Shirley Sherrod Was the Director Term Paper

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In a context in which the majority of the media sources were blaming Shirley Sherrod of racism and bigotry, some journalists showed signs of professionalism and documented the entire situation. One such example is constituted by Matt McLaughlin who sought the tape with the entire video and gave it context. McLaughlin revealed that after the initial delegation of the white farmer to a white lawyer, the latter party failed to help the farmer. The help needed came from Sherrod who learnt the lesson that help was needed not only by the blacks, but by all poor people, regardless of race.

"The farmer called me and said the lawyer wasn't doing anything. And that's when I spent time there in my office calling everybody I could think so to try to see -- help me find the lawyer who would handle this. […] Well, working with him made me see that it's really about those who have vs. those who don't." (Sherrod quoted by Matt McLaughlin, 2010)

As the nature of the initial accusations was regulated by the appearance of the full video, Shirley Sherrod was offered a new position within the United States government. The situation was attributed to political clashes at the level of the Tea Party.

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Sherrod's supervisor, Ben Jealous, argued that himself and the agency he represented should have paid an increased attention to the source of the video and should not have been so quick to make a verdict. In other words, he was apologetic that he listened to the accusations forwarded in the interest of the Tea Party activists.

At a deeper level nevertheless, the lesson is not only that of identifying the source of accusations, but paying more attention to researching the accusations and identifying the real truth behind them. The ultimate lesson should as such be that of assessing the situation and the facts behind it, rather that relying on appearances. As William Saletan points out:

"No, Mr. Jealous. […] Your problem isn't that you failed to consider the source. it's that you failed to consider the evidence. You didn't talk to Sherrod or Spooner. You didn't watch the full video, to which your organization had access. The facts, not the source, are what matter. You were too caught up in your feud with the Tea Party to face that lesson squarely. You still are. You were too preoccupied with sending a message about the NAACP's "zero tolerance policy against racial discrimination" to give a fellow human being a.....

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