The discussion centers around the fairness of Juan Williams' firing from National Public Radio (NPR) following his comments about feeling "nervous" when seeing people in Muslim garb. Participants explore the implications of his remarks, the role of NPR as a public news organization, and the contractual obligations of its analysts. The conversation touches on themes of free speech, bias, and the responsibilities of journalists.
Participants express a range of views on whether NPR acted fairly in firing Williams, with no clear consensus reached. Some defend NPR's decision based on journalistic standards, while others argue that Williams' comments do not warrant such a response.
Discussions include references to the nature of public funding for NPR, the expectations of journalists regarding personal opinions, and the potential conflict of interest arising from Williams' dual roles at NPR and Fox News. Specific contractual details and prior warnings remain unresolved.
turbo-1 said:I don't get why Juan Williams would cite his fear regarding people in Muslim garb boarding the plane. It's a safe bet that they got far more scrutiny at the security screening than he did. If he wants to be nervous about anybody, it should be a "sleeper"
Bobbywhy said:Mr. Williams said "Look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. 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."
What I want to know is what would people dressed in "Christian garb" look like?
I too think this is important. As it turns out, O'Reilly responds to Williams' opinion, stating that this is coming from someone who works at NPR (and Williams concurs). So Williams is being identified as an NPR employee. That's not exactly the same as saying that he was expressing his opinion as a representative of NPR, but it's close - his position as an NPR employee was being used to "sell" his argument.Hurkyl said:I am curious to know if Juan Williams was expressing his views as a representative of NPR, or merely as himself. The difference would certainly affect my opinion of NPR's policies.
Even stipulating that your characterization is accurate, who said anything about moral equivalence? If firing Williams is denying him his first amendment rights, then so would be firing Nasr. More pertinent, Williams was specifically identified as an NPR representative when he made those statements in a TV program aimed at a nationwide audience, whereas Nasr was expressing personal opinions to her friends, as a private person.arildno said:To express adoration for an evil religious fascist, as Nasr did, Gokul, is in quite a different league than first acknowledging, as Williams did, a gut reaction of nervousness, and then following up with a comment that such gut reactions cannot be the basis for our actual political decisions.
Equally vile, as nasr's comment, was Helen Thomas' insinuation that the Jews should be sent back to Poland&Germany, conveniently forgetting their history there, or for that matter that 50% of the Jews in Israel have Middle Eastern roots (sephardim).
So, no moral equivalence here.
Ivan Seeking said:Jeez, don't you ever watch the actual news?
You're uncomfortable with being a heathen? Or is there something you haven't said?Galteeth said:Muslims are not an ethnic group, they are a group that has a certain set of beliefs and an ideology. I will admit that I personally feel uncomfortable around any set of people who believe in a god that sets a dogma whose adherence determines entrance to heaven or hell. If one truly believes in such, their moral basis and understanding of the world around them is threatening to me, as it implies that my belief system is a corrupting influence instilled in me by their god's enemy.
mugaliens said:Nor do I find his uneasiness to be irrational
CAC1001 said:It is normal to feel uncomfortable over certain ethnic groups by instinct, what is bad is to judge said entire ethnic group that way. I am a white guy. If I am walking down a street and I see a group of black guys dressed in black t-shirts and due rags approaching me, I would be lying if I said I didn't get a bit uneasy. That doesn't mean I judge blacks as all potential thugs.
Hurkyl said:The nervousness is irrational -- assuming the speaker knows better -- because the danger has been ridiculously blown out of proportion.
mugaliens said:And don't get me wrong, people. My beef isn't for or against Williams. It's against the irrational knee-jerk reaction of the NPR media elites. It's also why I'm in favor of yanking the plug on their funding.
Or they can just run a few more of those endless 'supported by' ads on so called listener supported radio.OmCheeto said:That's funny. I tuned into NPR yesterday for the first time in a year. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it. I think I may start contributing.
hmmm...http://www.npr.org/about/aboutnpr/statements/fy2008/fy08_NPR_Inc_990.pdf" = $10/yr.
I can afford that.