Juan Williams Fired From Npr After 10 Years
March 7, 2012 by staff · Comments Off on Juan Williams Fired From Npr After 10 Years
Juan Williams Fired From Npr After 10 Years, Juan Williams once again got himself into trouble with NPR for comments he made at his other job, at Fox News. And NPR’s reaction has unleashed an unprecedented firestorm of criticism directed not at Williams – but at NPR.
NPR fired Williams Wednesday night after 10 years with the network for comments he made about Muslims on Fox News.
Thursday was a day like none I’ve experienced since coming to NPR in October 2007. Office phone lines rang non-stop like an alarm bell with no off button. We’ve received more than 8,000 emails, a record with nothing a close second.
NPR’s initial story garnered more than 6,800 comments, many supporting Williams and others asking why it took so long to fire him. Here’s Thursday’s story.
At noon, the deluge of email crashed NPR’s “Contact Us” form on the web site.
The overwhelming majority are angry, furious, outraged. They want NPR to hire him back immediately. If NPR doesn’t, they want all public funding of public radio to stop. They promise to never donate again. They are as mad as hell, and want everyone to know it. It was daunting to answer the phone and hear so much unrestrained anger.
The latest, and final, episode involving Williams took place Monday on Fox’s The O’Reilly Factor. He and host Bill O’Reilly discussed whether America had a “Muslim dilemma.”
In response to a provocative question from O’Reilly about Muslims, Williams said:
“I mean, 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.”
Later in that segment, Williams did challenge O’Reilly’s apparent contention that every Muslim on the planet is an extremist bent on attacking America.
It took a day for Williams’ remarks to bleed into the blogosphere. But then, it was like opening a fire hydrant. Hundreds wrote or called demanding that NPR fire Williams or at least discipline him.
Many have been troubled over the years by the dual role that Williams has played: balanced news analyst on NPR; more opinionated pundit on Fox.
“On the Radio, Williams is somewhat of a thoughtful though superficial moderate while on FOX he shows his politically correct submissive Pro Fox bigotry for a few dollars more,” wrote Mohamed Khodr, a doctor from Winchester, VA, who was among scores who contacted me Wednesday.
“NPR must and should take a stand against this bigotry and tell Williams’ he must choose NPR’s code of ethics or be let go to join the racist bigoted fearmongerers of FOX,” continued Khodr. “NPR can’t have it both ways.”
NPR’s management acted. In a statement released at 12:27 a.m. Thursday, NPR said Williams’ remarks “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”
This was far from an isolated incident.
Williams’ appearances on Fox News, especially O’Reilly’s show, have caused heartburn repeatedly for NPR over the last few years. Management said he’s been warned several times that O’Reilly is a professional provocateur and to be careful.
In early 2009, Williams said on O’Reilly of Michelle Obama: “She’s got this Stokely Carmichael-in-a-designer-dress thing going. If she starts talking . . . her instinct is to start with this blame America, you know, I’m the victim. If that stuff starts to coming out, people will go bananas and she’ll go from being the new Jackie O. to being something of an albatross.”
After other inflammatory comments on Fox, in April 2008 NPR changed Williams’ role from news correspondent (a reporting job) to news analyst. In this contract position, he was expected to report, think quickly and give his own analysis – while carefully choosing his words on any given subject.
One reason he was fired, according to Vivian Schiller, NPR’s CEO, is that the company felt he wasn’t performing the role of a news analyst:
“News analysts may not take personal public positions on controversial issues; doing so undermines their credibility as analysts, and that’s what’s happened in this situation,” said Schiller in an email to NPR member stations, some of which are upset about Williams’ firing.
“As you all well know,” she continued, “we offer views of all kinds on your air every day, but those views are expressed by those we interview – not our reporters and analysts.”
In 2008, I received 378 emails complaining about remarks Williams made on Fox – but I heard very little about his comments on NPR. My February 2009 blog post on the Stokely Carmichael incident drew 216 comments – many asking why NPR put up with Williams’ dual role.
In fact, since I became Ombudsman in October 2007, no other NPR employee has generated as much controversy as Williams.
