Okay so I don't know how many of you are aware of the situation and controversy surrounding NPR right now. But here is a quick summary for those who don't.Basically, NPR fired one of their long time commentators, Juan Williams, after he appeared on Bill O'Reilly's show and made some controversial statements. The statements that got Mr. Williams in trouble pertained to Muslims. The first was when Bill O'Reilly asked if their was a "Muslim dilemma" in the country and he agreed. But the statement that has got Mr. Williams the most heat is when he in essence said that he gets nervous and fearful if he sees someone on a plane in Muslim clothing.
Personally, I feel that those statements were to say the least not well thought out and probably a little bigoted. On the other hand, Mr. Williams should have the right to express his feelings and opinion on a question without having to fear for his job. Also, the statement and feeling he has, while as I said before a little bigoted, is probably shared by a large percentage of Americans.
As for NPR, I question the rational behind the firing. I mean if it is solely based on these comments that is quite extreme to do because a man has a right to free speech even if his employer may not share his point of view. On the other hand they do have a right to protect their public image and if this is a common occurrence with this reporter then maybe it is warranted.
Anyways what do ya'll think about this? Should he have been fired? Are his comments true or are they just that of a bigot? Lets hear it...
4 comments:
Here's the deal. NPR holds so many interviews and broadcasts all sorts of topics (many of which aren't even related to politics). I have heard both conservative and liberal people interviewed. So in my opinion, NPR is not that liberal. Firing Williams may seem unjust because he certainly has the right to free speech. But I don't think they fired him because they wanted to protect their liberal public image. I think they just did that because they want to protect their public image in general. NPR is a very mellow organization in many ways. It trickles all the way down to the interviewer's voices (:D). The fact of the matter is that they are a broadcasting corporation that does not want to be associated with supposedly extremist views. Although Williams fearing Muslims aboard a plane may not truly be extremist because many people believe that as well, it is not an opinion that the mellow NPR would like be associated with. It is perhaps yet another example of Islamophobia. And honestly, NPR + Islamophobia doesn't work out...not because they are too liberal, but rather because they don't want to attract too much attention that revolves around such views. I am not sure whether firing him is justified though. Then again NPR has its reasons that we may never know about...
To answer the questions, no I don't feel that the firing of Williams was warranted, but I do feel that the opinions he held(no matter how radical and unwarranted) are echoed, not just in the United States, but also all over the world. But looking at the issue from another point of view, while Williams works for NPR hid job is to reflect the opinions held by the NPR company, but as Conor said, it would be difficult to do so seeing as NPR DOES seem to advocate for people to express their diverse opinions.
I feel that Mr. Williams' comment wasn't too extreme since many others feel the same way as him and he didn't seem to say something that was extremely hurtful to Muslims (although it probably still offended them a bit). He was just expressing his opinion and his personal feelings. I think that it's unjust of him to get fired for using his right of free speech, even if his comments weren't the best. To me, it's wrong to fire someone just because of their personal opinion on a controversial issue. Mr. Williams' personal views shouldn't have to conflict with his work..the two should stay separate and thus, he shouldn't have been fired by NPR.
As I sometimes listen to NPR, I enjoy the diversity. However, I do think that NPR reacted to Williams's comments a little harshly. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and Mr. Williams was simply stating his. Even though he was stating his opinion, I do thin he could have thought the words through a little more before blurting them out. Sometimes, it's what it said, but how it is said.
~Emily Zelter
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