Last week, we were treated to Newsweek’s sexist photos of Sarah Palin (see Cynthia’s piece below). This week, a few media outlets have chosen Senator Mary Landrieu, Democrat from Louisiana, as the target of a sexist attack.
Forget about the fact that Premiere Radio Networks, which employs Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh, took no action after those two hosts publicly labeled Landrieu a “high-class prostitute” (Beck) and “the most expensive prostitute in the history of prostitution” (Limbaugh) because she asked for more Medicaid funding for Louisiana in the health care bill in exchange for her vote to move the legislation to the Senate floor. Landrieu’s move is known as “logrolling,” in which legislators horse-trade their votes so that they each get something they want in bills; like it or not, it’s a practice as old as our political system and one of the ways that legislation gets passed. Of course, it’s perfectly legitimate for Beck and Limbaugh to criticize Landrieu’s bargain. But when they go after a female leader, it’s par for the course for them to use sexist language in doing so (for example, see Limbaugh’s sexist attack on Senator Olympia Snowe several weeks ago).
No, what’s more disturbing is that Mark Halperin of Time picked up on Beck and Limbaugh’s slander and ran a doctored photo of Landrieu that is supposed to remind us of the Cameron Diaz character in the movie “There’s Something About Mary.” (In the movie, Diaz’ hair is held together with semen.) It’s a great example of what happens when the talk show media’s worst sexist offenders pay no price for repeatedly diminishing elected female leaders—it makes it safe for members of the mainstream media to get in on the action.
Let’s tell those responsible for giving Limbaugh, Beck, and Halperin their platforms that we won’t tolerate their supporting media personalities or journalists who continue to demean woman leaders (and most important, that we won’t subscribe to their radio network or buy their magazine until they take action):
- Premiere Radio Networks: Contact Charlie Rahilly, President and Chief Operating Officer, Premiere Radio Networks: barker@premiereradionetworks.com
- Time: letters@time.com
Steve
P.S. If you need any more encouragement to write to Newsweek in response to Cynthia’s post last week, just read Newsweek editor Jon Meacham’s unapologetic official statement in response to the criticism.
