Michael Brown

Daily Beast Notes Asian-Owned Businesses Bearing Brunt of Looting in Ferguson
By Ken Shepherd | August 20, 2014 | 4:15 PM EDT

Here's a somewhat racial angle to the Ferguson, Mo., saga that you probably won't see MSNBC pick up on. The Daily Beast's Tim Mak today reported on "Ferguson's Other Race Problem: Riots Damaged Asian-Owned Stores."

"Asian-Americans own a number of the stores lining West Florissant Avenue, where more than 20 businesses have suffered damage in the wake of Michael Brown’s killing," Mak noted, adding that "At least five of these stores are Asian-American-owned, according to local sources and business records. Just 0.5 percent of Ferguson is of Asian descent, according to 2010 U.S. Census data." While he made clear that local Asian-American business owners "don’t think looters targeted them because of their race" that it's undisputable that they have suffered store damage and economic loss because of the looting and violence:

Only NBC Acknowledges Gov. Jay Nixon Calling For ‘Vigorous Prosecution’ of Missouri Cop
By Jeffrey Meyer | August 20, 2014 | 11:36 AM EDT

On Tuesday, August 19, Governor Jay Nixon (D-Mo.) called for the “vigorous prosecution” of Darren Wilson, the Missouri police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown last week. 

Despite the highly charged rhetoric by the state’s Democratic governor, NBC’s Today was the only network morning show to acknowledge Nixon’s comments, giving it a mere 41 seconds on its Wednesday morning broadcast. ABC and CBS’s morning shows ignored the governor’s contentious comments. All three networks failed to cover Governor Nixon’s comments on their Tuesday evening newscasts. [See video below.]

Rush Limbaugh on Outrage Over Ferguson Video: 'It Destroyed the Myth' About Michael Brown
By Jack Coleman | August 19, 2014 | 8:35 PM EDT

Ever since police in Ferguson, Mo., released surveillance footage that appears to show Michael Brown stealing cigars from a convenience store minutes before he was shot to death after a confrontation with a local cop, we've heard an endless chorus of perceived wisdom that releasing the video was certain to cause more chaos.

The fact that civil disorder grew far worse in the wake of the video's release, and only 24 hours after relative calm when the Missouri highway patrol assumed jurisdiction over the case, has repeatedly been cited as evidence that putting the footage in the public domain was sheer folly. (Audio clips after the jump)

CNN's Pereira Bemoans Chicago Violence 'Taking A Back Seat in the Headlines;' CNN Barely Covers
By Matthew Balan | August 19, 2014 | 5:17 PM EDT

On Tuesday's This Hour, Michaela Pereira endorsed guest L. Z. Granderson's take on the media's extensive coverage of the ongoing turmoil in Ferguson, Missouri in the wake of the shooting death of Michael Brown. The liberal commentator pointed out that "this past weekend, we had over 30 people shot – seven of them died – in the neighborhoods in Chicago – many of them black and brown. None of that was covered." [MP3 audio available here; video below the jump]

Pereira replied to Granderson by asserting that "because of Ferguson, Chicago is sort of taking a back seat in the headlines. And Chicago's a very concerning thing, and we need to keep watching. We need to keep addressing what's going on there." One wonders if the anchor will criticize her own network, as CNN has only mentioned the violence in the Windy City twice over the past week. Back on the August 13, 2014 edition of The Lead, Jake Tapper cited a recent column by Jesse Jackson:

MSNBC Contributor Michelle Bernard Sees 'War on Black Boys' in America, Fears 'Genocide'
By Ken Shepherd | August 18, 2014 | 8:52 PM EDT

Move over, War on Women, there's a new war in town. On the August 18 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, contributor Michelle Bernard warned there is a "war on black men" in the United States, as evidence both by the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and persistent criticism of President Barack Obama from Republicans.

What's more, Bernard insisted, there would be a "genocide" of young black men unless the problem were seriously addressed to her satisfaction. Suffice it to say, Hardball host Chris Matthews at no point called out Ms. Bernard for her heated rhetoric. [see relevant transcript below the page break; MP3 audio here; video update forthcoming]

Maddow Gets it Backward, Claims That Ferguson Police Have Been 'Rioting'
By Jack Coleman | August 18, 2014 | 8:29 PM EDT

Presumption of innocence -- A hallowed principle of criminal law to the effect that the government has the burden of proving every element of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt and that the defendant has no burden to prove his innocence. (As defined by Black's Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition). Presumption of guilt -- The strongly held and default opinion of MSNBC political analysts toward a white police officer involved in a violent altercation with a black youth.

