Griffin steps in it during interview
May 13, 2020KDKA-AM (1020) mid-morning host Marty Griffin is under fire from listeners and non-listeners after an interview with Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s Health Secretary. Levine, a transgender woman, has been the recipient of hate, as well as support especially since her daily press conferences began at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, Griffin interviewed Levine during his program. Griffin asked a few questions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and used “sir” instead of “ma’am”. He corrected himself on one of the gaffes. Meanwhile, Levine shot back. A transcript released by the Pittsburgh City Paper shows the segment in question:
GRIFFIN: When folks know what yellow is kind of sort of but they don’t even know what green is because you don’t. What’s the end game, sir? Where do we get to the point where folks can be confident they can conduct business if they do it safely and there’s no time frame and there’s no window? Correct me if I’m wrong, sir … ma’am.
[Levine answers]
GRIFFIN: How do you respond, doctor, to the conjecture that your response is jeopardizing the health and well being of seniors by moving them into nursing facilities even if they’re no longer COVID positive, sir?
LEVINE: So please don’t misgender me.
GRIFFIN: I’m so sorry.
LEVINE: It’s really insulting.
GRIFFIN: I apologize. It’s not malicious. I apologize. I’m so sorry.
Pittsburgh City Paper
Even if Griffin’s apology was heartfelt and legitimate, he has become the target of immediate lambasting on social media.
Once Mr. Griffin saw this post from Ms. Cunningham, he posted an apology.
A good number of people are not buying the apology. Still others are supportive of Griffin.
Meanwhile, as referenced in the City Paper article above, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto backed out of an interview with KDKA’s Lynne Hayes-Freeland scheduled for today. Peduto said…
It remains to be seen what, if anything, KDKA management will do about this. But right now it seems that they are getting attention. It may be negative attention, but as long as they aren’t losing listeners and, perhaps more importantly, sponsors, it’s attention.
Not defending Marty but he has a nasty habit of using “sir” instead of just pausing. Vocal glitch and very annoying. Makes him sound overly polite and makes it hard to listen to him.
That Griffin is getting support on the matter from a notoriously bigoted public does not surprise me. It’s part of the region’s despicable culture.
I have never been a fan of Marty’s act, but let’s be honest, he’s certainly not the first interviewer to slip up and call a ma’am a sir.
Secretary Levine could have been more gracious about it frankly.
I remember one of Marty’s tirades, on a winter morning when this area got hammered by a heavy snow, causing icy roads, frigid temperatures, traffic backups & accidents. And the radio station was receiving/announcing hundreds of school closings. Griffin called superintendents who issued closing orders, wimps, said the teachers, bus drivers, nurses, aides & other staff were lazy & enjoyed getting a day off with pay & whined, those students are loosing a day of instruction; before bragging his children’s school district never closed for bad weather. But once that district’s policy changed & the superintendent would issue closing orders, during periods of severe winter weather, Marty highly praised that superintendent’s actions saying: It’s all about keeping the kids safe. I finally stopped listening, after MG’s habit of being against something, until it personally affected him
was becoming too painful.
Every day, Marty is on the air helping local businesses connect with customers, and helping people in need, he\’s had some really touching stories.
It\’s come to the point where, with the help of social media, we\’ve become nitpickers of others\’ thoughts, as if those thoughts are our own.