BET

== Criticism ==
A wide range of people have protested elements of BET's programming and actions, including [[Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy]] rapper [[Chuck D]],<ref>{{cite web |date=2001-03-30 |title=BET 2001; THE FISHTANK OF FOOLS |url=http://www.publicenemy.com/index.php?page=page3&item=31 |publisher=publicenemy.com |access-date=2008-02-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080217234959/http://www.publicenemy.com/index.php?page=page3&item=31 |archive-date=2008-02-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref> journalist [[George E. Curry|George Curry]],<ref>{{cite web|date=2002-12-10 |publisher=georgecurry.com |title=Viacom's BET Turns into ET |url=http://www.georgecurry.com/columns/viacoms-bet-turns-into-et |access-date=2008-02-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711084858/http://www.georgecurry.com/columns/viacoms-bet-turns-into-et |archive-date=2011-07-11 }}</ref> writer [[Keith Boykin]],<ref>{{cite web|date=2002-12-18 |first=Keith |last=Boykin |title=All Hail Bob Johnson |url=http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/000539.html |access-date=2008-02-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060506162430/http://www.keithboykin.com/arch/000539.html |archive-date=2006-05-06 }}</ref> comic book creator [[Christopher Priest (comic book writer)|Christopher Priest]],<ref>{{cite web|first=Christopher J. |last=Priest |date=February 2001 |title=the ostracized negro |url=http://phonogram.us/viewpoint/ostracized.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030320084835/http://phonogram.us/viewpoint/ostracized.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2003-03-20 |access-date=2008-02-05 }}</ref> filmmaker [[Spike Lee]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271%7C79963%7C1%7C,00.html |title=Zap2it – TV news – Spike Lee Dismisses BET |publisher=Tv.zap2it.com |date=2003-01-30 |access-date=2011-08-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015153212/http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271%7C79963%7C1%7C,00.html |archive-date=October 15, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> [[Syracuse University]] professor of finance [[Boyce Watkins|Dr. Boyce Watkins]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Watkins|first=Boyce|title=Why there should be a black backlash against BET|url=http://www.thegrio.com/entertainment/why-there-should-be-a-black-backlash-against-bet.php|work=theGrio|date=2010-06-28}}</ref> former NFL player [[Burgess Owens]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bizpacreview.com/2016/08/29/superbowl-champ-burgess-owens-kaepernick-turn-off-b-e-t-educate-ignorant-self-384739|title=Superbowl champ Burgess Owens to Kaepernick: Turn off BET and educate your ignorant self|date=2016-08-29|work=Conservative News Today|access-date=2017-10-13|language=en-US}}</ref> and cartoonist [[Aaron McGruder]] (who, in addition to numerous critical references throughout his series ''[[The Boondocks (TV series)|The Boondocks]]'', made two particular episodes, "[[The Hunger Strike]]" and "[[The Uncle Ruckus Reality Show]]", criticizing the channel). As a result, BET heavily censors suggestive content from the videos that it airs, often with entire verses and scenes removed from certain rap videos.<ref name="Protesting"/><ref name="Take On">{{cite news|last=Eggerton|first=John|title=PTC, Enough Is Enough Campaign Take on MTV, BET|url=http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/ptc-enough-enough-campaign-take-mtv-bet-32096|work=Broadcasting & Cable|date=2008-04-09}}</ref>

Many scholars within the black American community maintain that BET perpetuates and justifies racism by affecting the stereotypes held about black Americans, and also by affecting the psyche of its young viewers through its bombardment of negative images of black Americans.<ref>{{cite web|last=Adams |first=Jonathan |title=BET vs. Boondocks |url=http://www.racewire.org/archives/2008/06/bet_vs_boondocks.html |work=Colorlines |date=June 11, 2008 |access-date=December 30, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100303184327/http://www.racewire.org/archives/2008/06/bet_vs_boondocks.html |archive-date=March 3, 2010 }}</ref>

