Like many artists, Talib Kweli has weighed in on the shooting death of Ferguson, MO teenager Michael Brown and the ensuing clashes between police and protestors. He has also spoken out against mainstream media coverage of the event, taking CNN host anchor Don Lemon to task in an interview by bringing up allegedly misleading information the news station has delivered over the past week and a half.
The interview confirms that Kweli quickly made his way to Ferguson to see for himself how the narrative has been unfolding, noting that Twitter movements can only do so much ("Without the people on the ground, actually here, there is no story"). He then added that as far as news coverage goes, "The media's been doing a horrible job of making sure the story's getting out in the right way."
Lemon stepped in to defend what he felt was balanced coverage, but Kweli called out what he deemed were misleading stories on the CNN website. "We live in a world that's run by white supremacy and that's the narrative and language of the oppressors taking over," Kweli said, pointing to loaded headlines like "Ferguson Calm Until Bottles Fly."
The two men begin to disagree over the accuracy of another article, leading both to step over each other's words and Kweli almost walking off the street-set interview site. Kweli then takes offence to Lemon not having greeted him ahead of the interview.
As you'll see down below, much of the interview segment has the two offering their differing perspectives on the situation. Kweli then wraps up with a quick statement about supporting the protestors and organizations like Amnesty International, Dream Defenders, Advancement Project currently out in Ferguson.
The interview confirms that Kweli quickly made his way to Ferguson to see for himself how the narrative has been unfolding, noting that Twitter movements can only do so much ("Without the people on the ground, actually here, there is no story"). He then added that as far as news coverage goes, "The media's been doing a horrible job of making sure the story's getting out in the right way."
Lemon stepped in to defend what he felt was balanced coverage, but Kweli called out what he deemed were misleading stories on the CNN website. "We live in a world that's run by white supremacy and that's the narrative and language of the oppressors taking over," Kweli said, pointing to loaded headlines like "Ferguson Calm Until Bottles Fly."
The two men begin to disagree over the accuracy of another article, leading both to step over each other's words and Kweli almost walking off the street-set interview site. Kweli then takes offence to Lemon not having greeted him ahead of the interview.
As you'll see down below, much of the interview segment has the two offering their differing perspectives on the situation. Kweli then wraps up with a quick statement about supporting the protestors and organizations like Amnesty International, Dream Defenders, Advancement Project currently out in Ferguson.