MSNBC's coverage of civil unrest in Ferguson, Mo., since the shooting death of Michael Brown by a local police officer veered into Alice-in-Wonderland territory Friday night. (Video after the jump)

WashPost's Lowery: Ferguson, Mo., the Nation's Other 'War'
By Ken Shepherd | August 18, 2014 | 5:45 PM EDT

Wesley Lowery was catapulted from relative obscurity to household-name status last week, at least for obsessive viewers of the MSNBC network, thanks to his arrest and brief detention by authorities in Ferguson, Missouri, last week. So perhaps it's not all too surprising that the Washington Post reporter -- whose beat usually is "Congress and national politics" -- used his Twitter account this afternoon to make some decidedly non-objective, leftward-lurching tweets about President Obama's Monday afternoon Eastern news conference.

"Obama currently discussing our two wars: in Iraq and Ferguson, Mo," Lowery quipped shortly the beginning of the news conference. Minutes later he tweeted about how the president announced that Attorney General Eric Holder was heading to Ferguson. Apparently bemused by a reply to that tweet, Lowery later retweeted a quip from Glenn Fleishman, "He’d better get there before curfew, I guess." Other prominent African-American journalists who frequently appear on MSNBC used Twitter to register frustration with President Obama, hitting him from the Left. Washington Post's Nia-Malika Henderson tweeted:

Jesse Jackson Insists No Situation Could Exist Where Michael Brown Should Have Been Shot
By Jeffrey Meyer | August 18, 2014 | 5:26 PM EDT

Appearing on the Steve Malzberg Show on Newsmax TV, Reverend Jesse Jackson maintained that regardless of the events prior to Michael Brown’s death, there was no instance in which the Ferguson police officer should have shot the unarmed teen.

During the contentious interview on Monday, August 18, Malzberg highlighted details in which Michael Brown allegedly attacked officer Darren Wilson, including trying to obtain his gun, but Jackson remained defiant and claimed that Malzberg was “drawing up the worst possible scenario” surrounding the shooting. [See video below.] 

NBC’s Mitchell Declares Al Sharpton In Ferguson ‘On A Peace Mission’
By Jeffrey Meyer | August 17, 2014 | 1:40 PM EDT

Filling in as host on NBC’s Meet the Press, Andrea Mitchell, NBC's Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent and host of MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports, rushed to defend her colleague Al Sharpton for his involvement in the Ferguson protests.

During a discussion with the Wall Street Journal’s Jason Riley, Mitchell declared that Sharpton was in Ferguson “on a peace mission” and not in the words of Riley to “continue to blame whites” for the death of Michael Brown. [See video below.] 

Before Catching Himself, Luke Russert Speaks of the 'Murder' of Michael Brown
By Mark Finkelstein | August 15, 2014 | 3:58 PM EDT

Was it a simple mistake, or more deeply revealing of how Luke Russert regards events in Ferguson, MO?  With Chuck Todd on his way to Meet The Press, Russert hosted MSNBC's Daily Rundown today.

Speaking with NBC reporter Ron Allen, on the scene in Ferguson, Russert said: "the big news this morning is we expect to hear for the first time the name of the officer who was involved in the murder of Michael Brown -- or the killing of Michael Brown."  H/t reader Charles B. View the video after the jump.

Sharpton Hits Back at Critic Who Called Him 'Coon' for Seeking Publicity After Ferguson Shooting
By Randy Hall | August 14, 2014 | 11:23 PM EDT

Soon after 18-year-old Michael Brown was gunned down by an unidentified policeman on Sunday afternoon in Ferguson, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis, Rev. Al Sharpton arrived on the scene to “speak up for the family of the victim” and spend a great deal of time in the spotlight.

However, the host of MSNBC's weekday afternoon PoliticsNation program quickly became the target of several critics, one of whom accused him of being a publicity-seeking “coon.” Sharpton shot back that “using a racial term tells you more about him than me.”

Andrea Mitchell Wonders If WashPost Reporter Was ‘Detained For Reporting While Black?'
By Jeffrey Meyer | August 14, 2014 | 4:12 PM EDT

In the wake of Ferguson, Missouri teen Michael Brown’s shooting death following a confrontation with local police, two reporters, one with the Washington Post and another with the Huffington Post, were arrested by officials for failing to follow police orders as the town continues to deal with ongoing violence and looting.

Following the arrest of Wesley Lowery, an African American reporter for the Washington Post, and later the arrest of Ryan Kelly, a white reporter for the Huffington Post, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell sent out a tweet on Wednesday, August 13 asking if Lowery was “detained for reporting while black?”