‘Meet The Press’ Host Chuck Todd Gets Killed On Twitter Over Tone Deaf ‘Color Blind’ Segment
Hours after NBC’s Meet the Press aired on Sunday, host and equivocating Muppet Chuck Todd released a statement explaining the decision behind the airing of a segment that centered completely on African Americans who were serving prison sentences for gun-related murders. In Todd’s view, Sunday’s show was an appropriate time to air the segment as it presented the idea that gun violence is a color blind issue. Many others, however, took Todd to task for pushing a narrative that most murderers are black and the Charleston massacre was a rare instance of whites committing shootings.
During the broadcast, after Todd showed the segment, Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson took Todd to task for airing the piece days after a racially motivated mass shooting grabbed the attention of the nation. In Robinson’s opinion, not only was the segment tone deaf, but it sent a message that blacks are the ones who are always responsible for shootings. Todd attempted to defend the video, to little avail.
Below is a video of that segment, courtesy of Raw Story:
Later on in the show, during a panel discussion, social media had already started lighting into Todd for the prison piece. Todd and the panel then discussed whether or not it was appropriate to air the segment on Sunday’s show, or any subsequent airings.
Below is video of the discussion, courtesy of NBC News:
NBC released a statement from Todd later in the day Sunday where he tried to explain away the decision to do the piece, which focused solely on African Americans and did not feature one convict of another race, and air it so soon after the Charleston massacre. The entire statement is shown below:
We’ve gotten a lot of feedback about the gun video we showed on Meet the Press today. Some were upset it only featured African-American men talking about their regrets of pulling a trigger. All of the men in the piece volunteered to be a part of the video and the larger project it is a part of.
But the last thing we wanted was to cloud the discussion of the topic.
The original decision to air this segment was made before Wednesday’s massacre. However, the staff and I had an internal debate about whether to show it at all this week. When we discussed putting it off, that conversation centered around race and perception – not the conversation we wanted the segment to invoke.
We decided against delaying the segment because we wanted to show multiple sides of what gun violence does in this country. We thought the issue of gun violence in our culture and society was an important conversation to continue — too important to put off for another week. The consequences of gun violence should not be hidden.
As I say to all audiences, Meet the Press should make all viewers uncomfortable at some point or we are not doing our job. I hope folks view the gun video as a part of the conversation we should all be having and not the totality of it.
As you can see, Todd stands by the segment and feels it gave a powerful statement about gun violence in today’s society. Many people on Twitter disagreed.
How can they be “color blind” when the intro video ONLY featured black shooters?!? #WTF @chucktodd! #MTP https://t.co/67J8UKNW8s
— Scott Wooledge (@Clarknt67) June 21, 2015
so how in the world, with this feedback you get repeatedly, could someone f ck it up as bad as @chucktodd did? you must not care.
— Bomani Jones (@bomani_jones) June 21, 2015
I would like 2know the racial makeup of @chucktodd team that made decision 2show only Black Men as face of gun violence #CharlestonShooting
— Lizz Brown (@lizzzbrown) June 21, 2015
okay, yeah. more cowardly. it just couldn’t wait another week? just say you don’t care, man. http://t.co/Qk2SOP52PI
— Bomani Jones (@bomani_jones) June 21, 2015
For Chuck Todd to show all-Black shooters video in gun discussion would be awful on any day. 4 days after #CharlestonShooting = RESIGN. @NBC
— AverageChirps (@AverageChirps) June 21, 2015
We’re grieving 9 ppl shot dead by a white supremacist while in Bible Study & he does a segment on blk shooters. TAKE @chucktodd OFF THE TV!
— 3ChicsPolitico (@3ChicsPolitico) June 21, 2015
.@chucktodd @meetthepress Uncomfortable is not the word Chuck, but I assure you I will NEVER watch MTP again. Colorblind? Give me a break.
— kim oconnor (@kimoco) June 21, 2015
Meet The Press sunk to a new now today. I don’t know how Chuck Todd can sleep at night. White Supremacy on FULL DISPLAY.
— #StandWithCharleston (@LeslieMac) June 21, 2015
I have deep and long respect for @chucktodd, but I honestly don’t understand this @meetthepress segment. https://t.co/2YNSsxntQc
— Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) June 21, 2015
No matter how Todd tries to spin it, the airing of that piece was an unmitigated disaster. If you have to constantly defend it and claim that it isn’t in poor taste and sends the wrong message, then you’ve done a shitty job and you really need to reexamine why you’re doing what you’re doing.
