22 Apr 08 Randi Rhodes resigns from Air America; the Internet strikes again!

Randi Rhodes, progressive radio talk show host for Air America, has resigned due to comments she made about presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. She apparently called Hillary a f**king whore and it was all caught on tape and put up on the great equalizer, YouTube (Warning! Some foul language).

Mark Green, president of Air America Media, told FOXNews.com that Rhodes terminated her contract Wednesday after she refused to apologize on air for her remarks.

“We sought an apology, because of what she had said…like Imus, like David Shuster,” Green said. “She refused and instead last night informed us she was terminating her contract with Air America, which she has the option to do.”

He said she was not forced out — “She exercised her option.”

The Internet takes down yet another radio personality. The reason this is somewhat justifiable is that the radio station was sponsoring the event, so Rhodes was held accountable for her comments. Again, though I am all about the First Amendment, we are representatives of our media organizations and must be conscious of our words.

This raises that questions though, when a radio station hires a polarizing figure for a public position, should they be punished for being offensive and/or polarizing? (i.e. Howard Stern, Will Kristol, Imus, Limbaugh).

Tags: First Amendment, journalism, radio