I gasped when I read the story in The New York Times.
The folks at National Public Radio fired Juan Williams, ostensibly because of his comments on “The O’Reilly Factor,” which were judged by NPR to be “inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”
Here is the offending statement: “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.”
It’s a remark that reminds me of Jesse Jackson’s frank (and controversial at the time) observation that when he heard footsteps behind him on a dark street, he tended to be relieved when the person following him turned out to be a young white male and not a young black male.
Jesse Jackson’s comment was an honest personal confession from someone who had the courage to admit what many were thinking at the time. (And that’s changed in part because honesty about the problem of black violence allowed it to be addressed.) The comment Williams made is similar—and I’m sure he’s also hopeful that social changes in America will make his fears irrelevant in the future.
But let’s drop the proximate cause of his dismissal from NPR. It’s rarely the case that a single statement—especially one as innocuous as the one Williams made on “The O’Reilly Factor”—provides a sufficient explanation. More is going on.
For a long time I’ve thought of Juan Williams as one of the most sensible voices in the public square, someone with a genuinely independent critical intelligence. Perhaps that’s the problem.
Example: After Barack Obama’s nomination as Democratic candidate for President, I remember listening to Juan Williams give a striking segment on NPR. He argued that Obama’s nomination indicates that the main contours of racial politics since the 1960s are no longer relevant. He wasn’t arguing that racial identity has disappeared or become invisible. Instead, he was suggesting that the vast apparatus of government mandated racial set asides in contracting, the racially motivated gerrymandering designed to create safe districts for black congressmen and women—and perhaps even the very idea of a Black Caucus on Capitol Hill—no longer corresponds to social reality.
Maybe Williams is right. Maybe he is wrong. But who can deny that the Obama candidacy (and victory!) requires rethinking our assumptions about race and politics?
Democratic party strategists, that’s who. You don’t need a PhD in political science to see that it would be a disaster for the Democratic Party if Black America starting thinking differently about politics. And across government, the corporate world, and the educational-industrial complex there are bureaucracies and careers that depend upon the perpetual and defining role of racism.
In other words, there are lots of powerful people out there who might be thinking that Juan Williams ought to shut up.
There is a further factor. Williams is employed as a news analyst on Fox News. This poses a direct threat to the most fundamental strategy of the liberal establishment, which is to deny the legitimacy of American conservatism, painting it as “extremist”—or better, as “stupid.”
Williams is an intelligent, moderate, nuanced member of the media establishment, and so naturally he brings precisely those qualities to Fox. The effect is similar to the presence of David Brooks on the Lehrer News Hour. Williams makes Fox interesting, buttressing its claim that it reflects a cross section of American opinion and not just a narrow ideological position. This is precisely what the liberal media establishment does not want.
Even after writing this plausible explanation for why the grandees at NPR so fit to fire Juan Williams, I remain shocked. I’m amazed that the liberal establishment can’t see that it is making itself incapable of governing the country, because it is purifying itself of all dissent
I’m willing to bet that Juan Williams thinks of himself (and rightly so) as part of the great American liberal tradition. And yet he has been deemed unfit to serve at NPR.
Perhaps I should not be so surprised. As I have written elsewhere, American higher education has seriously compromised its civic identity by hiring faculty and allocating resources in a fashion that amounts to putting up signs that say, “conservatives need not apply.”
Let me end by stepping back and trying to say something impressionistic, but I hope not inaccurate.
The liberal establishment in America for a long time has been serenely dominant. This is no longer the case, and because the liberal establishment is anxious about the ascendancy of a conservative elite, it is circling the wagons.
In itself the self-defensive posture is understandable. However, because of past dominance, the liberal establishment has control of (and responsibility for) many important national institutions (universities, foundations, media, museums, and so forth). As the liberal establishment circles its wagons, these institutions are damaged, because they become more partisan and therefore by definition less national. The conservative response has been to set up parallel institutions, also by necessity partisan and therefore less national. (For example, the think tank world functions as an alternative to the universities in the competition of ideas.)
This is not good for our national culture.
October 21st, 2010 | 1:31 pm
Political correctness is inimical to intellectual honesty. NPR has exposed itself as a club for Leftist apparatchiks and should be de-funded. I commend Williams for his honesty and hope they give him back his job–if he still wants it.
