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Current’s The Young Turks Airs Alleged ‘F*cking C**ns’ Trayvon Martin 911 Call Uncensored

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» 63 comments

Although not regulated by the FCC, basic cable news channels generally adhere to the same language standards as their broadcast counterparts, with occasional exceptions. Current TV’s The Young Turks made such an exception Tuesday night, airing uncensored audio of the 911 call that many are convinced features George Zimmerman muttering “f**king c**ns” minutes before he shot and killed Trayvon Martin. The Young Turks‘ Cenk Uygur explained the decision to Mediaite.

Uygur stablemate Keith Olbermann has already flouted traditional broadcast standards a number of times, but in a very different way, moving “asshole” into the rotation of things he called people in his now-defunct “Worst Persons” segment. Call it one of the advantages of being on an upstart network.

But in this case, the airing of the clearly audible expletive “fucking” was in service to a more noble goal. I asked Cenk to explain the thought process. Here’s his response:(via email)

We had a long discussion about whether to run it unedited. Ultimately, we thought the newsworthiness of it mattered more than the fact that it was a profanity. You couldn’t hear it fully if it was partly bleeped. We listened to it dozens of times to make sure we were presenting it in a way that our audience was going to get the most clarity on it. The racial insult on the call could be pivotal to the case, especially on the issue of whether the federal government gets involved. The bottom line is that we are here to serve the audience and bring them the full context of the news.

It appears other outlets are bleeping it, which I obviously disagree with. I don’t think you have to be gratuitous about how many times you play it and we only ran it unedited once on the TV show, but I don’t think it’s right to leave the audience out of the loop on hearing the tape for themselves.

While the channel’s many detractors deride them for their still-growing audience numbers, Current TV has a huge advantage with younger viewers (especially The Young Turks, according to sources at the network), which in turn means that testing the fence on language standards carries less risk. The value of such latitude is debatable when it comes to getting to call people you don’t like “asshole” (although I’m all for the skilled use of all words, “profane” or not), but in the context of a news story, I believe it is an absolute good.

There’s a certain logic to keeping the evening news free of profanity, but even then, a content warning with a sufficient interval should be enough to clear the room of any 9 year-old news junkies. If harsh language plays a pivotal role in a news story, there ought to be a compelling news interest in censoring it, as well. The delicate sensibilities of some viewers is not only insufficient, it’s counter to the goal: censoring this tape, for example, blunts the impact that it will have especially on people who find such language distasteful.

Here’s the clip, from Current TV’s The Young Turks:


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  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TWK2YYJTTIDLZIVV7NKZM23Z6Q Tyler

    Thanks Cenk for not whitewashing the story.  

  • Anonymous

    Next, they’ll have strippers on to enhance a story on why police respond to quickly, and take so long to resolve, disturbance calls are strip clubs.    While its arguable to make the case its useful to prove he did indeed appear to say what he appeared to say they could have accomplished the same thing by having actual objective listeners confirm it.  In a way, they are admitting their lack of objectivity by not trusting their audience to take their word, but of course the real reason they did it was because they could and because it gets them noticed – which brings me back to my first point…

  • Anonymous

    Even if the FCC did regulate cable news channels, they wouldn’t have anything to worry about because no one watches Current TV.

  • Anonymous

    No one cares,,,,because no one watched

  • Anonymous

    Congratulations on posting the most insanely idiotic thing I’ve seen on the Internet today. The very first thing I did yesterday, when this story broke, was seek out the uncensored version so that I could hear it for myself and make my own judgement. It’s not salacious, it’s not titillating and it IS integral to the story because what Zimmerman says is in question (although it really shouldn’t be … it’s pretty damn clear). Allowing their viewers to hear for themselves is responsible journalism.

