments are not in line with ABC 7 Chicago’s non-partisan editorial standards.”

Giangreco deleted the anti-Trump tweet. He also deleted another that responded to former ESPN baseball analyst and major-league pitcher Curt Schilling’s post that CNN should be called “LPNN”— the “LP” standing for “liberal propaganda” —with Giangreco’s proposing to “change Fox News to Nazi News.”

ESPN last year fired the conservative Schilling for what management deemed insensitive social media posts targeting, not a politician, but transgender people. ESPN stressed then it was “an inclusive company.”

Schilling now contributes to right-aligned Breitbart.com, which was among those calling for Hill’s dismissal Monday.

Breitbart said in its report of Hill’s tweets that they “most certainly would result in her firing, if she was a conservative. Since she’s basically the opposite of that, we’ll have to wait and see how ESPN handles it.”

Deadspin.com took the opposite tack. Its headline: “ESPN Issues Craven Apology For Jemele Hill’s Accurate Descriptions Of Donald Trump.”

On the same night Hill was tweeting about Trump and white supremacy, singer Hank Williams Jr. returned to the opening of ESPN’s Monday Night Football telecasts this season after a six-year absence.

ESPN would be better off without her. She is one of if not the most terrible sports personality they have. That said, you have to be concerned about ESPN catering to Neo Nazis and curtailing free speech.

[Zelk]

she's not wrong

[Jun]

They're not curtailing Free Speech.

/thread

[helebelemon]

Don't conservatives typically cry that ESPN is libtarded?

[Dextroden]

No freedom from consequences.
/thread

[Kithelle]

Sure...they pull a guy off the air for his name...but they wont pull her for these comments?

Oh sweet sweet irony.

[jibberbox85]

Don't conservatives typically cry that ESPN is libtarded?

https://www.metro.us/sports/espn-sus...itical-remarks

[Darkeon]

Don't conservatives typically cry that ESPN is libtarded?

That probably contributed to a shorter fuse regarding this specific situation. I doubt Media Corporations, even if rightfully so, like to be accused to being biased.

[Hey There Guys its Metro]

Man The Six could have been something too. ESPN is so fucked.

[perasite]

Schilling fired for his comments... Hill barely reprimanded. Just further shows that those in charge are fine with what you say as long as they agree with it. If they disagree, you're gone. Anyone that thinks ESPN doesn't have a political agenda is purposely fooling themselves.

[primalmatter]

I am kinda looking forward to the day twitter dies.

Its getting really stupid.

[perasite]

Saying the truth might matter too though.

Trump is the typical piece of shit and low intelligence idiot who you could expect supporting racism. Willing to bet my right arm that he is a major bigot, being a narcissist usually means you'll cling to finding yourself and your own qualities (skin color) being superior to all others.

So because you believe it, then it MUST be true? Look, liberals and their air of superiority has gotten out of control. How about you guys learn to understand that other opinions are valid too. And QUIT deciding that anyone who disagrees with you is racist, misogynist, sexist, etc. How about coming up with an actual argument instead of just calling names the moment you disagree with someone. Calling names is a sign of a lack of intelligence. Notice how often liberals resort to it?

[Tennis]

I am kinda looking forward to the day twitter dies.

Its getting really stupid.

and replaced with more snapchat?

[Lockula]

Kind of surprised she still has a job still. After this, calling Celtic fans nazis, and her shows being dropped due to low ratings. Hell, if I was in her position and did these things I would have been fired.

[primalmatter]

and replaced with more snapchat?

Least snapchat has porn.

[TEHPALLYTANK]

So because you believe it, then it MUST be true? Look, liberals and their air of superiority has gotten out of control. How about you guys learn to understand that other opinions are valid too. And QUIT deciding that anyone who disagrees with you is racist, misogynist, sexist, etc. How about coming up with an actual argument instead of just calling names the moment you disagree with someone. Calling names is a sign of a lack of intelligence. Notice how often liberals resort to it?

I was going to bold a portion of your post, to point out the irony, but really the entire thing is quite ironic.

[Kiri]

So because you believe it, then it MUST be true? Look, liberals and their air of superiority has gotten out of control. How about you guys learn to understand that other opinions are valid too. And QUIT deciding that anyone who disagrees with you is racist, misogynist, sexist, etc. How about coming up with an actual argument instead of just calling names the moment you disagree with someone. Calling names is a sign of a lack of intelligence. Notice how often liberals resort to it?

Isn't it saying something like that showing a perceived air of superiority as well? I mean you immediately come with lack of intelligence when someone gives an opinion that you don't agree with. Regardless of the truth in his statement, what you say does not sound too different from what you accuse him of saying.

[Ooid]

What an insightful and new addition to the discourse about our president.

[Bapestar]

No freedom from consequences.
/thread

Oh now you use that statement. Keep flip-flopping.

[Mister Cheese]

https://www.thestar.com/sports/2017/...premacist.html



ESPN would be better off without her. She is one of if not the most terrible sports personality they have. That said, you have to be concerned about ESPN catering to Neo Nazis and curtailing free speech.

What the hell kind of double think is this?