I am the last person who'd come to the defense of Michelle Malkin. In fact, it hurts me a little to write this, as I detest her views. But sometimes pundits go too far, even in jest, and need to get called out: AAJA MediaWatch seeks apology for 'rice ball' comment on "Talking Liberally with Stephanie Miller."
The Asian American Journalists Association is demanding an apology for an incident that occurred last week on Current TV's Talking Liberally with Stephanie Miller, in which host Jacki Schechner used to term "rice ball" in reference to conservative pundit Michelle Malkin, who is Filipno American:
Here's part of AAJA MediaWatch's response:
In trying to counter an argument by Michele Malkin on the health care debate on the show "Talking Liberally with Stephanie Miller," your host Jacki Schechner played a comment from Ms. Malkin. Ms. Miller followed up with a dismissive quip, saying "we tried to unpack that little rice ball of nonsense..."AAJA is calling on Current TV to apologize and take steps to make sure the network's on-air discourse remains free of similar comments in the future. "Rice ball"? Call her an idiot, call her out of her mind -- I call her a sellout, a term I do not use lightly -- but don't go there with racist slurs. More here.
It's hard to believe that "rice ball" would have worked its way into the conversation if Ms. Malkin hadn't been of Asian descent. And whether the comment was meant to describe Ms. Malkin or her comment, it still isn't worthy of Ms. Schechner or of Current TV.