October 21st, 2010 | 1:46 pm
It’s disgusting to fire someone for admitting he does what almost everyone does. Even people who believe that it is a matter of fairness and charity to overcome such instinctive reactions, usually do have those reactions. Only a minority of people, those who been raised in very diverse environments or are free from viewing people based on appearance first for whatever other reason, avoid this entirely.
October 21st, 2010 | 1:54 pm
Juan Williams’ edginess probably isn’t only limited to Muslims. He likely fears Caucasians in certain situations as well (as do I):
http://gravelle.us/content/juans-bitten-twice-shy
though I doubt he’d lose his job for saying so.
The fact of the matter is that, in certain situations, certain ethnicities DO fit profiles that justify, at the very LEAST, nervousness:
http://www.dailyscoff.com/?p=2891
Liberals, as everyone knows, can NOT be racists. But I understand (as does anybody who’s ever HEARD public radio) that NPR can’t have commentators go around speaking their OWN mind, either…
-jjg
October 21st, 2010 | 1:58 pm
The good news is, NPR is pretty close to being defunded. I don’t know what the numbers are these days, but my local station spends most of its pledge drives these days whining and crying that they’re getting very little government money and actually have to come up with it themselves.
And you wonder why liberals hate the free market. ;-)
October 21st, 2010 | 2:04 pm
There is no doubt in my mind that this was the result of pressure from the White House, not because of Williams’ comments, but because of his association with FOX. They will use any excuse to hit at FOX but have had little success directly. But NPR is a leftist organization in the pocket of the White House via it’s funding. Any liberals thinking of appearing on FOX to assure “fair and balanced” reporting …BEWARE.
October 21st, 2010 | 2:51 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by First Things, TchrEric. TchrEric said: RT @rofters: Fired for being politically incorrect http://bit.ly/9f8KPr [...]
October 21st, 2010 | 3:02 pm
If someone has to be a liberal Juan Williams is what he should be. He is an intelligent, articulate, well informed, capable proponent of his positions without being doctrinaire or condescending. He has a good sense of humor and a healthy amount of common sense which alone would explain his firing. He holds his own with his more conservative co-panelists on “Special Report”. Even when he disagrees with them he seems to grasp their points. If more people on both sides of the aisle had his demeanor when dealing with contentious subjects perhaps there would be a little more light and less heat. I like the guy and it ticks me off that NPR would fire him but it does not surprise me.
October 21st, 2010 | 3:14 pm
These things blow over in 6 months. In the meantime Juan’s speaking fee may increase 10X
October 21st, 2010 | 3:26 pm
I was just listening to the Dick Gordon show on NPR in my car. Some NPR flunky was trying to explain why the head of NPR – Valerie something – fired Williams. He was dancing pretty fast and wasn’t making much sense. Sounded like he knew he’d better hold fast to the party line . . . or else. I sense desperation.
October 21st, 2010 | 3:28 pm
I would have fired him a long time ago let fox news pay him full time as a Bill Oreilly Toady
October 21st, 2010 | 3:33 pm
I know I get nervous when I see a guy with no shirt ,beer belly,gun and red neck buying beer at a seven eleven,but then I think they must be a Tea party rally near by
October 21st, 2010 | 3:35 pm
I know I get nervous when I see a guy with no shirt ,beer belly,gun and red neck buying beer at a seven eleven,but then I think there must be a Tea party rally near by
October 21st, 2010 | 4:02 pm
Richard Rodriguez over at Pajamas Media (Belmont Club) suggests that it’s clear that the concept of blasphemy is now back in style, and I suspect he’s right. Leftism truely is a religion.
Steve: You’ve got a customer.
October 21st, 2010 | 4:04 pm
Very upsetting. Unlike a lot of conservatives, I love public radio programming like This American Life and I love that public radio keeps alive music that might otherwise fall by the wayside.
October 21st, 2010 | 4:40 pm
I hasten to note that I’m NOT the “Steve” who sketched the “Seven-Eleven” scenario.
I AM the Steve who is disgusted by NPR’s firing of Juan Williams. (But there is a bright side: My checkbook is healthier; it’s pledge week on my local NPR station, and I now feel no desire to contribute my mite.)
