14 DAY TRIAL // Afternoon talk-show host Martin Bashir signed in his resignation on Wednesday (Dec. 3), following an on-air attack on former Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin. The presenter made some very strong remarks on Palin on his show back in November.
At the time, Bashir actually called Palin a “world class idiot” when the Alaskan governor brought into discussion the issue of the US borrowing money from China, a fact which she compared to slavery.
Bashir went on in his show to cite a diary item to describe various punishments for slaves, one of which was to eat excrement. The host added that Palin herself should be forced to eat excrement. Needless to say, he was later forced to issue an on-air apology for these statements.
Following this incident, Martin Bashir took two weeks of leave from the network, which was billed as a vacation but was probably a control method of keeping the reporter off the screen and hopefully out of people's minds.
Pressure seems to have built up nonetheless, as yesterday Martin Bashir announced his resignation from MSNBC, after a meeting with Phil Griffin, president of the network.
He issued an official statement saying, “I deeply regret what was said, will endeavor to work hard at making constructive contributions in the future and will always have a deep appreciation for our viewers – who are the smartest, most compassionate and discerning of all television audiences.”
The president of the network also had something to say on the matter: “Martin Bashir resigned today, effective immediately. I understand his decision and I thank him for three great years with msnbc. Martin is a good man and respected colleague - we wish him only the best.” Which pretty much makes it sound like it was entirely Martin's decision.
There is evidence that this is not the first time Bashir has made some controversial comments on camera.
In the summer of 2008, while working for ABC, he reportedly addressed an Asian American Journalists convention in Chicago during which he began comparing a speech with his colleague's dress: a speech should be “like a dress on a beautiful woman — long enough to cover the important parts and short enough to keep your interest — like my colleague Juju’s.” He was suspended after the incident.