  • Anonymous

    I do the same thing (with other stories, for this one I was fine to accept other’s descriptions), generally the first place I check whenever news breaks is LiveLeak since its more likely to have raw video versus just clips from a news show.  I disagree with your conclusion though, a viewer actively seeking it out, or even following a link on a website article discussing it, is very different than a viewer watching a show where its shown to them whether they want to hear it or not – though of course they could choose not to watch.   Like I said, I would rather a program describe it, but if they choose to make the raw source available online I have no objection.  In fact I was criticized recently for accepting posting of police reports as long as identifiable information is scrubbed, but again, posting it where I have to choose to view it is different than presenting it on a scripted program.

  • Ian Kable

     This young man’s family has solicited the support of the race pimp Al Sharpton, and thus any sympathy I might have had for them is now long dead.

    I now see this as a sequel to the Tawana Brawley incident.

  • Anonymous

     ”Not raccoons you idiot! Niggehz!! Haha”

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_HB62J5OFDLFHOMD3DXN2PCROKQ Matthew

     So, crimes are only crimes when GOPstoppers feel sympathy. Thanks for the clarity.

  • Anonymous

    Congrats. We all now know you read the Blaaaaaaaazzzze and can regurgitate their talking points.

    Hope you’re not a fan of Skittles

  • Ian Kable

    I clearly explained my lack of sympathy.

    I don’t see how political affiliation is relevant in this case.

    Your straw man is poisoning the well.

  • WiddleBabyDanielson

    HOW IS HE STILL HERE???

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/3EV7LMBN3SWQMEVDJCAKUCTCKM Top

    Another of your racist posts where you don’t have the gonads to actually spell it out.

  • Ian Kable

     I think this is probably more insanely idiotic.

    http://www.thegrio.com/specials/trayvon-martin/black-militia-group-wants-to-arrest-trayvon-martin-shooter.php

    Imagine what we would see in the media if the tables were turned and a white militia group proposed such retaliation.

    I can see it now.

    “White Supremacist Tea Party Militia Declares War On Blacks!”

  • Just Another Blowhard

    “Next, they’ll have strippers on to enhance a story on why police respond
    to quickly, and take so long to resolve, disturbance calls at strip
    clubs.”

    I’d watch that show.

    Also isn’t this what James O’Keefe is known for??  I mean, he showed how easy it was to register a fake name for voting by actually registering a fake name for voting.

  • Just Another Blowhard

     so you have no sympathy for a unarmed dead 17 year old…

    How Christian…

  • Anonymous

    Oh, you’re a stable voice.

  • Just Another Blowhard

     I don’t understand it myself.  I get banned for commenting on how a right wing poster was so easy to dismiss a female reporter because he thought she was a “liberal” (I used a line and a scene from Monty Python) and apparently this man who uses rascist language, creates phony accounts based on other posters, and spams Beitbarts name every weekend, is allowed to stay.

    I guess someones reps like him…

  • Ian Kable

     Actually all you know for certain is that I read Mediaite and The Grio.

    I know The Blaze has a story on this, because I saw it in the RSS feed. However, I actually haven’t read The Blaze’s story on this yet, but I will now.

    Your straw man is poisoning the well.

    PS

    I’m immune to such fallacious tripe.

  • Anonymous

    Uh, what are you actually complaining about ?

  • Ian Kable

    I just read The Blaze’s story.

    It appears The New Black Liberation Militia, which is gunning for George Zimmerman, makes the NBPP look like the Boy Scouts with more militaristic uniforms.

  • Anonymous

    I think because of the racial element, gun element, and Florida law that may result in this being an ‘acceptable’ shooting this case has the potential to be similar to the Casey Anthony trial.  Zimmerman did so many things wrong (but possibly/incredibly/stupidly legal) there’s going to be all sorts of people seeing it as justification for whatever position they have.

  • Ian Kable

    I’m bothered by Sharpton because he’s a race panderer whose fabrications have actually instigated violence. Again, this has absolutely nothing to do with political affiliation.To imply that an objection to racial pandering must be motivated by political affiliation is utterly fallacious and in itself a racist supposition.

    Are you not familiar with the Crown Heights riots of 1991?

