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After a week of Al Sharpton speaking at the side of and at times for the Eric Garner family, and a weeks worth of criticism for Sharpton doing so while also hosting a political show on MSNBC, Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter wondered whether Sharptons roles as cable news host, civil rights activist, unofficial White House advisor, Gotham co-mayor, and counselor/media impresario to grieving African-American families posed one or multiple conflicts.

Stelter noted that Sharpton and Garners widow Esaw Garner both appeared on NBCs Today show the day after the grand jury decision, just one example of Sharptons roles conveniently reinforcing each other; NBC is the parent company of MSNBC, on which Sharptons show appears.

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He wants to pick and choose issues that can keep himself relevant, Minister Jonathan Gentry said. This man wants to come in and just perpetuate hate into generations, when a lot of these incidences dont even have to do with race. But when he comes into the equation, he makes it about race. He forces that down your throat, and wants to change the way you think, and poison a community into thinking its all about black and white.

National Urban League President Marc Muriel saw no problem with it. We are in an age of opinion journalism, he said. Its a different world when it comes to television hosts. When you look at cable television, you see lots of hosts who wear different hats. Sharpton may be more well-known, but I dont think hes that different.

CNN commentator Errol Louis pointed out that Sharptons new platforms were a savvy evolution of his previous work.

In the past, before Sharpton had the media platforms that he has, he would walk [families] over to the New York Times or Daily News and put them in touch with a media source, Louis said. Now it so happens youve got, I guess, vertical integration. Now he is that media source.

Watch the clip below, via CNN:

[Image via screengrab]

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Originally posted here:
CNN Panel Clashes over Sharptons Multiple Roles: Just Wants to Keep Himself Relevant