After getting pummeled with criticism on all sides for his decision to air a gun violence video that featured only black shooters on Meet The Press, Chuck Todd reversed course and apologized for airing the video.
Todd tweeted:
.@DoctorLeRoyH @soledadobrien We’ve heard you. We clearly got it wrong and we are sorry.
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— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) June 22, 2015
It seemed that Todd knew all along that it would be wrong to air it, but he chose to do it anyway.
This is from Todd’s statement after the video aired on Meet The Press, “The original decision to air this segment was made before Wednesday’s massacre. However, the staff and I had an internal debate about whether to show it at all this week. When we discussed putting it off, that conversation centered around race and perception – not the conversation we wanted the segment to invoke.”
Todd shot a new introduction for the video for Meet The Press’ later airings, but the controversy kept growing.
If Chuck Todd had apologized yesterday, the story would have not gotten so big. The corporate media has adopted the Republican Party’s mantra of never apologize for anything. It was clear that Todd and Meet The Press made the wrong decision to air this particular video at a time when the nation is still hurting from a race-based mass killing.
It should never have taken a day and an outraged public to squeeze an apology out of Chuck Todd.
The decision to air the video was not smart, but the decision not to immediately apologize was more damaging to both Chuck Todd and Meet The Press.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
