Sir, there's a seat over there. You can have it.
Anybody got a fancy umbrella they can loan Roland S. Martin until this shit storm blows over? After pressure from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, CNN has suspended Martin indefinitely over a pair of Tweets on Super Bowl Sunday.
Like thousands of others, I follow Martin on Twitter and I saw the aforementioned Tweets when they went out. When I saw them, I said aloud, “This is gonna be a shit storm.” I’m sad to say that I was right. Immediately after the last Tweet was sent, Martin started engaging in a back and forth with people insisting that the message was poking fun at soccer and not gay men. He also argued that the urgency of violence was simply taken out of context and that it was all in jest. That this sort of thing happens during sporting events.
To some, Martin’s Tweets were seen as homophobic and advocating gay bashing. Instead of immediately recognizing how those Tweets can be misconstrued and apologizing, Martin got defensive. I would love to say I’m surprised, but, I’m not. I’ve followed Martin for quite a while. I’ve seen him “talk junk” to people during sporting events and pontificate on various subjects. I’ve also seen him mouth off and offend people in an effort to make his point. He did that in a comment on this very blog just last year. The difference between the exchange he and I had here and on Twitter and the exchange he had with GLAAD is, I don’t take him seriously.
While I’m sure Martin did not intend for anyone to read his Tweets and take offense to them and he does not advocate gay bashing, one’s perception is one’s reality. If I took Martin seriously, I’m sure that I, too, would have been offended. This is America and yes the first amendment does guarantee us all freedom of speech, I contend that this does not apply to Martin and I’ll tell you why.
One of the first things you learn in your first journalism class is that you forfeit your right to an opinion on hot button issues such as politics, religion and polarizing social issues in public settings. If you are a working journalist, part of your job is to appear neutral in all things so that there is no appearance of a bias or slant. Martin falls into a unique category of being a commentator who is hired and expected to give an opinion. He is also a trained journalist and self-identifies as such. That being said, he should know when to shut up.
Monday night, Martin posted an apology on his blog. He has since been invited to have a sit down with GLAAD brass and his bosses at CNN to find some resolution. Since the announcement of his suspension, people have taken to social networks to announce their outrage over his suspension saying it was uncalled for and he was just exercising his freedom of speech. I get that. What I don’t get is black folks playing the race card like it’s the Big Joker in a spades game saying this would not have happened to a white guy. I disagree and I think most journalists will.
I took an unofficial poll of my journalist friends and most of them agree that this is a case of him being careless. If there were any injustice at all, the National Association of Black Journalists would have been all over this thing. Instead, president Greg Lee released a statement calling this a teachable moment. I wholeheartedly agree.
With social media now a part of our daily lives and one of the most useful tools in a journalists arsenal, it is imperative that we use it in a professional manner. In my local chapter of NABJ chapter, my fellow journalists and I make it a point to remind student journalists to be mindful of how they conduct themselves on social media. Employers check you out on those things and if you are in front of the camera, like Martin, whatever you post or Tweet is indirectly associated with your specific organization. Use all the disclaimers you like, but Martin is “the loud, husky, black guy on CNN.” As long as he’s affiliated with CNN, that’s who he’ll be.
I hope that we can all look at this as a learning opportunity and embrace that just because we can say whatever we want doesn’t mean we should. Though being born American gives us the right to free speech, we have a responsibility to exercise it wisely. Free speech should be used to uplift people and liberate the oppressed. It should not, however, be used to degrade and hurt others. To whom much is given, much is required. It’s high time we all learn some restraint or learn to be accountable for what comes out of our mouths.
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