Bob McCarty Writes

By Terresa Monroe-Hamilton, Guest Blogger

Wow, just simply wow… The arrogance, bigotry and vileness of this so-called journalist is staggering. And not a peep of this anywhere in the press no less. Gee, I wonder why the silence from the “old media.”

After my comments, you will see a copy of an email sent to me by a source today. We really need to get the word out on this one. I would wager that Mr. Lacey is guilty of defamation, not to mention blatant racism. His left-handed apology means nothing – he’s already outed himself for the bigot and cad that he really is.

To most Americans, this type of behavior is heinous. I don’t care if you own a ton of newspapers and have more money than you can count. “Kramer” and Imus were called on the carpet – shouldn’t this person be held accountable for his vulgar actions? He needs to resign as Executive Editor of the Village Voice and a boycott should be levied against his alternative news-weeklies. I personally have no patience for someone who is this hateful and insulting. And to receive a journalistic award on the 40th Anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination? What a monumental insult…

From Jerrod Washington:

Subject: Please consider covering – n**** word used by Village Voice Exec. at awards banquet

Please consider spreading the word and covering this atrocious incident which occurred Friday night in Phoenix. While accepting an award at the Society of Professional Journalists awards banquet, on the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr’s assassination, Village Voice Executive Editor Michael Lacey, who co-owns the Phoenix New Times and who has ownership in more alternative weeklies across the U.S. than anyone, gave a short vulgar acceptance speech in which he called another reporter a prick, told a story about a deceased reporter’s wife falling off her chair inebriated and implied she kept calling him afterwards from Rio De Janeiro as if she wanted to have an affair, and then referred to the deceased reporter as “my n*****” and said he fired him.

There were African-Americans present in the audience, including the mother of a deceased reporter who was accepting an award for him on his behalf. Another African-American reporter present from the Eyye, Billye Paulson, was so offended he sent Lacey an angry email afterwards.

Paul Curci, the publisher of Philadelphia City Paper, an alternative weekly newspaper, has written a furious letter to the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, below.

No national news media has covered this, and so Lacey has gotten away with nothing more than a mocking apology, which said in part, “It is regrettable that any phrase of mine offended those attending a First Amendment awards banquet.” This is a double standard considering others who have made similar remarks – like Don Imus – have lost their jobs over it.

Lacey is a hypocrite whose Phoenix New Times is quick to label local officials as racists. While the Phoenix New Times is known for its rough style of journalism, this goes way over the line of acceptable journalism and is doubly egregious considering Lacey is a powerful, influential national media owner.

Michael Lacey must resign. If he doesn’t, Village Voice should remove him. Help put pressure on Village Voice to remove him by sending them email at http://www.villagevoice.com/aboutus/index.php?page=contact or emailing the editor-in-chief at tortega@villagevoice.com

Read the rest of this excellent Terresa Monroe-Hamilton NoisyRoom blog post, then spread the word about it.

UPDATE 4-11-08 9:40 p.m. Central:  I Just found a video of the speech!  Click here.