Yahoo fires bureau chief for Romney remark

[shawn703]

Source: Boston Globe

NEW YORK (AP) — Yahoo News has fired its Washington bureau chief after he was caught on a microphone saying Mitt Romney and his wife were ‘‘happy to have a party with black people drowning.’’

Company spokeswoman Anne Espiritu said Wednesday that David Chalian’s remark was inappropriate and does not represent Yahoo’s views. She says Yahoo is apologizing to the Republican presidential candidate and his supporters, and has reached out to the campaign to convey the message.

Chalian made the remark during a ‘‘hot mic’’ moment before Yahoo began its live coverage of the GOP convention on Tuesday evening. Yahoo is streaming coverage in association with ABC News.


Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2012/president/candidates/romney/2012/08/29/yahoo-fires-bureau-chief-for-romney-remark/v9ATxVZdJWKnj7XtpHlNAK/story.html

[Scairp]

1. My, my, my

It's funny how the truth comes out when they think no one is listening.

[Pab Sungenis]

2. Why apologize?

It's true. And it's not like he published that under his byline.

Reporters have said worse things about Obama over open mikes and kept their jobs.

[KurtNYC]

18. Yes and why apologize to THE ROMNEY's ? They aren't drowning.

Ironically, or fittingly perhaps, it was flooding that caused Mitt's father to get kicked out of the Whitehouse 40 years ago...

In August 1972, Nixon announced Romney would inspect Hurricane Agnes flood damage in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, but neglected to tell Romney first. Much of the area lacked shelter six weeks after the storm, residents were angry, and Romney got into a three-way shouting match with Governor Milton J. Shapp and a local citizens' representative. Romney denounced Shapp's proposal that the federal government pay off the mortgages of victims as "unrealistic and demagogic", and the representative angrily responded to Romney, "You don't give a damn whether we live or die." The confrontation received wide media attention, damaging Romney's public reputation. Totally frustrated, Romney wanted to resign immediately, but Nixon, worried about the fallout to his 1972 re-election campaign, insisted that Romney stay on. Romney agreed, although he indicated to the press that he would leave eventually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Romney#Secretary_of_Housing_and_Urban_Development

[dixiegrrrrl]

39. Interesting...thanx for that info.

[iemitsu]

3. David Chalian is kanye west.

who knew?

[geardaddy]

21. Ima let you finish.

[David Zephyr]

4. It's the truth. And a truth rooted in historical fact.

George Bush had a birthday "party" with John McCain in Arizona and then went on to another "party" in San Diego where he played air guitar as Katrina pounded New Orleans "with black people drowning".

[shakeemondown]

16. How is it true? Where are "black people drowning"?

[KamaAina]

24. Southeast Louisiana

So far, the worst damage has been in largely white Plaquemines Parish. So far.

[shakeemondown]

25. Exactly. Plaquemines Parish, just like every Parish in SELA outside of Orleans and Jefferson...

is vastly white. New Orleans, for the most part, is just fine thus far.

I live down here. I posed the question as set up, to prove the point that this was an extremely ignorant comment. No black people are drowning. No white people are drowning. The only death thus far was the result of a guy falling out of a tree.

If the guy had done a little homework on whats happening down here, he would not have said something so stupid, and would still have his job.

Personally, I would have fired him not because of what he said, but because I don't want stupid people working for me. You know, survival of the fittest and all...

[Doremus]

31. Uh-huh. n/t

[Brewinblue]

27. To the Romney's

poor white people are black people. The statement was, in essence, the truth. If not, why are they partying on a foreign yacht when a significant portion of the poorest portion of the country is facing a catastrophic storm.

Great way to show concern and leadership.

[shakeemondown]

37. Well, maybe the fool should have said..

"while poor people drown".

Instead, he brought race into it for no valid reason other than to be be a jerk. What he said was just plain stupid.

What exactly is Romney suppose to do, anyway? He's not the President. He's not a Government official for the U.S or any of the State's affected by this storm.

[Xipe Totec]

30. Hurricane Isaac 2012: Death Toll In Haiti Rises To 10

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/26/hurricane-isaac-2012-haiti-death-toll-7_n_1831449.html


In neighboring Dominican Republic, police reported that two men were swept away by flooded rivers that burst their banks. One victim was identified as Pedro Peralta, a former mayor in Villa Altagracia, a town northwest of the capital of Santo Domingo. His body was recovered Sunday by rescuers on the banks of the Haina River.

Another male victim, whose identity was not disclosed, was swept away by the Yaguaza River, Dominican police said.

Across Haiti, the number of people evacuated due to flooding rose over the weekend. More than 14,000 people had left their homes and another 13,500 people were living in temporary shelters until Saturday night, the Civil Protection Office reported. Some 8,400 evacuees were in the country's western department, the most populous and where the capital of Port-au-Prince is located.

