NBC's Mitchell apologizes for "redneck" comments

On the June 9 edition of MSNBC Live, anchor Andrea Mitchell apologized for comments she made on June 5 regarding Sen. Barack Obama's appearance that day in Bristol, Virginia. As Media Matters for America and the Huffington Post noted, on June 5, Mitchell described the area as "real redneck, sort of, bordering on Appalachia country."

From the 1 p.m. ET hour of the June 9 edition of MSNBC Live:

MITCHELL: And now, a point of personal privilege. I owe an apology to the good people of Bristol, Virginia, for something stupid that I said last week. I was trying to explain, based on reporting from Democratic strategists, why Barack Obama was campaigning in southwest Virginia, but without attribution or explanation, I used a term strategists often use to demean an entire community. No excuses, I'm really sorry. As they say, when I make a mistake, it's a beaut.

—R.C.