    Anyone who would go to this man for support is not to be trusted as far as I’m concerned.

    PS

    When did I say I was a Christian?

  • Ian Kable

     More so than most.

  • Ian Kable

    Zimmerman’s 911 call suggests the young man confronted him, while Zimmerman was simply participating in surveillance of sorts. Because of this, the young man’s subsequent death is the only reason I give him any consideration at all.

    Although we see things differently, your comment is not entirely illogical in my opinion.

  • Hout Bosques

    “Congratulations on posting the most insanely idiotic thing I’ve seen on the Internet today.” Chuckles is a regular daily winner of the coveted Most Inane Comment Of The Day award. It’s like a talent.

  • Hout Bosques

    Chuckles, you really have an impoverished imagination. You think in similes rather than in metaphors.

  • NeoKong

    Too garbled to make out.
    It sounds like the f-word but after that I’m not so sure.
    They should clean it up a little and eliminate the background noise before they replay it.

  • Hout Bosques

    That’s just incoherent. But even in it’s incoherence, it gets things wrong. It’s not “Zimmerman’s 911 call” that suggests that – Zimmerman we understand is CONSTANTLY calling 911 about stuff that doesn’t concern him. It’s ZIMMERMAN doing a fantasized play-by-play of his thinking process. The kid isn’t doing a thing to encourage any of that. It’s Zimmerman concocting a narrative.

  • Hout Bosques

    How many efforts are you wingers going to try at concocting a simile to this incident? It’s Casey, it’s Duke Lacrosse, it’s Brawley; how about it’s Zimmerman killing young Martin. How about it’s IT’S OWN narrative, not one you’ve drawn from your well of winger memes.

  • Hout Bosques

    Most what?

  • Hout Bosques

    It’s pretty clear he calls it like he sees it, & calls it a lot more plainly than other wingers here. The one thing going for him is he’s plain with his violent bigotry.

  • Ian Kable

    I will illustrate as many analogies as I must to make Sharpton’s duplicitous racial pandering and instigation clear. However, some of you will never get it.

  • Ian Kable

     No no no. We cannot have any semblance of objectivity.

  • Just Another Blowhard

    so therefor, because of an association, justice must not prevail in this case?

  • Ian Kable

    As I clearly stated, I have no sympathy for the young man’s family. I made no mention of sympathy or a lack thereof for the young man.

  • Anonymous

    You’re right; only you know if you’re being unoriginal.

    And straw man? WTH are you talking about?

  • Anonymous

    Whether he’s a goober or not, Zimmerman was patrolling the area in an official capacity – and that gives him a reason to take an interest in Trayvon.  Its even possible Trayvon saw him and tried to ‘lose him’ by ducking down a street or through someones yard or something, which made Zimmerman even more suspicious, so I agree its possible Trayvon initiated the direct conversation, which somehow escalated in to a fight.  The FBI are pretty good at interviewing and reviewing already existing evidence, I’m confident a prosecutor will be able to put together a case.  Whether he’s to be found guilty or not I’ve no idea, because as we say he had a reason observe Trayvon – but of course that in no way is an excuse of his later actions, we just don’t know why those later actions occurred.  We can assume Zimmerman was too aggressive (based on his 911 call) and created the confrontation, but we don’t really know what happened. 

  • Anonymous

     Spell what out?

  • Anonymous

     Free speech $ucks don’t it?

  • Mk46 mod0

    Just a guess, but I’m thinking, ignorant liberal stupidity?

  • Mk46 mod0

    You just wait, you…Media Matters is working on that RIGHT NOW, you’ll see.

  • Mk46 mod0

    And you appear to be of a groupthink, fish ball mentality…perfected in an echo chamber of arrogant, liberal ignorance.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/QOEYRWWMRQEDDWNCUYIKBAYMMA PolitcalEnigma

    What the heck are you babbling about? My gosh

  • Mk46 mod0

    You would have made a good Nazi!

