Daily Beast: Is Sharpton's MSNBC Show A Kick-Back?

The Daily Beast is reporting that Al Sharpton's new gig on MSNBC may be the result of the long-time Civil Rights activist endorsing the NBC Universal-Comcast merger. The merger was controversial for many reasons, but most because of the media behemoth it created. There was quite a bit of opposition against it, including opposition from some black organizations and members of Congress, but Sharpton, Ben Jealous of the NAACP and Marc Morial of the National Urban League all signed off on it. NBC-Comcast later agreed to creating a type of informal "diversity council" to advise the new media conglomerate. The Daily Beast is implying the council Sharpton helped create may have "created" Sharpton's new role with MSNBC as an afternoon anchor.

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The Trouble With Benjamin Todd Jealous (Guest Post)

In this guest post author and journalist Amy Alexander "goes there" on NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous in the aftermath of the Shirley Sherrod fiasco. At very detailed length, Alexander describes her time as the "voice" of Jealous, writing his editorials, crafting his talking points and attempting to get him media ready. The key word is "attempting." Many people have remarked that Jealous' jump to erroneous conclusions on Sherrod smelled to high heaven of someone who's not media savvy (or even regular savvy). Alexander paints an even more damning portrait -- of a man in love with himself and in love with the limelight, but incapable of meeting the needs of the 101-year-old, historic civil rights organization.

Story after the jump.

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NAACP, White House, Pundits, et al, Get "Snookered" By FOX News

Yet all they did was end up with egg on their face. It was Shirley Sherrod who lost her job, was blasted as a racist online and on TV and was used as a political football between the Right Wing and the NAACP. Yesterday was just another day in knee jerk, reactionary 24-hour-news cycle. Where your career can end due to some poorly edited tape.

More after the jump.

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Should the NAACP Take On Gay Rights Agenda?

Over at Pam's House Blend, Pam Spaulding took NAACP President Benjamin Jealous to task for his recent comments on CNN about the NAACP not getting involved in gay rights issues. Jealous told CNN's TJ Holmes that the NAACP doesn't "take a position on that nationally."

While she called him progressive in his thinking, she argued that Jealous was "getting the message" that gay rights was a "third-rail" issue by the old guard of the NAACP and not a priority. 

Arguing that the fight for gay rights is civil rights, Spaulding criticized Jealous and the NAACP for their weak-kneed response, but praised Jealous for at least discussing the issue without malice.

More after the jump.

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