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LIers weigh in on new Don Imus controversy

Don Imus, responding to criticism about racialremarks on his radio program, said on the air Tuesday he was tryingto "make a sarcastic point" about unfair treatment of blacks inthe criminal justice system

News 12 Staff

Jun 24, 2008, 1:11 PM

Updated 6,052 days ago

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Don Imus, responding to criticism about racialremarks on his radio program, said on the air Tuesday he was tryingto "make a sarcastic point" about unfair treatment of blacks inthe criminal justice system but had been misunderstood. Imus resurrected his radio career six months ago with a pledgeto mend the wounds caused by a racist and sexist comment he madeabout a women's basketball team. On Tuesday he said he was following the spirit of that promiseby calling attention to the unfair treatment of blacks - in thiscase the arrests of suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones. "What people should be outraged about is that they arrestblacks for no reason," Imus said Tuesday. "I mean, there's noreason to arrest this kid six times. Maybe he did something once,but everyone does something once." He called the flurry of criticism surrounding the comments"ridiculous" and said that his program's cast is now more diversethan ever - and includes a black producer and two black co-hosts, aman and a woman. "How insane would I have to be? What would I be thinking?"Imus wondered aloud. The latest comments by Imus to come under scrutiny were aired onMonday's broadcast. During a conversation about Jones' run-ins withthe law, Imus asked, "What color is he?" Sports announcer WarnerWolf said Jones - formerly known as Pacman - is"African-American." Imus responded: "There you go. Now weknow." The on-air exchange came months after Imus' return to work on anew show on WABC-AM following his firing from MSNBC and CBS Radiofor calling the Rutgers University women's basketball team"nappy-headed hos." When he returned to work, Imus gave a lengthy on-air apology andpledged to use his new show to foster an open dialogue on racerelations. Co-host Karith Foster, who is black, came to Imus' defenseduring Tuesday's broadcast, saying, "People who interpret what yousaid as racist clearly didn't hear the whole thing, and they don'tknow who you are and what the program is about - and they obviouslyhaven't been listening." Jones told The Dallas Morning News in Tuesday editions that he'supset by Imus' comments and plans to pray for the radio host. "I'm truly upset about the comments," Jones said. "ObviouslyMr. Imus has problems with African-Americans. I'm upset, and I hopethe station he works for handles it accordingly. I will pray forhim." WABC and Citadel Broadcasting Corp. Vice President Phil Boycesaid Monday that it was unlikely the broadcasters would takedisciplinary action against Imus.