  • Mk46 mod0

    LOL… Is “simile” your Word-Of-The-Day?
    You seem to use it a lot and try and fit it in whenever you can. lol

  • http://twitter.com/bohratom Bohr Atom

    Tommy has a hard-on watching CurrentTV

  • Anonymous

    This is a very important element with this story, and one that needs to be thoroughly vetted.  Cenk and Current TV did absolutely the right thing by airing this.  What’s truly sad is listening to some of the racist bigotry clearly being spewed by the wingnuts on this thread.

  • Anonymous

     Just keep on flagging, Bro!

  • Just Another Blowhard

     No one from the government is trying to stop you

  • http://www.facebook.com/milowent Milo A. Wendt

    everybody does.  Cenk is a beautiful man, don’t deny it.

  • Just Another Blowhard

     Isn’t that the Minutemen???

  • http://www.facebook.com/milowent Milo A. Wendt

    dude, just because one black person lied once, doesn’t mean every black person lied everytime.  would you apply that standard to white people?  to go back almost as far as you:  “oh, well, susan smith lied about drowning her kids, so obviously white people always lie.”  its ridiculous.  al sharpton doesn’t only say “ah, this person is lying, so i’ll support them.”

  • Anonymous

     Then why do you flag, all of my comments?…………Is it because you’re so tolerant of other opinions?……………..Or maybe it’s because wish not to debate any dissenters, but to silence them instead…………..Stalin would be proud of you for being a good little communist!

  • Just Another Blowhard

    1. How do you know it is me that is flagging you? If I was, I can assure you I am not the only one.
    2. I welcome debate. I enjoy it. Ask any of the right leaning posters on this site. Even some of the hardcore ones I debate. What you do is different, and you know that. The language you use and your arguments are nothing but trolling. You want a response. You want to feel more important that you actually are. That is why you spam Beitbarts name every weekend.
    3Your last comment proves my point.

  • South Park Conservatives

    Still no coverage on this site about the two black teens set white teen on fire in Kansas City. No mention of the hate crime. Not much coverage from the msm. Not has much has this case has gotten.I wonder why.

  • http://libertyinprogressnow.us/ ProgLib

    Zimmerman’s 911 call suggests the young man confronted him, while Zimmerman was simply participating in surveillance of sorts.

    First of all, if Zimmerman was participating in a simple neighborhood watch surveillance, he should have identified himself as such to Trayvon, instead of just asking “what are you doing around here?”

    Second, Trayvon asked him “why are you following me?” (and Zimmerman told the 911 operator he was following him), which completely disproves your claim that Trayvon initiated anything.

    Check the facts next time.

  • http://libertyinprogressnow.us/ ProgLib

    Do you chime in on these discussion just to complain about liberals or serve an actual purpose? Learn to stay on topic, chief.

  • Mk46 mod0

    I pretty much do as I please without permission from worthless entitlement whore, progressive libs leeches.

    The topic is what I choose it to be.

    When I hear “progressive”, I tend to think of an out of control infection in need of serious medicine and possible “lancing” to drain out some of the putrid pus.

    “Chief”…close! lol

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/D7SM25L672V2BCGDVP3KM4AI2Q paulo m

    I don’t think it is definitive enough. I hear “Punks” when I am told it is going to be “punks” and I hear “coons” when I am told it is “coons”.  It is probably because my hearing is not too great, but I do not find the evidence overwhelming.

  • http://www.facebook.com/andrew.sappington Andrew Sappington

    You are a sick f@ck. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/andrew.sappington Andrew Sappington

     He admitted in an earlier post that he is a computer hacker and he is able to prevent Mediaite from blocking his account. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/andrew.sappington Andrew Sappington

    I don’t know what you are trying to say.  Police are searching for the two boys.  If they catch them they will prosecute them.  Don’t you see how the Zimmerman case is different?  They know who killed the boy and have refused to arrest him.  Are you trying to say that the media doesn’t care about white boys?  You couldn’t be that stupid.  Or maybe you are. 

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