Walker’s Pregnancy Is Her Own Business--and Not KFI’s

Voices of ignorance. . . .

One of the shrillest and most obnoxious of late belongs to Jane Norris. It’s been nearly a month since the two-hour stint on KFI-AM (640) in which she aggressively questioned--and even came close to attacking--KCBS Channel 2 news anchor Bree Walker’s decision to have a child with her husband and co-anchor, Jim Lampley. Yet the stench of that show--and KFI’s decision to keep Saturday/Sunday-night talk-show host Norris on the air after her tasteless display--still lingers.

Walker is pregnant, and doctors say there’s a 50% chance that her ectrodactylism (a physical impairment in which the bones in the hands and feet are fused) will be genetically passed on to her second child, as it was to her first.

KFI has company when it comes to maligning Walker. It’s no delight hearing that Caligula of the airwaves, Howard Stern, make her and her physical condition the occasional butt of his lewd jokes on KLSX-FM (97.1). But at least the New York-based Stern abuses everyone. He could find something obscene to say--and probably has--about Mother Teresa.

But on July 22, while substitute-hosting on another KFI evening talk show, Norris dove past even Stern en route to the bottom of the barrel, injecting herself into someone’s private business while, in effect, demeaning people with disabilities and appearing at times to advocate selective breeding.

Had Norris merely addressed the broad issue of genetic problems being passed on through pregnancy, she would have been on more secure ground. But she didn’t. Instead, Norris personalized it again and again, in effect making her call-in show a referendum on Walker’s pregnancy:

“She’s ready to have a child. The child is due in October. And there’s a very good chance the child that she is about to have will also have (ectrodactylism). And as someone who’s thinking about having a child myself, I wonder, is it fair to have a child that you know has a very good chance of contracting this, contracting this deformity, contracting this disfigurement of the hands?”

The obvious answer mentioned by some of her callers--that it’s no one’s business but Walker’s and Lampley’s--was flatly rejected by Norris, who took the Draconian position that Walker’s decision to bear children was open to public discussion by virtue of her prominence.

“It’s not just Bree,” Norris said melodramatically, as if Walker’s pregnancy were a cosmic societal issue like global peace or preserving the environment. “It’s not just her. We’re all involved in this.”

Yes, and maybe Norris will poll the public before she decides to have a child.

Heavy with sorrow, Aunt Jane noted how cruel kids could be. “It (ectrodactylism) would be the kind of deformity that would make it difficult, I think, growing up. Because kids are not kind.” To say nothing of talk-show hosts.

The callers were about evenly split. Most of those supporting Walker or criticizing Norris for making this a topic were argued down by Norris. When one caller accused her of creating her own tribunal on Walker, she snapped: “Do you have a problem about talking about deformities?”

Norris continually emphasized “deformity” as if the topic were mutants from outer space. One caller said he’d heard of children with disabilities later suing their parents for not aborting them. Another demanded to know Walker’s “motive for having this child.” She should have a news conference?

Although Norris said she “supported any decision Bree Walker makes with her life”--which must be a great comfort to Walker--she added, oozing self-righteousness: “I think to myself, ‘Gee, if I were in her circumstances, would I do that?’ And I have to say, I don’t think I could do it.”

Nor would anyone with half an once of judgment try to make this a public issue.

In supporting Norris, KFI vice president and general manager Howard Neal sounds like a sea captain thanking an iceberg for ripping a hole in his ship’s hull. Neal says he had advance knowledge of the topic and felt “it was postured correctly” on the show.

That statement speaks volumes and tells you that the only deformity, all above the head, is at KFI.

MORE VOICES: Take CNN sports anchors Vince Cellini and Fred Hickman, who recently gave a classic example of the mindless machoism that still rages throughout much of sports and sportscasting.

Here was Celinni’s reaction to a story detailing the separate accusations of rape and battery that two women have made against Mike Tyson, who has a scheduled Nov. 8 title fight with heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield:

“That’s really too bad, ‘cause we’ve waited so long for Tyson/Holyfield, and now the controversy.”

“Absolutely,” Hickman added.

Swell! Two women allege that Tyson abused them, and it’s the battle in the ring that these guys are concerned about?

Meanwhile, anchor Michael Tuck cracked a crude joke regarding the anatomy of Paul Reubens (Pee-wee Herman) while co-anchoring the noon news on Channel 2 recently. When it comes to newscast professionalism, apparently that’s his perspective.