October 21st, 2010 | 4:49 pm
Agreed with MRS, particularly about this being very upsetting. Juan Williams is an archetype, one of the few left, of the Moderate Mannered Liberal. Or of the Real Moderate. He is a man who whether moderate or liberal, refuses to demonize Fox, Hannity, etc. He actually TALKS to them, for a small journalistic fee, of course, but one senses he would talk to them in everyday life as well.
Given this, NPR has committed nothing less than a CRIME against civil discourse. Post Nov. 4, there will be a lot of Blue-state griping about partisan division; indeed, it’s already started. Think NPR’ll never run a program in the months to come tut-tutting about the partisan anger ruining our civil discourse?
How can they plausibly ask us to think they are in any way National? In any way Public? If they show by this that they will make no effort to bridge-build, to create neutral forums? If they do this after all the years of criticism towards various segments of the media, them included, regarding bias?
DEFUND THEM. And DON’T privately DONATE. Until they apologize and FIRE a manager or two. Click, Clack, Praire Home and many of the other good programs will likely find homes without NPR. The smooth voice and NYT-culture-pages liberalism of Terri Gross will always be in demand somewhere. I feel sorry for the lesser- knowns doing there, many doing genuinely Public-serving work there, but this is a bridge-burning too extreme to take.
October 21st, 2010 | 4:50 pm
Good for NPR, Juan Williams slant belongs to “Fake News” with the rest of the failed political candidstes Palin, Huckabee, or should I say the 2012 GOP Presidential contenders. They are not racist they are just the good old boys. They are the bunch that keep saying that they are scared of BLACKS, scared of ASIANS, sacred of LATINOS, scared of WOMEN, scared of the GAYS and now they are scared of Muslims. So long Johnny,don’t let the door hit you. I love that you went crying to “Fake News” and played the victim card, I guess its another “it is a high-tech lynching”.
October 21st, 2010 | 4:56 pm
Being from Oklahoma, I get a little nervous when I see a Ryder truck parked in front of a building. I should be over that by now, right? Would my statement be inconsistent with NPR’s editorial standards?
October 21st, 2010 | 4:58 pm
Jesse Jackson once said that he was scared of black men. Does he deserve the same treatment?
October 21st, 2010 | 5:17 pm
This is the second time I’ve seen the liberal yo-yos take off on Juan Williams when he has “overstepped” his bounds and spoken a truth that was against the “party line”.
I have said more than once in the past that a government run co-opted media is but one step towards the Soviet style dictatorship that we witnessed with the old USSR. This is beyond Big Brother. This is not only the squashing of Free Speech, but is in fact taking away one of our most sacred rights. And he wasn’t even on an NPR show!
This Political Correctness, which is nothing more than a Gestapo style propaganda issue has to stop!
I for one do not agree with some of Mr. Williams stands. however, he has never been afraid to call it as he sees it and in this case he was correct! To be fired for relating the truth is beyond everything we hold sacred in this country.
Kudos to Mr. Williams for daring to stand up to the kind of censorship that is so warmly welcome by leftist Soviet and NAZI style governments!
October 21st, 2010 | 5:19 pm
NPR’s President and CEO, Vivian Schiller, apparently told the Atlanta Press Club that Williams should keep his views about Muslims “between him and his psychiatrist . . . ” I guess anyone who recognizes the reality and the consequences of 9-11 necessarily has mental problems. I have a feeling that when the press gets around to investigating Vivian Schiller we’re all going to find out some interesting things.
October 21st, 2010 | 5:22 pm
NPR is manifesting the fear of Muslims that drove the self-censorhip of the major US newspapers and magazines that refused to run the Danish cartoons ridiculing Muslim terrorists and Muhammad and show the rest of America how insane the Muslim complaints were. Those cartoons were mild compared to the attacks on Republicans that are run every day in left wing US newspapers. NPR management is just freaking afraid that a Muslim is going to drive a truck bomb into their Washington, DC studio out of pique at Juan Williams. Remember that when you hear any NPR “news” about Iraq or Afghanistan: NPR is not going to say anything that promotes fear of Muslims–because NPR is afraid of Muslims!
