Robert Pape made some interesting points in his column on April 19 entitled, "A matter of trust." Mr. Pape did a great job outlining the harm that Don Imus caused to the industry of journalism. What Mr. Pape failed to do, however, was recognize the incredible amount of good that Mr. Imus has done not just for the industry of journalism, but for this country as a whole. For example, Don Imus runs the Imus Ranch, the sole purpose of which is to "provide the experience of the great American cowboy to children suffering from cancer or serious blood disorders, and children who've lost brothers and sisters to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)." (Quote taken from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3359675/). And his ranch isn't even the extent of his philanthropic nature. Every year, WFAN has a radio telethon which raises money and donates it to children's charities across the country. The day that Don Imus was fired, he raised nearly $1.4 million for children's charities.
I understand that what he said was offensive, insensitive and entirely uncalled for. But was it really worth it to end the career of a man who has spent nearly 30 years on the air raising money and awareness for children? How much money has the Rutgers Women's basketball team raised for children's charities in the last 20 years? Most likely it is not $1.4 million, which is what Mr. Imus raised in a day.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
