MRC pulls Kanye West doc: ‘We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform’
MRC has pulled a Kanye West documentary from its website following its backlash towards a range of controversial and inappropriate comments made by the singer in his recent interview with Howard Stern.
The film’s director, Morgan Spurlock, says the documentary’s content is unacceptable, while the director of MRC’s arts commission, Richard Harris, says MRC cannot support the film or any content that amplifies West’s ‘platform’.
The film explores the life of a “man who is now a global superstar, whose success has been the ultimate success of many African-American men and women,” Spurlock told The Independent in an email.
“This film shines a light on the fact that Kanye West has become such a powerful voice for young black men to hear, and that he has spoken for so many more. We need to hear this for so many young people, not to be further validated.
“We cannot be the mouth of a man who is trying to sell a commodity. I understand that Kanye is a huge celebrity, and I think we do need to support any content that is positive in that sense.”
MRC issued a statement on 6 December, in part:
“The Guardian had just published an article which was about to publish an article about Kanye West that made some pretty controversial remarks about women and racism.
“We did our own investigation but found that the quotes they had used in their article were not accurate, and found another source who had written about how she came to realise West’s truthfulness.
“So we quickly pulled this film and said we couldn’t support content that could be misconstrued as selling a commodity, and we are now looking at what else we might say or do so that would be more responsible and positive.”
The article in question described West as “the first ever star to be anointed to a predominantly black audience” and said: “If you really want
