Juan Williams Fired

[Ghostwriter]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Thanks for making that determination for the rest of us so that we needn't trouble our little heads about coming to a conclusion on our own.

Vivian Schiller, the current president/CEO of NPR (and the person who fired Juan Williams) came that position in Janaury 2009. Can you identify similar statements from others that she has overlooked? If you can, then we can talk about possible double standards.

Prior to Schiller, Kevin Klose was the president/CEO -- 1998 to 2006. In 2006, Ken Stern was named CEO, while Klose remained president, so the Totenberg comment doesn't even fall under his/their tenure. You have to go back to Klose's predeccesor, Delano Lewis, for that. But you say that in order to avoid a charge of double standards, current president/CEO Schiller can't take any action that would be inconsistent with what Lewis did (or failed to do) 15 years ago, even if Lewis failed to do something he should have done? Not buying it.

I am not sure I made any determination for you. I simply said "I can't see..." and "I see a double standard". Seems to me I made a determination for myself and not you. I think a determination for all would include the terms "we all must agree" or "it is obvious to all".

Don't believe Schiller actually fired Juan Williams. She just defended the firing. Ellen Weiss did the firing.

I don't have a copy of the company policy so I presumed that the policy was consistent from year to year and CEO to CEO. It seems to me that a boss or CEO cannot just say that things were done differently in the past so now that I am here it will be different unless he/she advises all associates that a policy or policies that have been overlooked for years would no longer be overlooked. If it is found out to be different and that he/she did in fact advise of changes via a teleconference, set of meetings, in writing or via other modes of mass communication then I will have to agree with your statement.

Here is Juan's response to his firing. I don't agree with very much he believes politically but I do believe he is a good guy and not a bigot. This simply was not a offense that merits termination IMHO.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/...en-weiss-bush/

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Ghostwriter

I am not sure I made any determination for you. I simply said "I can't see..." and "I see a double standard".

When I note that no context was provided, and you say that you can't imagine any context that would matter, I don't think it's a big leap to take that as meaning that context is irrelevant in this instance. But whatever you say.

Don't believe Schiller actually fired Juan Williams. She just defended the firing. Ellen Weiss did the firing.

I thought it was Schiller, but maybe it was Weiss (who has been in her position since 2007). Assuming it was Weiss, then I doubt she did it without Schiller's okay.

I don't have a copy of the company policy so I presumed that the policy was consistent from year to year and CEO to CEO. It seems to me that a boss or CEO cannot just say that things were done differently in the past so now that I am here it will be different unless he/she advises all associates that a policy or policies that have been overlooked for years would no longer be overlooked.

Companies, organizations and government agencies change their policies all the time. Often they do so in response to perceived shortcomings (or shoddy enforcement) of previous policies. Often it happens when new CEOs (or organizational equivalents) come in. The shocker for me would be if the policies didn't evolve over the years, especially given the evolution of the news business.

And why do you seem to assume that people at NPR weren't being told what the current policy is? From everything I have read and seen, Juan Williams was told repeatedly what the current policy is and what the consequences of violating them could be, as were other employees at NPR.

This simply was not a offense that merits termination IMHO.

I think that's a perfectly reasonable position to take. I have no argument with it and I don't criticize it. Nor do I argue with or criticize those who would say NPR should have handled it very differently even if they were going to fire Williams.

What I do have argument with and what I do criticize is the use of the overbroad this-just-shows-the-double-standards-of-the-liberal-media brush.