That said, Williams provided a valuable voice on NPR. His long experience as a journalist and background as an authority on the Civil Rights movement enabled him to offer insights that often enriched the network’s reporting.
Ultimately, however, it seems management felt he had become more of a liability than an asset. Unfortunately, I agree.
It can’t be overlooked that this episode is occurring in a toxic political environment where people are quick to take sides and look for hidden motives. I fear some will look for racial motivations in NPR’s decision to fire Williams, who is African-American and one of the few black male NPR voices.
It’s not about race. It’s also not about free speech, as some have charged. Nor is it about an alleged attempt by NPR to stifle conservative views. NPR offers a broad range of viewpoints on its radio shows and web site.
Juan Williams Fired For Saying When He Is On A Plane With Muslims, I Get Nervous.
Juan Williams Fired For Saying When He Is On A Plane With Muslims, I Get Nervous., Fox News has re-signed Juan Williams to an expanded role with the network in a multi-year deal, Roger Ailes, chairman and chief executive officer of Fox News, announced Thursday after National Public Radio fired Williams for his comments on the O’Reilly Factor Monday night, when he said it makes him nervous to fly on airplanes with devout Muslims.
Williams, who will guest host The O’Reilly Factor on Friday night, appeared with O’Reilly on the show Thursday night.
“They take something totally out of context,” Williams said Thursday night, adding that his point was that Americans must come to grips with their prejudices.
“I have always thought of journalism, in a way, as a priesthood. you honor it you protect it,” he said, before criticizing his former employer. “These people don’t have ay sense of righteousness, of what’s right here. They’re self righteous.”
Williams said NPR wanted to get rid of him because of his contributions to Fox News.
“I don’t fit in their box,” he said “I’m an unpredictable black liberal.”
Ailes, in making his announcement, said, “Juan has been a staunch defender of liberal viewpoints since his tenure began at Fox News in 1997. He’s an honest man whose freedom of speech is protected by Fox News on a daily basis.”
NPR terminated Williams in the wake of a discussion he had with O’Reilly concerning the dilemma between fighting jihadists and fears about average Muslims.
“I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country,” Williams said Monday.
“But when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they’re identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”
Williams also commented on remarks by Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad warning Americans that the fight is coming to the U.S.
“He said the war with Muslims, America’s war is just beginning, first drop of blood. I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts,” Williams said.
NPR issued a statement Wednesday night saying that it was “terminating” Williams’ contract over the remarks.
“Tonight we gave Juan Williams notice that we are terminating his contract as a senior news analyst for NPR News,” CEO Vivian Schiller and Senior Vice President for News Ellen Weiss said in a statement.
“Juan has been a valuable contributor to NPR and public radio for many years and we did not make this decision lightly or without regret. However, 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,” they said. “We regret these circumstances and thank Juan Williams for his many years of service to NPR and public radio.”
Williams said Thursday he wasn’t given the chance to have a face-to-face conversation with his superiors at NPR before he was let go.
Recalling a conversation with NPR’s head of news, Williams said he was told, “This has been decided up the chain.”
“I said, ‘I don’t even get the chance to come in and we do this eyeball to eyeball, person to person and have a conversation. I’ve been there more than 10 years. We don’t have a chance to have a conversation about this.’ And she said, ‘There’s nothing you can say that will change my mind. This has been decided above me and we’re terminating your contract,'” Williams recounted to Fox News.
Williams said that he meant exactly what he said about his fears during his appearance on O’Reilly’s show.
“I do a double take. I have a moment of anxiety of fear given what happened on 9/11. That’s just a reality,” he said, noting that when he told his former boss, she suggested that Williams had made a bigoted statement.
“It’s not a bigoted statement. In fact, in the course of this conversation with Bill O’Reilly, I said we have an obligation as Americans to be careful to protect the constitutional rights of everyone in our country and to make sure that we don’t have any outbreak of bigotry. but that there’s a reality. You can not ignore what happened on 9/11 and you cannot ignore the connection to Islamic radicalism, and you can’t ignore the fact of what has even recently been said in court with regard to this is the first drop of blood in a Muslim war in America.”