NPR has demonstrated that it is following the same quisling policy as the CNN Baghdad bureau in the last days of the Saddam Hussein regime: It pointedly censored any reports depicting the real violent tyranny of Saddam, because it was afraid of Saddam’s violent tyranny.
To Monatna: Juan Williams is black. You obviously have never watched him on Fox News and have no idea what he actually said about anything. Your endorsement of NPR’s firing of a distinguished black journalist demonstrates the level of intelligence and integrity that NPR was operating at.
October 21st, 2010 | 7:08 pm
To the other Steve .I have a sneaking feeling you have never contributed to NPR in the first place.
October 21st, 2010 | 7:17 pm
i am sure that everyone was discusted about don imus for making a joke of rutgers girls.and he was fired for it.juan williams made stereo type remarks about islams customs,should he get a pass because he’s a minority,blog double standards will now commence.
October 21st, 2010 | 7:20 pm
I listen to NPR every night for at least a full cycle
I know it is left leaning and it bothers me that my tax dollars pay for it. However I want to hear the
liberal and left point of view. It is too bad that I will never feel the same about it. Just a echo chamber. That C.E.O. out to be fired. Saying Juan should talk to his psychiatrist is really really stupid.
October 21st, 2010 | 7:48 pm
I’ve listened to NPR (All Things Considered) since high school in the mid 1970s and have found it invaluable. I simply cannot understand why some are so eager to defund it. How exactly would that improve our national life?
That said, I think the firing of Juan Williams is ridiculous and shameful. If NPR is this nervous and narrow about what can be said about Islam and terrorism, how can they even address the subject? And why are they trying so hard to boost Fox News?
October 21st, 2010 | 10:41 pm
Your feeling is a bit off, Steve. (But I confess that you did give me a much needed chuckle at the end of a long day. Thank you.)
October 21st, 2010 | 10:42 pm
I listen to NPR all the time and have done so for 30 years– and I pledge. I love NPR and defend it like crazy to the Republican end of my family. However, firing Williams is wrong and indicates that the establishment cannot stand a regular conservative voice. The piling on by NPR’s ombudsman on one of our local affiliates this morning and by the president of NPR at the press club — as well as the comments all over the airwaves and blogs– just confirms that the whole enterprise is run by and for the left. There are a lot of parallels to the Episcopal Church! So, I will skip my pledge this year and probably next year, too. Don’t worry about LA losing NPR, though. Planned Parenthood has taken up sponsoring shows about six hours a day. Maybe they can pick up my share of TEC. (I think they have that covered, too)
October 21st, 2010 | 11:30 pm
I am absolutely appalled at the firing of Juan Williams. I am a conservative and do not agree with his politics but he is a decent man entitled to his opinions and feelings. I am tired of the politically correct left. NPR should be ashamed but they are classless so they are not. No public money should be given to these people. I heard they don’t have any other blacks. Should we not call them racist for this firing. If conservatives or tea party people had done something similar, they would be labeled racist my all those on the left. NPR should be held accountable.
October 22nd, 2010 | 12:12 am
It appears that the Peter Principle is alive and well at NPR!
October 22nd, 2010 | 12:19 am
I have listened to NPR for many years and never realized that the hosts of the programs were just reflecting opinions of management. So its fine
that Juan Williams (who is one of the BEST) is no longer with NPR, because his replacement just needs to read whatever is placed in front of him.
Who are the people who don’t have the same reaction?? Only a minority in this country.
October 22nd, 2010 | 3:45 am
This old 61 year old 100% Disabled Vietnam Vet is glad he gave the other Steve a chuckle
but not feeling off in the slightest,Just dont want Fox News, Republicans and the tea Party taking over my Country and Privatizing VA or taking away Social Security or Medicare as Sharon Angle wants to do.i hope the other Steve fought for his Country and is not a Chicken hawk cowards like Oreilly or Hannity
October 22nd, 2010 | 10:39 am
Mr. Williams’ firing is a powerful “teachable moment” for our country that one can only hope will refocus the attention of all fair-minded people toward the need for true reform.
