The NPR solution

[oldr_n_wsr]

NPR fires Juan Williams for Muslim remarks on Fox
By Michael Calderone
NPR terminated the contract of Juan Williams on Wednesday after comments the veteran journalist and news analyst made about Muslims on Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor."

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly stirred up controversy last week on "The View" after making the blanket statement that "Muslims killed us on 9/11," a comment that led to co-hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg walking off the set.

On Monday, O'Reilly asked Williams if there is a "Muslim dilemma" in the United States. The NPR analyst and longtime Fox News contributor agreed with O'Reilly that such a thing exists, and added that "political correctness can lead to some kind of paralysis where you don't address reality."

"I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot," Williams continued. "You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."

Some commentators and a leading Muslim civil rights organization took issue with Williams' comments.

The Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan wrote Wednesday morning that Williams' statement about fearing Muslims on planes is an example of bigotry. "What if someone said that they saw a black man walking down the street in classic thug get-up," Sullivan wrote. "Would a white person be a bigot [if] he assumed he was going to mug him?'

The Council for American-Islamic Relations sent out a press release Wednesday afternoon calling on NPR to address the matter. Nihad Awad, the organization's national executive director, called the comments "irresponsible and inflammatory" and said they "should not pass without action by NPR."

They certainly didn't. NPR took action Wednesday night and put out a statement regarding the severing of Williams' contract: "His remarks on 'The O'Reilly Factor' this past Monday were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR."

Williams often appears on Fox as the liberal counterpart to one of the network's conservative hosts or guests. But some NPR listeners -- an audience certainly more left-leaning than Fox's conservative one -- don't see Williams as an advocate for progressive politics when he appears on the cable news network.

Last year, NPR ombudsman Alicia Shepard wrote that Williams had become a "lightning rod" among NPR's staff and noted many complaints from listeners after an appearance on O'Reilly's show.

Williams had described First Lady Michelle Obama as having a "Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress thing going," a reference to the militant African-American activist. After those comments, NPR executives asked that NPR's logo be removed when he appears on Fox News.

It can be expected that Fox hosts, especially O'Reilly, will have something to say about NPR's decision.

Bernie Goldberg, a Fox News contributor and author of several books on what he describes as liberal media bias, offered his take Thursday morning in an email to The Upshot.

"So Juan Williams is fired for saying something the liberals at NPR find controversial?" Goldberg said. "One more piece of evidence that liberals have forgotten how to be liberal."

Goldberg continued: "These are the kind of people who brag about how open-minded they are -- as long as you agree with them. And here's the dirty little secret: lots and lots of liberals feel the same way Juan does when they get on an airplane. And a lot of those liberals work at NPR. Juan's 'crime' was saying it out loud."

Weekly Standard Editor and Fox contributor Bill Kristol also had some choice words for NPR, which he dubbed "National Politically-correct Radio." Kristol concluded a post about the firing by saying: "NPR -- unfair, unbalanced ... and afraid."

LINK

[dales]

Ah, the tyranny of pc raises its ugly head.

Why the h#ll is everyone so afraid of CAIR?

F-em!

[Sue U]

Juan Williams was fired not for being "controversial," but for being a bigot on the national teevee. When you start a sentence with "I'm not a bigot, but," it's pretty much a given that the next thing out of your mouth is going to expose your rabid bigotry. Attempting to make such bigotry seem reasonable is not appropriate or acceptable for someone whose position in news broadcasting requires integrity and credibility.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Juan Williams was fired not for being "controversial," but for being a bigot on the national teevee.

There are other bigots on national TV and they don't get fired.

[Sue U]

Juan Williams was fired not for being "controversial," but for being a bigot on the national teevee.

There are other bigots on national TV and they don't get fired.

That's a decision their management is free to make. NPR management felt it didn't want this particular person as its representative. Is there some problem with letting a company make its own hiring and firing decisions?

[Gob]

"I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot," Williams continued. "You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."

He's not alone..

Mind you, I was flying into Dubai at the time....

And I was very very drunk*...





*Brits will get the reference...

[oldr_n_wsr]

That's a decision their management is free to make. NPR management felt it didn't want this particular person as its representative. Is there some problem with letting a company make its own hiring and firing decisions?

None whatsoever.
But the NPR "gives off" the message of "be tolerant" so it does seem a tad hypocritical of them.

[Sue U]

NPR "gives off" the message of "be tolerant" so it does seem a tad hypocritical of them.

Huh? They should be tolerant of intolerance? What is it you are saying?