The conversation on O’Reilly’s show stemmed from a well-publicized argument the previous week between O’Reilly and “The View” hosts Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg, who walked off their own set when O’Reilly said, “Muslims killed us on 9/11.”
The comment had been an explanation by O’Reilly why the majority of Americans don’t want a mosque housed in an Islamic cultural center built near Ground Zero.
The women, who argued that Oklahoma City bomber Tim McVeigh wasn’t a Muslim, returned after O’Reilly said that he was — perhaps inartfully — talking about Muslim extremists.
The conversation has been fodder for both shows. Goldberg appeared Wednesday night on “On the Record With Greta Van Susteren,” and said when she cursed at O’Reilly on air — a word that was bleeped for broadcast — she knew she was beyond reason and had to leave.
“He wasn’t thoughtful and he knew he wasn’t thoughtful and once he said, ‘if I offended someone I apologize’ … it showed me that he recognized it,” she said.
“But he knew that for us it was not ok. … He got what he wanted and I don’t feel bad about doing it. Should I have sat and just bit my tongue? I don’t think I could because it was too much like all the things I heard about black folks and women,” Goldberg said, adding that she has no hard feelings and planned to appear on O’Reilly’s show in a few weeks..
Williams, a liberal African American commentator who has written extensively on civil rights in America, previously got in trouble with NPR for comments he made while appearing on “The O’Reilly Factor” in February 2009. At that time, he described first lady Michelle Obama as having a “Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress thing going.”
Stokely Carmichael
October 21, 2010 by staff · Comments Off on Stokely Carmichael
Stokely Carmichael, Reports from Washington –
As National Public Radio endured a storm of criticism on Thursday of his decision to Juan Williams, news analyst for his comments about Muslims, Fox News moved aggressively to turn the dispute in its favor by signing Williams to a larger role in the cable news network.
Fox News CEO Roger Ailes gave Williams a new three-year contract last week, in an operation that amounts to almost 2 million, a considerable blow up from his previous salary, the Washington Bureau Tribune has learned. The partner of Fox News, now appears exclusively and more frequently on cable news network and has a regular column on FoxNews.com.
“John has been a strong advocate of liberal views and his term began on Fox News in 1997,” Ailes said in a statement, adding a jab at NPR: “He is an honest man whose freedom of expression is protected on Fox News on a day basis. ”
Meanwhile, conservative leaders lashed out NPR for the firing of Williams and calls for cutting public funding for the organization of the media. By midafternoon Thursday, more than 4,900 comments were published on NPR.org, including many people who said the media organization was bowing to political correctness and unfairly punish Williams for expressing their personal views.
“In an arrogant move the NPR itself exposed to the leftist thought police are actually” read one typical message. “After this November’s election I hope that one of the first things the new Congress does is take the money to this poor excuse for public radio.”
The dispute began Monday night when Williams, a contributor to Fox News, made an appearance on “The O’Reilly Factor.” In a conversation with Bill O’Reilly about how the fear of t*rror*sm affects the perceptions of Muslims, Williams noted that harbored some concerns, even as the author of books on the civil rights movement.
“I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a fan …. But when I get on an airplane, I have to tell you, if I see people in Muslim dress and I think, you know, are identifying themselves first of all Muslims, I am concerned. I get nervous, “said Williams.
He noted that it was unfair to cast all Muslims as extremists.
On Wednesday, NPR, said Williams was to end his contract, saying that his words “were inconsistent with the editorial standards and practices, and has undermined its credibility as a news analyst for NPR.”
The abrupt break came after years in which the role of Williams in Fox News caused internal stress in the organization of public radio. Many NPR listeners registered complaints about comments made in the cable news channel, in particular the comments last year in which he described the first lady Michelle Obama has “Stokely Carmichael is present in a designer dress thing” and saying she could become “a burden.”
In response, executives at NPR Williams requested the application of Fox News did not identify him as an analyst for NPR, when she appeared on “The O’Reilly Factor.”
