Michael Savage Calls for the Deportation of Minnesota Monitor Journalists – Press Release

For Immediate Release

MICHAEL SAVAGE CALLS FOR DEPORTATION OF MINNESOTA MONITOR JOURNALISTS

Syndicated talk show host has made derogatory statements in the past

MINNEAPOLIS (03/14/2007) — In an email sent to Minnesota Monitor, nationally-syndicated radio talk show host Michael Savage Tuesday called for the deportation of its staff’s journalists, including Abdi Aynte.

On Monday, journalist Aynte broke the story that Muslim imams would be filing a lawsuit against U.S. Airways for discrimination. The story was sent via email to news media outlets nationwide. Upon receipt of the news release, Savage sent this startling response:

“You and they should be deported for taking advantage of this great nation.”

Aynte, a Somali-American living in Minneapolis, has been covering the imam story as a journalist with Minnesota Monitor since November and is in no way connected to the lawsuit or the imams.

Abdi Aynte is a Somali immigrant who came to the United States to become a journalist and live the American dream, said MinnesotaMonitor.com Editor Robin Marty. “Savage, were he to read the constitution, would find that reporters are not deported for doing their jobs, they’re protected for doing their jobs. This liberty is taken serious by Abdi, who has been covering the imams’ controversy as a journalist in a fair, accurate and professional manner.”

In July 2003, Savage was fired from national cable news channel MSNBC for saying to a caller that he was a “sodomite” and that he should “get AIDS and die.”

To verify the origin of the Savage email, Marty contacted Beowulf Rochlen, Savage’s radio show executive producer. In reply, Rochlen asked that Minnesota Monitor not to send Savage news releases directly. Minnesota Monitor will be sending this news release directly to Savage and then cease communication.

In direct response to Savage’s call for deportation, Aynte has written column on the issue titled, “Why Would Michael Savage Want Me Deported?” The column is available here.

Minnesota Monitor also filed a story Tuesday questioning The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the group who filed the U.S. Airways lawsuit on behalf of the imams, and its policy of barring media deemed unfriendly from its news conferences.

“This week, Minnesota Monitor was first on the story, reported the story and will continue its work as independent journalists, no matter how ignorant Savage remains about journalists do,” said Marty.

Minnesota Monitor is owned and operated by its editor Robin Marty. Marty, of Minneapolis, is also the Center for Independent Media’s Minnesota coordinator for the New Journalist Program.

The Center for Independent Media is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that fosters diversity of ideas in the national debate through the advancement of independent media, with a primary emphasis on online journalism. The Center brings talented and diverse voices and ideas to the forefront through its fellowships, publications, conferences and research.  Programs emphasize the importance of citizen-driven journalism as a critical founding principle of our nation.  Program participants adhere to the highest standards of journalism and follow the code of ethics adopted by the Society of Professional Journalists.