Time Magazine’s Mark Halperin offered a clue that he was about to go out on the edge during a 6/30/11 appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” when he asked if the seven-second delay was on. Host Joe Scarborough said it was and told him to go for it – and even though Scarborough said he is difficult to surprise, Halperin managed to do it by calling President Barack Obama a “d**k.” Halperin has been indefinitely suspended from any further appearances as an analyst on the network.
Despite Scarborough’s promise that the delay was on, the person operating it didn’t completely understand how it worked, so Halperin’s statement went out unbleeped.
In a statement, MSNBC said, “Mark Halperin’s comments this morning were completely inappropriate and unacceptable. We apologize to the President, The White House and all of our viewers. We strive for a high level of discourse and comments like these have no place on our air. Therefore, Mark will be suspended indefinitely from his role as an analyst.”
Halperin apologized on air and also issued a statement of apology. He said, “I completely agree with everything in MSNBC’s statement about my remark. I believe that the step they are taking in response is totally appropriate. Again, I want to offer a heartfelt and profound apology to the President, to my MSNBC colleagues, and to the viewers. My remark was unacceptable, and I deeply regret it.”
RBR-TVBR observation: Just enjoy it when someone in the press says the truth about what he or she really thinks.
