From localized protest to national posturing?

NEW YORK — A coalition of civil-rights groups is calling for the Federal Communications Commission to block the New York Post's owner, Rupert Murdoch, from being allowed to own more than one television station and one newspaper in the same media market.

The announcement came the same day Murdoch personally apologized on the Post's Web site for last week's publication of a cartoon many deemed a racist slur against President Barack Obama.

The Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network, the National Urban League and the NAACP joined with members of the New York City Council in announcing an effort to oppose an FCC-issued waiver that Murdoch seeks from the FCC to permit him to own the Post and a Fox television station, Channel 9 of New York City, both in the same media market.

Speaking at a news conference on the steps of City Hall Tuesday afternoon, Sharpton said he and NAACP chief executive Benjamin Jealous are scheduled to travel to Washington Wednesday to meet with the FCC about Murdoch's waiver.

"If he owns all of the media entities in the city, then he can squash our right to protest or dissent against their decisions," Sharpton said.

Leaders speaking Tuesday said they would argue that concentration of media ownership in Murdoch's hands would give him the power to "taint the image of whomever they want."

Sharpton said he hasn't seen any of the Murdoch media cover his protest since the Feb. 18 cartoon was published. SOURCE

I was watching DL Hughley Breaks the News, after deciding to give the brother a second chance, and the Rev. Al Sharpton was his guest. They of course discussed the Monkey Cartoon and the NY Post. Sharpton made some interesting points about the racist nature of the cartoon, the illegitimacy of the Post, and their plans to go from a local to a national protest. Sharpton also mentioned that he does not expect President Barack Obama to comment on the Monkey Cartoon, to do so would be beneath him. He stated that President Obama is focused on more important goal of running the free world.

I was feeling really proud of DL when he makes a stupid comment later in the show about the crazy chimpanzee that mauled a woman and then said something like but enough about Chris Brown. Could he not see the irony/hypocrisy in his outrage at the NY Post and his relating a wild animal's behavior to a black man's alleged abuse? It amazes me that of all the intelligent comics with an expertise in political humor DL Hughley, who famously agreed on the Jay Leno show the Rutgers women basketball team, was a bunch of 'nappy-headed hoes' is the 'black' face of CNN. He faced a few protests of his own over the comment.

I digress.

With the selection of Benjamin Todd Jealous, a Rhodes Scholar, as new President, and the news coverage that followed, many questioned the relevance of NAACP.

Founded in 1909 by W.E.B. DuBois and Ida B. Wells-Barnett to fight black lynching, the NAACP is the most recognized name in the civil rights establishment with hundreds of branches. But after missteps, it is seeking to regain the influence of its heyday during the civil rights movement as it heads toward its centennial.

In recent months, the NAACP was forced to lay off a third of its staff because of a budget shortfall. The group also had to overcome public relations problems when it fired a past president for using organization funds to settle a sexual harassment claim against him.

The NAACP has long been criticized by young African Americans for failing to bring in fresh faces who can relate to the concerns of people who still face racial discrimination after the fall of segregation. Young bloggers have hammered the group, characterizing it as slow to react to a variety of issues. SOURCE

Even founder WEB Dubois resigned from the group in 1934, because he disagreed with their emphasis on integration/assimilation.

I have an inherent distrust of Rev. Al Sharpton for some reason, I think it's the James Brown perm. Anyway, should my inherent distrust shade my opinion of this protest. The new president of the NAACP is the former executive director of the National Newspapers Publisher's Association. There may be a personal as well as social benefit for sticking it to Murdoch. I don't like Murdoch, so does the motivation matter?

There is a disconnect between the leaders apparent of the African American community and actual African Americans. No more was this apparent than on the most recent election cycle, with many traditional civil rights leaders siding with Clinton and 90% of African Americans siding with Obama.

So what is the role of these groups?