NBC’s Andrea Mitchell Apologizes For “Redneck” Comments

NBC’s Andrea Mitchell has apologized for comments she made last week about the Bristol visit of Senator Barack Obama, comments that were the subject of J. Todd Foster’s recent column.  On June 5th, Mitchell told NBC viewers that the area the democratic candidate visited was “real redneck, sort of, bordering on Appalachia country.“

J. Todd Foster, Managing Editor of the Bristol Herald Courier quickly took issue with Mitchell’s assessment, noting, “If Andrea Mitchell can ever escape the sucking vortex of the Beltway, maybe she can rent a car and fill it with $4-a-gallon gasoline and drive the six hours and 375 miles from Washington to Bristol.  She won’t be cut off and flipped off by other drivers; she’ll actually get directions and a smile if she asks; and she’ll discover the real America that eludes so many national journalists.“

Now, Mitchell says she’s sorry for her remarks.  During her television broadcast she said, “And now, a point of personal privilege. I owe an apology to the good people of Bristol, Virginia, for something stupid that I said last week. I was trying to explain, based on reporting from Democratic strategists, why Barack Obama was campaigning in southwest Virginia, but without attribution or explanation, I used a term strategists often use to demean an entire community. No excuses, I’m really sorry. As they say, when I make a mistake, it’s a beaut.“

You can watch video of her apology by visiting http://mediamatters.org/items/200806090004?f=h_top.