The MSNBC contributor was fired, then rehired after an offensive tweet he sent in 2009. Sam Seder, who is also the host of the radio show, "The Majority Report," talks about becoming the subject of media outrage and why MSNBC eventually changed their...
The MSNBC contributor was fired, then rehired after an offensive tweet he sent in 2009.
Sam Seder, who is also the host of the radio show, "The Majority Report," talks about becoming the subject of media outrage and why MSNBC eventually changed their minds about his 2009 tweet. In the tweet, Seder criticized liberals for defending filmmaker Roman Polanski, who fled the United States after being charged with drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl.
It all started when right wing activist Mike Cernovich resurfaced the tweet and accused Seder of joking about rape. That pressure campaign initially led MSNBC to tell Seder they would not be renewing his contract, but after outrage from many journalists, including MSNBC's Chris Hayes, the network reversed the decision.
In an interview with Salon's Alyona Minkovski for "Salon Talks," Seder said that we're in a time where media organizations are "shying away from controversy involving their own employees." According to Seder, "the days where you could just step back and not pick a side are over."
Seder says he is glad to be back at MSNBC, but says that he wants "every journalist in the country and every executive of every media outlet to know exactly whose claims they are going to be promoting" regarding right wing agitators. Cernovich has denied date rape exists, and pushed the Pizzagate conspiracy online.