Sunday, November 16, 2014

Use of ‘Redskins’ on the Airwaves Is Down 42 Percent

According to data from CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN, the R-word has been spoken by broadcasters during NFL games at least 605 times in the last ten weeks.  Deadspin noted that after ten weeks into the 2013 season, the word was mentioned 1,040 times, which means its use is down 42 percent. Also, references to “Washington” are up 10 percent.

CBS and ESPN have both said that using “Redskins” during broadcasts is up to their individual announcers. Newspaper organizations such as the New York Daily News, The Seattle Times, and The Washington Post’s editorial board have banned the use of the word.

In September, the Change the Mascot campaign sent a letter signed by more than 100 Native groups and diverse coalitions to radio and TV broadcasters asking them not to utter the word.

“Every time the slur is promoted on the public airwaves even in a non-critical way by a journalist, it is an endorsement of the continued use of this slur,” the campaign said in a statement. “In other words, using this word is not just to legitimize it - it is to endorse its use, to ignore its definition and to defend its message.”



> The article above is re-posted from the Indian Country Today Media Network, and was written by their staff.

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