Dana Davis Rehm, NPR senior vice president for communications, said in an interview that Williams’s comments violated the ethical rules prohibiting internal NPR journalists go in other media and to express “views that air in his role as NPR journalist. ” The guidelines also prohibit NPR journalists to participate in programs which promote learning and speculation rather than an analysis based on the facts. ”
Rehm said Williams had been warned several times in the past about making personal comments that violated the policy.
“This was not the first time we feel John crossed the goal in terms of what is possible for analysts and journalists from NPR as a whole,” he said. “We felt we really had no choice. And not without regret, and it was a decision that was taken lightly by any means. We appreciate the work he has done.”
Williams told Fox News on Thursday he was fired by phone and surprised that he was not given the opportunity to defend.
“It is not a bigoted statement,” he told Fox News in an interview on cable news network ran throughout the day. “In fact, in the course of this conversation with Bill O’Reilly, I say we have an obligation that Americans care to protect the constitutional rights of everyone in our country and to ensure that we have no instances of intolerance. But that is not a reality. You can not ignore what happened on 9 / 11 and you can not ignore the connection Islamic radicalism, and you can not ignore the fact that even recently said in court about this is the first drop of blood in a war Muslims in America. ”
Fox News made the most of the incident, re-run a package on the controversy throughout the day. Williams was scheduled to appear on “The O’Reilly Factor” Thursday night to address the issue and will guest host the program on Friday.
Meanwhile, NPR has been criticized by conservative leaders like Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, Twitter, “NPR defends the first amendment law, but the fire or if u exercise. John Williams: I like the hypocrisy of the left is wrong fire him. ”
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who presented a program on Fox News, NPR said it now plans to boycott and declining requests for interviews.
“NPR has been discredited as a forum for freedom of expression and the protection of First Amendment rights of all and has become the politically correct fuel provider and protector of the views that lean to the left,” Huckabee wrote on his blog, adding: “It is time for taxpayers to begin making cuts in federal spending, and encourage the new Congress to begin with NPR.”
NPR receives no direct federal funding for their operations, but between 1% and 3% of its and 160 million budget comes from competitive grants awarded by the publicly funded institutions such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Fund Arts. Since 2009, NPR received and 8 million in competitive grants from the CEC for the development of technology and journalism initiatives. He also received a one-time grant and 78 million between 2007 and 2009 to upgrade the technology of satellites.
NPR stations and receive 90 million in annual appropriations of the CEC, which represent 10% of their income on average.
Rehm said that it was inappropriate for politicians to bring the issue of federal funding in an editorial decision, adding that he hoped the controversy would not affect financial aid for public radio. “The seasons are fundraising season, and it is unfortunate that this has happened at this time,” he said.
National Public Radio
October 21, 2010 by Post Team · Comments Off on National Public Radio
National Public Radio, Reports from Washington –
As National Public Radio endured a storm of criticism on Thursday of his decision to Juan Williams, news analyst for his comments about Muslims, Fox News moved aggressively to turn the dispute in its favor by signing Williams to a larger role in the cable news network.
Fox News CEO Roger Ailes gave Williams a new three-year contract last week, in an operation that amounts to almost 2 million, a considerable blow up from his previous salary, the Washington Bureau Tribune has learned. The partner of Fox News, now appears exclusively and more frequently on cable news network and has a regular column on FoxNews.com.
“John has been a strong advocate of liberal views and his term began on Fox News in 1997,” Ailes said in a statement, adding a jab at NPR: “He is an honest man whose freedom of expression is protected on Fox News on a day basis. ”
Meanwhile, conservative leaders lashed out NPR for the firing of Williams and calls for cutting public funding for the organization of the media. By midafternoon Thursday, more than 4,900 comments were published on NPR.org, including many people who said the media organization was bowing to political correctness and unfairly punish Williams for expressing their personal views.
“In an arrogant move the NPR itself exposed to the leftist thought police are actually” read one typical message. “After this November’s election I hope that one of the first things the new Congress does is take the money to this poor excuse for public radio.”
