John Gibson and Other Broadcasters Who Step Over the Line

FoxNews John Gibson has drawn fire from media critics and fans of the late Heath Ledger with his callous remarks about the young actor, who was found dead in his Manhattan apartment January 22. Calling Ledger "a weirdo" and playing clips from Ledger's hit movie "Brokeback Mountain" that had Ledger saying, "We're dead," Gibson mocked the talented actor throughout his radio show. He stated that Ledger was "suicidal", probably from watching the Democratic debate the previous night.

But Gibson is not alone in his stepping either too close or completely over the line of good taste. He joins a growing crowd of broadcasters willing to do or say just about anything to get attention, which, as we all know, gets them better ratings. Sometimes it gets them fired, but then they're hired by someone else and their stock in the public arena goes up. The listening and viewing public never seem to get enough "shock" talk.

Take, for instance, the case of Howard Stern. Stern is notorious for stepping over the line with callous and insensitve remarks. TMZ calls Stern the entertainment's biggest controversy "pimp." No one will ever or should ever forget his terribly callous remark made on radio station DC 101 just after the Air Florida crash at the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, DC. He called Air Florida the next day and asked them the price of a one-way ticket for the 14th Street Bridge. This was the beginning of his rise to fame. In 1999 he made the comment that he couldn't understand why kids would kill other kids and then themselves without first having sex with some of the good looking girls running around during the Columbine High School massacre. When the singing artist, Selena, was killed, Stern played gunshot sounds the day of her funeral and made the remark that "Spanish people have the worst taste in music..."

Another broadcaster who goes over the line far too often is Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh made a racially derogatory statement in 2003 about Donovan McNabb on "NFL Sunday Countdown", insinuating that McNabb's rise was due to being African-American and not to talent. In effect, Limbaugh fired himself and resigned. On his nationally syndicated talk radio show in , Limbaugh referred to the alleged victim of a gang rape by the Duke University lacrosse team as a "ho." This only added fuel to the already volatile, racially divisive issue.

And then there is Don Imus, the icon of "shock" jocks, if such an oxymoron exists. Don Imus has been shocking listeners for years with callous and corrosive material, but when he called the Women's NCAA National Championship team, Rutgers, "nappy headed ho's," the reaction was fierce and negative. He was fired by CBS and MSNBC from both his radio and television shows, even after he apologized publicly and met with the Rutgers ladies basketball team to make amends. Of course, Imus is now back on the air, more famous than before.

John Gibson's uncalled for remarks are nothing new, nor will they be the last. In a country where the notorious are rewarded as much as those worthy of success, those remarks will simply have to be suffered or ignored...

Sources:

Matt, "John Gibson's Mocks ''Weirdo' Heath Ledger's Death: "He Found Out How To Quit You," ThinkProgress.org

TMZ Staff, "Stern's Most Shocking Moments," TMZ.com

Gary Susman, "Color Commentator," EW.com

"Limbaugh called alleged Duke rape victim a 'ho'", Mediamatters.org

R.C., "Imus called women's basketball team "nappy headed ho's", Mediamatters.org