Jon Elliott apologizes for faulty report of NYC mugging of Randi Rhodes

[RamboLiberal]

An Air America radio personality apologized Tuesday for saying that a colleague, the liberal talk show host Randi Rhodes, had been the victim of a violent street mugging perpetrated by "the right wing hate machine."

Air America's Jon Elliott announced on his late-night show Monday that Rhodes had been assaulted Sunday while walking her dog in Manhattan near her Park Avenue apartment. He also speculated that the attack was the work of someone trying to silence a liberal voice.

-----

"I shouldn't have speculated based on hearsay that Randi Rhodes had been mugged and that it may have been an attack from a right wing hate machine. I apologize for jumping to conclusions based on an emotional reaction," he said in a written statement.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--people-randirhode1016oct16,0,7372381.story

[BuyingThyme]

1. What exactly is speculation based on hearsay?

[lateo]

6. The Nightly News

[Breeze54]

10. LMFAO!!

:rofl: :rofl:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[midnight]

2. Is there any credibility to his speculation?

[Chomskyite]

3. What kind of loser is this?

And why would anyone listen to him now?

[Cetacea]

4. Her attorneys words don't exactly defuse this strange story.

"..."she was floored by someone-or something-as she strolled the streets"


One source has stuck to the story that she will need dental work.

edit:quote

[Breeze54]

14. Maybe she was pushed "by accident" and ....

the story grew wings from there?

"Was she "really" pushed"? or "Maybe it wasn't an 'accidental' 'push'"?

I'm guessing she couldn't really talk to well afterwards and maybe that's

why the message got garbled? :shrug:

Could be a lot of reasons why what happened is still unclear.

[baldguy]

5. Maybe he was upset that a collegue that he respected & admired

Had appearantly been injured? And he remembered that liberal radio personalities are 1000x more likely to be the target of nefarious individuals that wish to harm them?

[Cetacea]

7. Good point. And he apparently had this told to him.

And likely from an AAR insider. It appears that only Randi can clear this story up.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. A man of principle

try it sometime

Somebody who had none, woudl not apologize.

[Breeze54]

13. Jon Elliot is a very honest guy that seems to have made a mistake but

there have been DEATH THREATS against AAR hosts in the past and maybe that was his reaction.

I'm glad he apologized and I forgive him. He is NOT a nutcase.

He has a great show and he is a very kind human being!

We all have made mistakes. Give him a chance.

http://www.jonelliottshow.com/
Call into the show -- 866-303-2270

Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Randi Rhodes is the Victim of a Violent Attack

Updated on October 16 at 8:50 AM PDT. Update set in bold face italics

Randi Rhodes was mugged on Sunday night on 39th Street and Park Ave, nearby her Manhattan apartment, while she was walking her dog Simon.
http://talkingradio.blogspot.com/2007/10/randi-rhodes-is-victim-of-violent.html

SNIp--->

Attacks on liberal talk radio stations and their hosts are not a new thing. About a month ago a gunman fired a shot through a window at the studios of KPFT, Houston’s, Pacifica station narrowly missing a DJ who was hosting music show at the time. There is currently a $10,000 reward offered to anyone who identifies the shooter.

This is not the first politically motivated attack on KPFT. More than 35 years ago, the Ku Klux Klan blew up the station's transmitters twice within the Houston station's first year on the air.

Also, shortly after AAR morning talk show host Thom Hartmann, started doing talk radio (about four years ago), he was told by auto mechanic that there were several bullet holes in his car.

"To this day I don't know if somebody shot out my car as kids joyriding with a pistol or rifle... or was a warning or statement of displeasure about my radio show," Hartmann told TR. "I've gotten a lot of death threats and hate mail over the years - hate mail is pretty much a norm in this business - but nobody has taken a shot at me or my car since 2003."

Talk show host, Tom Leykis, who known to express liberal views on his daily "hot talk show" was assaulted outside a Seattle bar three years ago by agitated radio listeners.

According to the Seattle Times, a witness reported two men were involved in the incident:
"…One of the men said to Leykis, "I called your show once and you called me" a name. "You had no right to do that." Then a man standing to Leykis’ left kicked him in the face. The blow knocked him to his knees, leaving his right knee scraped and bruised."

Last year Stephanie Miller received a death threat from a nut case in Ohio named "Sock" Sokolowski. Here's what the letter said in part.

"As with Cindy Sheehan the best thing that could happen to you would be seeing some WONDERFUL activist sticking an AK-47 up your Glory Holes and sending you into eternity" ---
Miller called Socko during her show (yes, he actually included his phone number in the letter) and Socko claimed several times during the phone call that he didn't threaten Miller in the letter.

(Socko is not to be confused with Spocko, who is a liberal blogger who was threatened by ABC Radio's lawyers after he posted a list of advertisers to Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan's conservative talk show on KSFO-AM in San Francisco.)

Apparently, some right-wing critics of lib talk aren’t happy that conservative talk only accounts for 90% of the programming on talk radio. These whack jobs appear determined to whatever it takes to silence the opposing point of view.

Not surprisingly, the only talk radio host killed for his political views was a liberal. In 1984, two right wing extremists gunned down Denver talk show host Alan Berg. Berg’s tragic murder was memorialized in a chilling movie Talk Radio.

[tblue]

15. I think so. He apologized & tried to set the record straight asap. Talk show hosts are human, too.

I'll reserve my bashing for the r/w clowns.

[BornagainDUer]

21. You're a fucking idiot ""Chomskyite"".

[spanone]

8. sounds like a real dumbass

he should realize the power of the microphone....especially on aar

[NorthernSpy]

11. after all the trouble he's caused, only one thing to do...

:spank:

[baldguy]

12. And when was the last time your heard of a RW talker apologize for a mistake?

[tblue]

16. Çrickets chirping....

[Cetacea]

18. Don't everyone give examples at once now... n/t

[monktonman]

17. Exactly.......very good point. n/t

[NorthernSpy]

19. they usually try to brazen it out...

Which is why it wouldn't do to let them off with just a spank smilie.

[TheWebHead]

20. it's pretty odd to be injured falling and not remember anything

You'd wonder if it was due to a seizure similar to what happened w/ John Roberts... I hope it's not a domestic incident she's attempting to cover for.

[Virginia Dare]

22. Not if she was temporarily knocked out...

she may have little to no recollection of exactly what happened.

[NaturalHigh]

23. What a dimwit.

[Xenotime]

24. This is more of a coverup than anything..