October 22nd, 2010 | 10:47 am
The comment by Episcopal Priest struck a chord. I have also enjoyed the programming on local NPR affiliates for many years and have defended National Public Radio to my super-conservative friends and relatives (sometimes in heated discussions). I feel kind of foolish now.
Took NPR off my car radio program this morning – it has always held #1 spot.
October 22nd, 2010 | 10:56 am
The rationale this morning is something about keeping private opinions separate from his work as a journalist.
When are they going to fire all the rest of the staff and contributors?
I’m not even complaining about the way people like Steve Inskeep manage to insert their bias even into straight news — I’m asking when the rule was developed that analysts and commentators can’t express their opinions on the news? What Dan Schorr used to do wasn’t his private opinions? What Scott Simon does in his personal commentaries every Saturday morning isn’t a personal opinion? I don’t get how they’re even saying that with a straight face.
October 22nd, 2010 | 11:59 am
No, Steve. I’m not a veteran. My story is somewhat parallel to that of “Episcopal Priest,” related above.
I’m a Protestant pastor in my late-50s. I’ve listened regularly (my wife would say “exclusively”) to NPR for decades. I have on numerous occasions defended its programming in the face of snide critics.
The canning of Juan Williams is a disappointment. I thought NPR was “bigger than that.”
October 22nd, 2010 | 12:14 pm
I watched the entire clip, and what struck me most was not the fact that Mr Williams really didn’t say anything offensive … but rather how entirely offensive the yelling contest was, and how that pretends to pass as a civil dialog open to diversity of opinion. Juan Williams wasn’t fired for what he said, he was fired for not being able to fully make his real point because Oreilly wouldn’t shut up.
October 22nd, 2010 | 3:18 pm
I’ve long maintained that conservatives make up a significant proportion of NPR listeners. Some want to see what the other side is thinking. Others appreciate the breadth and depth of issues addressed, as well as the dignified tone of NPR programming (due in large part to the lack of advertising). For most of us, it’s probably a combination of both.
I hope what might come from this is for the NPR leadership to realize that a lot of conservatives like me tune in — but DON’T donate. They’re missing a huge base of potential donors. (I used to give to my local station when I was a young liberal; now I’m unwilling to subsidize that liberal bias, no matter how much I appreciate the programming.)
The quandry they’re in — should this realization blossom in their minds — is that it’ll be a tough sell to their hard-core liberal donors to take a more balanced approach. They’ve backed themselves into a corner, I fear.
October 22nd, 2010 | 4:19 pm
joetote
Has apprantly been toting around Nazi signs at tea party rallys and depending to much on Fox News to do his thinking for him since he can only use thier moronic sound bites
October 22nd, 2010 | 4:33 pm
Eric, I think you are right about conservatives making up a significant portion of NPR listeners, and that NPR is shooting itself in the foot by alienating us. I don’t hold out much hope for them getting the message, though. An organization that is capable of doing what they did to Juan Williams and giving the explanations they’ve given for it is probably beyond cure.
October 22nd, 2010 | 6:14 pm
Juan Williams has been treated wrongly by NPR and by Vivian Schiller CEO / President of NPR.
One Solution is for Ms. Vivian Schiller to resign or the NPR board to fire her for poor judgement, mis-management and voliation of NPR Ethics Policy.
Fire Vivan Schiller and re-hire Juan Williams.
My support for NPR and my local WVXU station will stop until the NPR board has addressed this poor judgement and lack of leadership issue.
This type of behavior is not what NPR stands for. If it does stand for this and the NPR member stations stand for this behavior then my values and moeny can not support either any longer.
Fire Vivian Schiller and re-hire Juan Williams
Stop your support for NPR and your local NPR radio station.
October 22nd, 2010 | 8:38 pm
One of the reasons I love Juan Williams is because of his liberal views and the respect he shows for those who have different views.
We get to hear the other side.
Vivian Schiller is more proof that liberals are now the “thought police”. We should all be very scared when expressing one’s feelings can get one fired.
