Alec Baldwin Verbal Abuse Against Daughter, Talk Radio, Network News

FAIR GAME

Baldwin Abuse Tape Is Of Public Concern







With the leak and subsequent network airing of a tape featuring actor / liberal political activist Alec Baldwin verbally abusing his 11- year- old daughter, a predictable backlash is already underway.

In this instance, however, media critics (or are they Baldwin's lefty political supporters?) are dead wrong. That's because there are bona fide reasons to bring this into public view.

From TMZ.com (where you can also hear the tape):

An enraged Alec Baldwin unleashed a volcanic tirade of threats and insults on his 11-year-old daughter, Ireland, calling her a "thoughtless little pig," and bashing her mother Kim Basinger -- and TMZ has obtained the whole thing unfiltered and raw. And we've learned, a family law judge was so alarmed after hearing the tape, she has temporarily barred Baldwin from having any contact with his child.

By playing the seven- minute tape on NBC's Today Show, has his family's privacy been violated? Is this nothing more than a private dispute? More on this below.

In addition to NBC and other television networks, a number of radio talk shows aired excerpts of it today, where hosts unleashed tirades against the arrogant actor.

At the left- leaning TVNewser, the grumbling begins:

Baldwin's Outburst Gets 7 Min. Of 'Today'

The Today show did a segment on Alec Baldwin's outburst at his daughter" this morning. "Are they actually booking off of TMZ now?," an e-mailer asks.

NBC teased TMZ's leaked audio at the top of the show. The seven-minute segment aired during the 7:30am half-hour; Matt Lauer chatted with Harvey Levin and Dan Abrams about it.

"The story is nothing more than an ongoing, nasty domestic dispute. How tabloid can Today get?!?," a tipster asks. (And let's not mention the 30 Rock connection.)

Unlike NBC's shameless decision to air the Virginia Tech shooter's manifesto, this call was the right one, for these reasons:


Any time we can raise societal awareness of the nature of child abuse, whether physical or verbal, the media should do so.


Alec Baldwin is a public person. With fame comes a reduced expectation of privacy.


The tape isn't private because one side of this family dispute chose to leak it to the media. That makes it fair game.


Baldwin is a political activist who frequently makes unhinged political statements. This sheds light on his true personal nature. As a result, why should we listen when he attacks Bush and Cheney?


With the judge's decision to eliminate contact between Baldwin and his daughter, it became a news story and moved outside the realm of tabloid gossip.


Baldwin, who in the past has expressed an interest in becoming a liberal talk host, has frequently shot his mouth off in public on political issues.

Now that we know this lack of character extends to his family life as well, our picture of Baldwin is complete.

For years, conservatives have attempted to convince Americans that Alec Baldwin is an unhinged lunatic, with limited success. Now, the actor has done himself in better than anyone else ever could have.

In terms of sheer career damage, this could exceed a Mel Gibson or Michael Richards by far. What's next for Alec Baldwin?

Finally, one more question: will so- called "progressives" try to rewrite history, Imus- style, to pretend he was never one of them?


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