The dispute began Monday night when Williams, a contributor to Fox News, made an appearance on “The O’Reilly Factor.” In a conversation with Bill O’Reilly about how the fear of t*rror*sm affects the perceptions of Muslims, Williams noted that harbored some concerns, even as the author of books on the civil rights movement.
“I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a fan …. But when I get on an airplane, I have to tell you, if I see people in Muslim dress and I think, you know, are identifying themselves first of all Muslims, I am concerned. I get nervous, “said Williams.
He noted that it was unfair to cast all Muslims as extremists.
On Wednesday, NPR, said Williams was to end his contract, saying that his words “were inconsistent with the editorial standards and practices, and has undermined its credibility as a news analyst for NPR.”
The abrupt break came after years in which the role of Williams in Fox News caused internal stress in the organization of public radio. Many NPR listeners registered complaints about comments made in the cable news channel, in particular the comments last year in which he described the first lady Michelle Obama has “Stokely Carmichael is present in a designer dress thing” and saying she could become “a burden.”
In response, executives at NPR Williams requested the application of Fox News did not identify him as an analyst for NPR, when she appeared on “The O’Reilly Factor.”
Dana Davis Rehm, NPR senior vice president for communications, said in an interview that Williams’s comments violated the ethical rules prohibiting internal NPR journalists go in other media and to express “views that air in his role as NPR journalist. ” The guidelines also prohibit NPR journalists to participate in programs which promote learning and speculation rather than an analysis based on the facts. ”
Rehm said Williams had been warned several times in the past about making personal comments that violated the policy.
“This was not the first time we feel John crossed the goal in terms of what is possible for analysts and journalists from NPR as a whole,” he said. “We felt we really had no choice. And not without regret, and it was a decision that was taken lightly by any means. We appreciate the work he has done.”
Williams told Fox News on Thursday he was fired by phone and surprised that he was not given the opportunity to defend.
“It is not a bigoted statement,” he told Fox News in an interview on cable news network ran throughout the day. “In fact, in the course of this conversation with Bill O’Reilly, I say we have an obligation that Americans care to protect the constitutional rights of everyone in our country and to ensure that we have no instances of intolerance. But that is not a reality. You can not ignore what happened on 9 / 11 and you can not ignore the connection Islamic radicalism, and you can not ignore the fact that even recently said in court about this is the first drop of blood in a war Muslims in America. ”
Fox News made the most of the incident, re-run a package on the controversy throughout the day. Williams was scheduled to appear on “The O’Reilly Factor” Thursday night to address the issue and will guest host the program on Friday.
Meanwhile, NPR has been criticized by conservative leaders like Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin, Twitter, “NPR defends the first amendment law, but the fire or if u exercise. John Williams: I like the hypocrisy of the left is wrong fire him. ”
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who presented a program on Fox News, NPR said it now plans to boycott and declining requests for interviews.
“NPR has been discredited as a forum for freedom of expression and the protection of First Amendment rights of all and has become the politically correct fuel provider and protector of the views that lean to the left,” Huckabee wrote on his blog, adding: “It is time for taxpayers to begin making cuts in federal spending, and encourage the new Congress to begin with NPR.”
NPR receives no direct federal funding for their operations, but between 1% and 3% of its and 160 million budget comes from competitive grants awarded by the publicly funded institutions such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Fund Arts. Since 2009, NPR received and 8 million in competitive grants from the CEC for the development of technology and journalism initiatives. He also received a one-time grant and 78 million between 2007 and 2009 to upgrade the technology of satellites.
NPR stations and receive 90 million in annual appropriations of the CEC, which represent 10% of their income on average.
Rehm said that it was inappropriate for politicians to bring the issue of federal funding in an editorial decision, adding that he hoped the controversy would not affect financial aid for public radio. “The seasons are fundraising season, and it is unfortunate that this has happened at this time,” he said.
Npr
October 21, 2010 by staff · Comments Off on Npr
Npr, Sarah Palin and Republican Mike Huckabee are calling for the National Public Radio stripped of public funding in response to the termination of the contributor Juan Williams, who was fired from the radio station on Wednesday in response to comments he made about the Muslims on Fox News earlier this week.
