Juan Williams Fired

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Kevin

I can appreciate the tension, but if NPR's chief goal was journalistic integrity, they have obviously missed their calling. They have shown that they are not unlike Fox, CNN, or any other for-profit news entity. At the end of the day, their decisions are based upon revenue. This was a naked and blatant move to protect revenue sources. I absolutely do not approve from a moral stance, but I also wouldn't have been willing to write a check to make up what would have/could have been lost in response to the Williams utterance.

Conservatives like me have no choice really. I listen to NPR because it's the only place on the radio dial which provides decent hard news and analysis. They attempt to be free of bias, but they often fail. And that's just fine. I'm a big kid, I can listen critically.

I agree.

I really like NPR, Fox News, and CNN.

I laughed out loud when Jon Stewart handed CNN its ass while on Larry King. I agree with him that CNN tries too hard to be fair and balanced to the point where they don't take a strong stand from fear of offending any side. Larry King said "then why are you on my show?" Stewart said "because I like YOU."

[Ch2tf]

Something else that bothered me about Williams' quote is the "identifying first and foremost as Muslims". My question is what were they supposed to identify first and foremost as? And how exactly should they go about that?

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by Ch2tf

Something else that bothered me about Williams' quote is the "identifying first and foremost as Muslims". My question is what were they supposed to identify first and foremost as? And how exactly should they go about that?

I agree. Many Christians identify first and foremost as Christian, not American, so it is hypocritical to fault another religion for the same mindset.

I'm tired of the brouhaha. It's over. He knew he was walking a tight rope. He made a misstep and is paying the consequences (though a $2M paycheck isn't such a bad consequence if you ask me!) NPR is hard-nosed when it comes to their employees credibility whether it is appearing on Fox News giving biased opinions or attending Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity. I applaud them for applying the same standard across the board. In the end, I wouldn't want to see a legitimate news person from any network/news organization compromised like that. That's how Dan Rather lost his credibility.

[Ghostwriter]

In the same vein should they have fired Andre Codrescu for this?

On the December 19, 1995, broadcast of All Things Considered, NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu reported that some Christians believe in a "rapture" and 4 million believers will ascend to Heaven immediately. He continued, "The evaporation of 4 million who believe this crap would leave the world an instantly better place.

I wonder.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Ghostwriter

In the same vein should they have fired Andre Codrescu for this?

On the December 19, 1995, broadcast of All Things Considered, NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu reported that some Christians believe in a "rapture" and 4 million believers will ascend to Heaven immediately. He continued, "The evaporation of 4 million who believe this crap would leave the world an instantly better place.

I wonder.

It was only a matter of time until politicos scanned the vast depths of the NPR archives for 15-year-old gems which aren't relevant today due to any number of factors.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Kevin

It was only a matter of time until politicos scanned the vast depths of the NPR archives for 15-year-old gems which aren't relevant today due to any number of factors.

This.

Besides, Andre Codrescu (who I don't like to listen to for a variety of reasons) isn't a journalist and neither he nor NPR claims otherwise. His reason for being on NPR to offer personal reflections and opinions.

The whole point of the Williams brouhaha was that he was on Fox to offer journalistic opinion while at the same time on NPR to offer ostensibly neutral analysis. TPTB at NPR decided the former role compromised his effectiveness in the latter role. Their right to do so, though I think they'd have been better off to tell him he needed to make a choice rather than firing him in the manner that they did.

But comparing Williams and Codrescu = comparing apples and kumquats.

[Ghostwriter]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Besides, Andre Codrescu (who I don't like to listen to for a variety of reasons) isn't a journalist and neither he nor NPR claims otherwise. His reason for being on NPR to offer personal reflections and opinions.

OK - Then how about this from Nina Totenberg who is a journalist and analyst for NPR? I don't care how old the quote is but consistency should be maintained in how a corporation deals with its associates. But, of course, Nina wasn't appearing on Fox when she made this comment. She is a good lib ragging on a conservative and not a bad lib on a center/right network stating his feelings about an evidently protected group.

I hypothesize that if Williams had said he feels uncomfortable when he sees an Amish (do they fly on planes?) or Evangelical Christian reading from a Bible on the plane all would be ok and he would still be employed.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art..._helms_or.html