[riderinthestorm]

40. Yes but those are furriners

so presumably they don't count to shakeemondown....

Only Real Murkins matter

No black people to worry about. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Fire the guy asap for telling the truth dammit!


Sorry having an emoticon kinda day. Sometimes its the only way to lighten the depression from some of these comments....

[peace13]

5. Weird how this guy gets fired ...

while the clown who threw the nuts at the CNN employee walks away. And as he said ,the party rolls on. Go figure.

[notadmblnd]

6. Yahoo. Think about it. There's never been a conglomerate named so aptly.

[wordpix]

7. Should have been specific: "Rmoney's partying on his yacht flying a Caymans flag while poor people

are drowning, most African American." Could Chalian have been fired for saying the exact truth?

[liberallibral]

8. He SHOULD HAVE been fired...

That's disgusting and unacceptible... Period! What on Earth was David Chalian thinking???

Ellen Barkin was saying some disgusting things, as well......

It's one thing for the right-wing morans to spew their garbage, but we expect that. Our side needs to denouce this stuff immedaitely. We don't need to abandon our values to beat the GOP.

Am I the only one that has a problem with this kind of behavior???

The President, himself, would say shame on you, David Chalian - and that's why I support him and will continue to support him, once again! My president is SMART and CLASSY!!!

[progressivebydesign]

10. But it was the truth. Where is the firing of Rush Limbaugh for saying worse, yesterday??? n/t

[liberallibral]

12. I totally agree, RUSH is a jerk and should've been fired years ago!!!

People need to hold his sponsors accountable, if the EIB Network doesn't have any standards of decency like YAHOO apparently does..... Rush is vile!!!

[Redford]

38. Rush owns the EIB network - that is why he has yet to be fired.

[hack89]

41. Is Rush expected to be fair and unbiased?

regardless of the truth of the comments news organizations are supposed at least appear to be fair and unbiased.

[steve2470]

11. I can see giving him a hard slap on the wrist for this....

but a firing ? I think it's a bit extreme.

[BadtotheboneBob]

35. No, you're not the only one...

... I agree with you completely.

[progressivebydesign]

9. Yahoo News is as bad as Fox News now. They're the biggest GOP ass-kissers.

He was right. What's the problem with this? They DID have a party on a yacht with Billionaires last night. Rush Limbaugh made a horrific joke about drowning poor people in NO by using Romney's bags of money to shore up the levees. Where is the FUCKINg outrage on that one?? Why is HE still employed???

[onehandle]

14. Their new CEO is a staunch Democrat.

Marissa Mayer left Google for Yahoo to escape the dark side.

[David Zephyr]

17. Excellent point, onehandle.

And true.

[allan01]

13. re:Yahoo fires bureau chief for Romney remark

at least we have an idear who yahoo may be supporting

[still_one]

15. Funny how the repiblicans never apologize for every name and lie they call him. /nt

[FrenchieCat]

19. Halperin called our President a "dick"....

and yet I see him participating in all of the pundit pap roundtables day in-day out.....while being called a "Journalist"....

And this guy loses his Job?????

[Cha]

23. Halperin was Projecting.

[valerief]

28. Or daydreaming about dicks. nt

[broadcaster75201]

20. While true (they would)

Yeah, you should get fired for that one.

[emilyg]

22. Good. Not professional.

[alp227]

33. I remember watching Chalian on the PBS NewsHour as political editor there.

Yikes. I thought he as a PBS employee and political insider would have more knowledge of what not to be caught saying. I have higher expectations from a PBS editor than of someone like Mike Malloy or Toure (who said "niggerization" on MSNBC concerning Romney's comments about Obama) etc.

[BeyondGeography]

26. Tough price to pay

Hope he lands on his feet somewhere. He fucked up (need to stay publicly above the fray there, David) but I hate to see people lose their job like that.

[Redford]

29. I heard the tape of it and it was bad

He should of been fired.

[heaven05]

32. rush

rush limpig said basically the same thing and he didn't have to apologize to people he intimated would drown "stealing" repig money. don't forget the basis of this drowning shit. I don't think the repigs deserved an apology. They would party IF black (poor) people had been drowning in New Orleans. Hell they throw nuts at black people and call them animals. It's true!!!They would party and laugh and not give a damn

[alp227]

34. Rush's employer (Premiere Radio Networks/Clear Channel) PROFITS off Rush's crazy talk.

That's why he'll NEVER get fired for all the nasty things he's said over the years. Yahoo News relies on those Rush-brainwashed listeners for web hits and thus profit and KNOW they can't keep Chalian.

[and-justice-for-all]

36. If it is put this way..

WOULD BE ‘‘happy to have a party WHILE black people ARE drowning.’’ makes more sense, because I bet Willard and Company would be.