Martin Bashir quits MSNBC over crude on-air comments

Washington: British journalist Martin Bashir announced on Wednesday he was quitting US news broadcaster MSNBC after he made crude on-air remarks about former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Bashir, who took time off from the cable news channel after his comments last month, said in a statement that he had given his resignation after reflection.

“It is my sincere hope that all of my colleagues, at this special network, will be allowed to focus on the issues that matter without the distraction of myself or my ill-judged comments,” he wrote.

In a segment that aired in November, Bashir called Palin a “world class idiot” after she said in a speech the United States borrowing money from China is the equivalent of slavery.

Bashir added that Palin should be forced to eat excrement, after citing a diary item of a former plantation owner describing punishments for slaves.

Bashir commented that Palin was ignorant of the horrors of slavery, citing a case of one owner, Thomas Thistlewood, who forced a slave to “s-h-i-t” — Bashir spelt the term out — in another’s mouth.

“When Mrs Palin invoked slavery, she doesn’t just prove her rank ignorance,” Bashir said on November 15. “She confirms that if anyone truly qualified for a dose of discipline from Thomas Thistlewood, then she would be the outstanding candidate.”

Bashir said in his statement on the MSNBC website: “I deeply regret what was said, will endeavour to work hard at making constructive contributions in the future and will always have a deep appreciation for our viewers — who are the smartest, most compassionate and discerning of all television audiences.

Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC, said in an accompanying statement: “Martin Bashir resigned today, effective immediately. I understand his decision and I thank him for three great years with MSNBC. Martin is a good man and respected colleague — we wish him only the best.”

Palin last month called Bashir’s comments “vile” and “evil,” and the row prompted her supporters to complain about media bias for failing to discipline Bashir.

Bashir worked at Britain’s BBC for several years, and gained prominence for his 1995 interview with Princess Diana, in which the wife of Prince Charles revealed: “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”

Bashir also conducted a series of interviews with pop star Michael Jackson in 2003 for an ITV documentary.

He later moved to the United States to join ABC News, and then MSNBC as a political commentator in 2010.

Bashir is the second high profile host to leave the network in a matter of weeks. MSNBC cancelled actor Alec Baldwin’s late night talk show in late November after Baldwin was caught in a video posted on the celebrity website TMZ using a homophobic slur during a confrontation with a New York photographer.