Following the death of civil rights leader [[Coretta Scott King]] in 2006, BET broadcast its regularly scheduled music video programming, rather than covering King's funeral live, as was done by [[TV One (US TV network)|TV One]] and [[Black Family Channel]], and by cable news channels such as [[CNN]], [[Fox News Channel]], and [[MSNBC]]. The network's website streamed the funeral live, while it periodically broadcast taped, 60-second reports from the funeral by senior news correspondent Andre Showell. Michael Lewellen, BET's senior vice president for corporate communications, defended the decision: "We weighed a number of different options. In the end, we chose to offer a different kind of experience for BET viewers." Lewellen also explained that BET received around "two dozen" phone calls and "a handful" of emails criticizing BET for not showing the King funeral live.<ref name="CSK">{{cite news|last=Shister|first=Gail|title=BET leaves pack on King funeral – it sticks with scheduled program|url=http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/buffalo-news/mi_8030/is_20060209/bet-leaves-pack-king-funeral/ai_n42906812/|access-date=December 30, 2010|newspaper=The Buffalo News|date=February 9, 2006}}</ref> On the evening of the funeral, February 7, 2006, BET broadcast the tribute special ''Coretta Scott King: Married to the Mission'', and repeated it the following Sunday, February 12.<ref>{{cite press release|title=BET, BET.com Present Special Telecast, On-Line Coverage Honoring Life of Coretta Scott King |url=http://bet.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=364 |publisher=BET |date=February 6, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714064719/http://bet.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=364 |archive-date=2011-07-14 }}</ref> Showell hosted the program featuring highlights of the funeral, ''Coretta Scott King: Celebrating Her Spirit'', that broadcast that same day.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://bet.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=437 |title=BET Celebration of Coretta Scott King Continues Sunday With Three Hours of Tributes, Special Moments |date=February 9, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714064724/http://bet.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=437 |archive-date=2011-07-14 }}</ref> In its 2007 convention, the [[National Association of Black Journalists]] gave BET its "Thumbs Down Award" for not broadcasting King's funeral live.<ref name="thumbs down">{{cite web|last=Williams|first=Juan|title='BET' Gets Thumbs Down Award From Journalists|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12668674|work=Morning Edition|publisher=National Public Radio|access-date=December 30, 2010|date=August 10, 2007}}</ref>

''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that the Reverend [[Delman Coates|Delman L. Coates]] and his organization Enough is Enough led protests every weekend outside the residences of BET executives against what they claim are negative [[Stereotypes of African Americans|stereotypes of black people]] perpetuated by BET music videos.<ref name="Protesting">{{Cite news|last=Lee|first=Felicia R.|title=Protesting Demeaning Images in Media|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/05/arts/05enou.html|work=The New York Times|date=2007-11-05}}</ref> Enough is Enough backed an April 2008 report titled ''The Rap on Rap'' by the [[Parents Television Council]] that criticized BET's rap programming, suggesting that the gratuitous sexual, violent and profane content was targeting children and teens.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Moss|first1=Linda|last2=Umstead|first2=R. Thomas|title=PTC Puts A Bad 'Rap' On BET, MTV|url=http://www.multichannel.com/news/ptc-puts-bad-rap-bet-mtv-268081|work=Multichannel News|date=2008-04-11|access-date=2008-07-27}}</ref>

In a 2010 interview, BET co-founder [[Sheila Johnson]] explained that she herself is "ashamed" of what the network has become. "I don't watch it. I suggest to my kids that they don't watch it," she said. "When we started BET, it was going to be the ''[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]'' magazine on television. We had public affairs programming. We had news... I had a show called ''[[Teen Summit]]'', we had a large variety of programming, but the problem is that then the video revolution started up... And then something started happening, and I didn't like it at all. And I remember during those days we would sit up and watch these videos and decide which ones were going on and which ones were not. We got a lot of backlash from recording artists...and we had to start showing them. I didn't like the way women were being portrayed in these videos."<ref>{{cite web|last=Rivas|first=Jorge|title=BET Co-Founder Says Network Reinforces Negative Stereotypes|url=https://www.colorlines.com/articles/bet-co-founder-says-network-reinforces-negative-stereotypes|work=Colorlines|date=2012-10-15|access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref>