Bill Cosby's Call for Neutrality from Black Journalists Backfires
On Friday, Bill Cosby broke his silence to speak to the New York Post's Stacy Brown, telling him that the black media should be "neutral" when reporting on the multiple rape allegations against him. Today, the President of the National Association of Black Journalists Bob Butler rejected Cosby's whole premise.
Cosby told Brown, who is part of the black press:
Let me say this. I only expect the black media to uphold the standards of excellence in journalism and when you do that you have to go in with a neutral mind.
Today, Butler tells TMZ that "almost all" reports on Cosby's alleged crimes have been unbiased, and that black journalists should be offended by Cosby's statement. "You don't go easier on a person with color," he says. "Its wrong for journalism period. This not a color issue, this is a journalism issue... black people happen to be reporters."
Yesterday, Camille Cosby released her first statement about the accusations against her husband, comparing them to the Rolling Stone UVa story. Hours later, a woman accused Bill Cosby of drugging and inappropriately touching her in 2008, which may be the first accusation against Cosby within the statute of limitations for criminal charges in California.
[Photo via AP]