[rubato]

He lobbied for a job with the "all bigot network" by being a bigot on-air and it worked.

If he had said he hated raghead-fag-welfare queens they would have offered even more money.

yrs,
rubato

[rubato]

Juan Williams was fired not for being "controversial," but for being a bigot on the national teevee.

There are other bigots on national TV and they don't get fired.

No, some networks like bigots. Bigots are the 'conservative base' demographic ever since Nixon.

__________________________________
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20 ... n-contract
Fox News offers Juan Williams $2 million contract
By Liz Goodwin


By Liz Goodwin liz Goodwin – Thu Oct 21, 5:45 pm ET

Within 24 hours, Juan Williams lost his job as an analyst at NPR, only to sign a lucrative $2 million contract with Fox News.

Fox News Chief Executive Roger Ailes took a jab at NPR in his statement announcing the three-year deal. "He's an honest man whose freedom of speech is protected by Fox News on a daily basis," Ailes said.


... "
_________________________________________-

yrs,
rubato

[oldr_n_wsr]

NPR "gives off" the message of "be tolerant" so it does seem a tad hypocritical of them.

Huh? They should be tolerant of intolerance? What is it you are saying?

It's their company and they can do what they want, but it seems to me that when the NPR (or anyone) talks about being tolerant of others (some of whom are intolerable also) they should do a little "practice what they preach".

[Lord Jim]

Huh? They should be tolerant of intolerance?

Oh brother....

Williams expressed no intolerance whatsoever; it's impossible for any fair reading of his words to be interpreted that way.

Did he say those people should be profiled? Did he say they shouldn't be allowed on the planes? Did he suggest any action that should be taken based on the honest personal apprehension he expressed ? No, all he did was express a view probably held by a majority of Americans. (He also went on to say that he knows that he shouldn't feel the way he does.

The intolerance here rests entirely with NPR, who has probably been looking for a way to fire Williams for some time for daring to appear on Fox News....

They owe him swift reinstatement and a full apology.

Williams has frequently been the target of intolerance and bigotry. He isn't even a Conservative, but for daring to appear on Fox he's been called an "Uncle Tom" and "the happy negro" by ignorant and bigoted people.

For having cooked this non-issue up as a reason for firing him, NPR makes themselves no better than those who have slurred and smeared Williams.

It's disgraceful. They should be ashamed.

[dales]

Our tax dollars at work.

[Gob]

It's a shame, I enjoy NPR's "All things considered" (with me Melissa Block, and me Michelle Norris*), it's on the radio when I drive into work.

It's a chance to hear American news, presented by Americans, but not in the foaming at the mouth, barely intelligible, right wing hate mongering, way that most of your news seems to be presented. It's actually rather thoughtful.



* tasty?

[Lord Jim]

barely intelligible, right wing hate mongering, way that most of your news seems to be presented.

Then you must not be familiar with the news as it's presented on MSNBC, CNN, NBC, ABC or CBS, all of which (to differing degrees) slant left in their news coverage, as do the vast majority of the major print media in the country.

[dales]

Tune in VOA on the old shortwave there, Gob

[Gob]

Then you must not be familiar with the news as it's presented on MSNBC, CNN, NBC, ABC or CBS, all of which (to differing degrees) slant left in their news coverage, as do the vast majority of the major print media in the country.

To the right*





* My "right" may be your "left".

[rubato]

Then you must not be familiar with the news as it's presented on MSNBC, CNN, NBC, ABC or CBS, all of which (to differing degrees) slant left in their news coverage, as do the vast majority of the major print media in the country.

To the right*





* My "right" may be your "left".

Far-right by any global std.

Only the morons of the Republican party still maintain that the US press is 'left leaning'.


yrs,
rubato

[oldr_n_wsr]

Everything is relative.

[Big RR]

NPR "gives off" the message of "be tolerant" so it does seem a tad hypocritical of them.

Huh? They should be tolerant of intolerance? What is it you are saying?

It's their company and they can do what they want, but it seems to me that when the NPR (or anyone) talks about being tolerant of others (some of whom are intolerable also) they should do a little "practice what they preach".

Agreed--sometimes tolerance involves being tolerant of (and defending) speech you find as reprehensible. FWIW, why do I think that if he said "every time a see someone who has hair like a skinhead, I worry about how many gays they beat up", there would have been no controversy.

NPR can do what it wants legally, but IMHO something he said on his own time should not be a basis for firing him. Job performance alone should be.

Jim--would you feel the same way if he said the jews should get out of Palestine?