October 23rd, 2010 | 7:43 am
I have listened to NPR for years, both when I was a young conservative and now that I am an older more liberal voter. I have always found them to give voice to both sides of an issue without a bias. I guess if they don’t have a conservative bias they are left wing in many conservative minds. NPR had expressed displeasure with Mr. Williams commentaries over other issues prior to his firing. An employer has the right to fire someone for almost any reason. This is much to do about nothing, but even if NPR made a mistake in this instance, I don’t think this negates years of excellent reporting on many issues. It is not like NPR is souly focused on politics (like Fox). If he had been fired for expousing a liberal view the right would be praising them for their fair and balanced actions.
October 23rd, 2010 | 11:52 am
Slanted editorial policy has no place in organizations taking public funding. Moreover, limiting Juan Williams honest discussion seems contrary to the principle of free speech. We were so incensed, we offered free voice petitions to NPR on our website at directedmessages.com. Speaking up is what Mr. Williams is doing and what we’re trying to help with.
October 24th, 2010 | 12:55 am
Juan was not fired for the comment itself but for blatantly agreeing with Bill O’reilly’s obviously racist comments. He blames ALL Muslims for 911. He no longer wants to be careful. O’reilly is just a cauldron of hate and so are most of you here blogging. Juan Williams may have simply gotten caught up in the hate-fest, but frankly, all of you stink of pure anti-Muslim racism and it’s not helpful. Everything should be done to de-fund the Korpratist Fox News which does nothing but lie and propagandize. I’m not so much upset that Juan said what he did, but that he took a job with this evil propagandist news organization. Juan is now just a black plastic lawn jockey in the yard of the Massa Fox.
October 24th, 2010 | 1:32 pm
To William Bradley: What you attribute to Juan Williams is precisely what he did NOT say. Quite the opposite. You would know that if you had the integrity to investigate the entire quote. If anything, his preamble “fear” comment was a way to disarm O’Reilly’s fear mongering by ACKNOWLEDGING the paranoia terrorism instills (to the eternal shame of terrorists, btw), but he went on to make clear that policy should NOT be based on fear, but rational assessment. NPR and shills like you have acquitted yourselves horrendously throughout this incident. And I myself have in fact donated to NPR and will do so never again.
October 24th, 2010 | 1:38 pm
Btw, how many people feel instinctual fear when a cop pulls them over? Just about everyone? How many of us want to abolish all police forces because we have that fear? Just about nobody? How about that. If you’re from the north, how about if a Southern sheriff pulls you over down in, say, Georgia? People get skitzy when they are in the presence of those who they feel just might have zero empathy for THEM. It’s a human reaction. Not the noblest for sure and one we need to keep in check until we stop feeling and start KNOWING who/what we are dealing with. But firing someone for admitting to it as a preamble to just this sort of cautionary tale? Disgraceful. Heads should roll at the top of NPR.
October 25th, 2010 | 11:20 am
Yes, NPR’s firing of Juan Williams as heavy-handed p.c. and they should be ahamed.
BUT he was an at-will employee. If at some point they had a calm discussion and told him “Working for both Fox and us just isn’t going to work” that would have been fair.
And while he did not deserve to be fired for his remarks he does not come off well.
If he had said “I get nervous . . . but that is a prejudice we need to overcome” — that’s the Juan Williams I know.
November 1st, 2010 | 1:55 pm
Juan Williams comments weren’t over the brink. It might be inconsistent with NPR standards, but not by normal standards. He has a right to feel threatened or worried and express his opinion, we all do, after all, we’re Americans, and those are our civil rights.
It has nothing to do with racial civil rights, and everything to do with liberal political correctness. Those walls were broken down when the Islamic jihad started against us, because rational Americans realized to be silent would mean our demise.
Juan Sanchez was fired because he went way beyond expressing his opinion, he went on a crazy man egotistical rant for 10 minutes, and left CNN no choice but to fire him. Helen Thomas statements showed obvious bigotry and deserved what she got.
I’m not particularly fond of Juan Williams, he’s too liberal for me in a few regards. But I do respect his opinion nonetheless and most definitely his right to speak.
These are all public figures. It’s up to their employers that employ them for particular functions and up to the court of public opinion that persuades people on whether or not they’ll be retained or if discharged, employed somewhere else. Free speech doesn’t negate any consequences. The other two went way overboard, but Williams, yeah, he didn’t deserve what he got and it’s great Fox welcomed him aboard, I think it entirely makes up for it. I view it as well deserved success story really.
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