September 16, 2008: Letter from The New Agenda to Mr. Jeff Zucker
September 16, 2008
Mr. Jeff Zucker
President and CEO
NBC Universal
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
Dear Mr. Zucker,
The New Agenda, through its members and partner organizations, seeks to advance women’s rights. The New Agenda monitors news coverage, blogs, print media, as well as statements by political pundits, political campaigns and other commentators for sexist bias, derogatory language, misogynist attacks, and denigrating statements. This letter documents our intention to pursue collective action concerning the disregard shown by NBC Universal towards girls and women on the air, specifically by Chris Matthews, your marquee talent and host of Hardball.
Our concerns are neither isolated nor unprecedented. In April of this year, after years of repeated on-air degradation of girls and women by Chris Matthews, the New York Times Magazine published a cover story on Matthews with mention of Phil Griffin, another NBC Universal broadcaster, illustrating numerous examples of deeply disrespectful, demeaning treatment of females. In recent weeks, members of your own news team, Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams, have told friends and colleagues that they are finding it tougher and tougher to defend the cable arm of the news division. At a panel discussion in Denver, Mr. Brokaw acknowledged that Mr.Olbermann and Mr. Matthews had “gone too far.” Media Matters for America (MediaMatters.org) has documented hundreds of sexist attacks by Matthews. Last week when the vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin lamented media bias during her speech, attendees at the Republican convention loudly chanted “NBC.” If the American public were surveyed about sexism and biased news coverage, the two names at the top of everyone’s list would be Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews.
The recent move by MSNBC to downgrade Mr. Matthews and Mr. Olbermann from anchors to analysts during the rest of the election coverage is a step in the right direction, but it is too little too late. The historic candidacies of both Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin have brought to light for all Americans the rampant sexism in the media.
- Viewers have watched Matthews call Hillary Clinton a “she devil,” and repeatedly refer to her as “Nurse Ratched,” the abusive nurse from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
- Matthews demeaned the accomplishments of Hillary Clinton by saying, “The reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around” and that “[s]he didn’t win [New York] on her merits.” Chris Matthews failed to note that Clinton is a two-term senator and during her second election earned 67% of the votes statewide.
- Chris Matthews also demeaned the accomplishments of all women stating he couldn’t think of a single female governor eligible to run for president. “Where are the big-state women governors?” he asked. “Where are they? Name one.” Matthews failed to note that there are currently eight female governors, five Democrats and three Republicans.
- Matthews’ sexist comments and critical comments are not limited to Clinton alone. He infamously asked Nancy Pelosi if she was “going to castrate Steny Hoyer.”
- Sexist references abounded during MSNBC’s April 26 coverage of the first Democratic presidential candidates debate in the context of discussions about the only female candidate, Hillary Clinton. MSNBC host Chris Matthews focused on the appearances of Clinton and of Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle, to the point that NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell reminded him that they are Yale and Harvard-educated lawyers, respectively. On Hardball, Chris Matthews told CNBC anchor Erin Burnett: “[Y]ou’re beautiful” and “[y]ou’re a knockout.”
- Concerns about Matthews relate not only to the content of the remarks but also to the frequency the negative remarks about women. For example, According to a Media Matters study, Matthews made 10 negative remarks about Hillary Clinton for every negative remark he made about Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, and nearly three times as many positive remarks about the former New York City mayor as about Clinton, despite his professed neutrality.
MSNBC can regain its reputation as a respectable news organization by taking more appropriate action against Chris Matthews. If Matthews were an employee in a Fortune 500 Company he would have been fired for sexual harassment long ago. Instead, MSNBC peddled misogynistic journalism to the American public. In a gesture of good will, The New Agenda requests a meeting with you and Chris Matthews to insure that this type of sexist journalism is no longer part of the NBC brand.
We look forward to hearing from you.
The New Agenda
www.thenewagenda.net