“At a time when our country is dangerously debt and searching for areas to cut federal spending, I think we found a good candidate for defunding. National Public Radio is a public institution that directly or indirectly fund exists because the taxpayers, “wrote Sarah Palin in a message on his Facebook wall on Thursday. “What we the taxpayers, get it? We got to witness Juan Williams of NPR dismissed simply for speaking out about the very real threat this country faces from radical Islam.” Add Link
“We have to have an honest debate about the jihadist threat,” he continued.
Former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee also asked government defunding NPR, condemning the decision to dismiss Williams as “censorship.”
“Although I enjoyed many times appear on NPR programs and have been treated fairly and objectively, and will not accept interview requests from NPR, if you will practice a form of censorship, and since NPR is funded public funds, is a form of censorship, “Huckabee said in a statement released Thursday. “It is time for taxpayers to begin making cuts in federal spending, and encourage the new Congress to begin with NPR.”
The controversy arose after Williams, a veteran senior news analyst for National Public Radio, said during an appearance on Fox News (for whom he also is a contributor) that gets “nervous” when he sees the Muslims on flights his plane.
“I think, see, political correctness can lead to some kind of paralysis where you do not refer to reality,” Williams told Bill O’Reilly during an appearance on Monday.
Williams continued: .. “I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a fan you know the kind of books I have written about the civil rights movement in this country, but when I get on the plane, I have to say, if I see people who are in Muslim dress and I think, you know, are identifying themselves Muslims first, I am concerned. I get nervous. ”
Today, Williams spoke of his termination on Fox News, saying the decision to fire him was made before anyone NPR spoke with him and that he was denied the opportunity to defend his remarks in a meeting face to face.
He said he asked what was “meant” in a phone call Ellen Weiss, NPR’s Senior Vice President of News.
“I said, ‘I said what he meant” it is an honest experience at an airport when I see people in Islamic dress who identify first the Muslims, who do a double take, I have a moment of anxiety or fear in view of what happened on 9 / 11. That is the reality, “he told Williams.
Weiss said Williams then suggested that he had crossed the line and made a bigoted statement that its contract had been terminated, and that there was “nothing I could say” I change my mind or reverse the decision of NPR.
NPR CEO Vivian Schiller sent a statement Thursday saying that “John comments on Fox violated our standards and our values and offended many in it.”
. “Like other news organizations, NPR expects its reporters to stay away from situations that might call their impartiality into question the ethics code NPR explains the rule as follows:” In what appears on television or other means, including electronic web-based forums, NPR journalists should not express opinions that do not air in its role as a journalist for NPR. They should not participate in programs of electronic forums, or blogs that promote expert opinion and speculation rather than an analysis based on the facts, ‘”wrote Schiller.
In an interview with Rodney Ho Access Atlanta on Thursday, Schiller went on to say that Williams’ statements about Muslims that was not the only consideration leading to his termination. “John is not an employee of the NPR. He is an independent contractor,” he said, adding that “this has been an ongoing problem” in his case.
“There have been several instances in the last couple of years where we have been John has crossed the line. It’s known for something he said last year of Michelle Obama and Stokely Carmichael. This is not a case of a strike and you’re out – continued Shiller.
Schiller also responded to claims that the dismissal amounted to censorship Williams as “NPR is publicly funded.”
“There is a misperception about federal funding and public radio,” said Schiller. “NPR receives no allocation of the CEC. Zero.” CPB is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a nonprofit corporation semi-private partnership that promotes public awareness through federal funds
Schiller continued: “We are a private 501 (c) 3 We have reporters call and ask which department of government to inform That’s ridiculous Have you listened to our shows we are competitive grants applicable to the …? Likes Ford Foundation and the Knight Foundation. As a result, some money from the CEC comes to us when we won grants. Depending on the year, representing just three percent of our total budget. ”
“There is lack of information both in the blogosphere, it’s crazy,” said Schiller.