Clear Channel still must take responsibility for bigoted speech by its on-air hosts

Clear Channel responds to "Gunny" Bob controversy but fails to assume responsibility

May 15, 2007 (Denver) -- Colorado Media Matters today responded to a statement from Kris Olinger, director of AM programming for Clear Channel Communications in Denver, regarding Newsradio 850 KOA host "Gunny" Bob Newman's call to eliminate basic civil rights for Muslim immigrants.

Bill Menezes, editorial director of Colorado Media Matters, noted that Olinger's response failed to address the bigoted nature of Newman's speech or to reconcile it with Clear Channel's "Code of Business Conduct and Ethics." The code states that in providing equal employment opportunity, Clear Channel "will not tolerate any speech or conduct" that discriminates against qualified applicants or employees because of their religion, race, sex, or national origin.

"Newman is publicly seeking to deny to members of a specific religion the same rights that his employer states are integral in the treatment of its own employees," Menezes said. "If denying these rights is not acceptable among Clear Channel employees, the company needs to explain why it is then acceptable to deny them to members of the public."

Menezes continued, "In dealing with the recent Don Imus controversy, NBC News President Steve Capus emphasized that it was important for NBC's employees to have confidence in the company's values. It's time for Ms. Olinger and Clear Channel to step up and have a public conversation about why one employee is allowed to broadcast values that it won't stand for elsewhere within its own organization."

On his May 8 show, Newman called for a law requiring Muslim immigrants -- including naturalized citizens -- to wear GPS tracking bracelets and said the U.S. government should "bug their places of work and their residences" and monitor "[a]ll mosques and community centers."

In a statement reported by Dick Kreck of The Denver Post on May 14, Olinger declared, "I think 'Gunny' was expressing an opinion, an extreme one, but his opinion. (Hosts) are paid to express opinions. That's the nature of what we do."

On his website and during his radio broadcasts, Newman has responded with verbal attacks against groups that have criticized him, including a Web posting smearing the Quaker organization American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) as a "leftist hate group."

Newman's remarks have drawn statements of condemnation from organizations including the Anti-Defamation League, the AFSC, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado. Cathryn Hazouri, ACLU of Colorado executive director, told the online political daily news website Colorado Confidential that by suggesting the government suspend the civil rights of a group of people based solely on their religion, Newman urged violation of the First Amendment.