Juan Williams says on Fox News that seeing someone on a plane in "Muslim garb" makes him nervous and is subsequently fired from NPR. He is, however, still an analyst on Fox News (with a nice raise and contract mind you). So now Bill O and Glenn Beck (and most assuredly Hannity) are screaming about NPR under the guise of free speech. They are hollaring about George Soros' donation and how NPR is given assistance from tax money. Speaking of which, they have enlisted Jim DeMint to put forth legislation defunding NPR. Hilarity will undoubtedly ensue.

10/22/2010 5:15:03 AM

Williams is on the Fox payroll? Are you implying he's running for the republican nomination for president in 2012?

10/22/2010 5:43:27 AM

He's on Good Morning America this morning defending himself some more.

Let's be honest here, Juan for a long time has pushed whatever message his employer wants him to push. When he is on NPR, he is usually fair and but when he is on Fox he has always leaned towards the message they pushed.

The fact that he has bought the "Muslims, I'm scared" angle that Fox has pushed for so long is plenty reason to fire him from an objective news outlet.

And George asks the question I had "Do you think its just that the fact that you were working for Fox became too much trouble for NPR?"

Juan claims he grew up on the left and thought the right was inflexible, and then states that NPR represents the orthodoxy of the left and then drops the ole "as a black man making a statement like this".

Can he just go away now?

10/22/2010 7:11:55 AM

Quote :

"When he is on NPR, he is usually fair"

um. . ..

10/22/2010 7:40:53 AM

Quote :

"free speech."

Juan Williams is perfectly free to say what he wants. He did.
NPR is a [mostly] private organization (that shouldn't take tax money,) and can fire employees over what they said.
The first amendment protects against government censorship, not private.
Even though he worked for NPR, which accept federal funding, Williams statements constitute private speech, right?

Quote :

"NPR is given assistance from tax money. ...legislation defunding NPR."

As a long-time NPR listener (nearly 10 years @ 6-9 hours/day), I fully support 100% defunding.
They should NOT accept any tax money. None.

I'd be neat if some like-minded liberal libertarians offered donation pledges if and only if NPR ceases taking federal cash.
Eventually, the total amount pledged may reach the amount NPR gets from taxes -- then, how could NPR say no?

10/22/2010 8:48:50 AM

NPR could easily get by without public funding, there's no question about that. Money from the government makes up 1% of their annual budget.

NPR's non-profit 501(c) status anchors their entire business model and the flavor of their programming. It's the ONLY thing that separates them from every other for-profit political loudspeaker; what led them to become the non-mainstream, bias-free station they are today, as opposed to The Rush. I'm not saying they would absolutely turn to ad-based funding and pandering to the masses if that changed, but I think it's a dangerous possibliity. There's a LOT of money to be made there.

[Edited on October 22, 2010 at 10:00 AM. Reason : .]

10/22/2010 9:59:57 AM

I don't know. The man just said how he feels and was being honest, and it wasn't anything that offensive. NPR is gonna fire the guy over it? It looks like NPR was looking for reasons to fire him and latched onto this.

10/22/2010 10:08:05 AM

I will gladly admit that I am an NPR addict. Marketplace is my crack. And even I will agree that this president/CEO chick was completely offbase and honestly sounds kinda crazy. Juan's contract was up in like April anyways. They should have just let it run out or at the very least given him the choice of staying with NPR or joining Fox full time. Now all she's done is brought out every right-wing pundit from the last 15+ years to rail against NPR and their funding. Sadly, Fox news is going to come out the victor here by their perverse ability to spin everything to their favor by sheer distortion. It's Acorn 2.0 and they didn't even need to doctor the video this time!

10/22/2010 10:47:05 AM

Quote :

"NPR.... bias-free"

lol
(I listen to NPR more than anyone I know. They are not unbiased. They are left of center. Period.)

Quote :

"NPR could easily get by without public funding, .......NPR's non-profit 501(c) status"

These are different. They could be 100% private and 100% non-profit.

10/22/2010 10:53:49 AM

I heard that the budget is 2.5% government funding.

Still pretty minor.

10/22/2010 11:02:02 AM

According to Faux & Fiends this morning you'd think it was 25% of the national budget. I guess that gets me off the hook during this Fall Fund Drive.

10/22/2010 11:09:01 AM

Quote :

"1%"

Quote :

"2.5%"

Makes my idea rather doable:
"It'd be neat if some like-minded liberal libertarians offered donation pledges if and only if NPR ceases taking federal cash.
Eventually, the total amount pledged may reach the amount NPR gets from taxes -- then, how could NPR say no?"

Quote :

"off the hook during this Fall Fund Drive"

Joke or not, I consciously give less to WUNC because they accept more than 0 tax dollars.

[Edited on October 22, 2010 at 11:13 AM. Reason : ]

10/22/2010 11:13:18 AM

Yeah, I'd rather them just not get federal cash regardless. The fact that they're non-profit makes no difference to me. The amount that they receive or what percentage it is of their annual budget also makes no difference.

10/22/2010 11:49:07 AM

we need to turn every media outlet into a corporate whore.

10/22/2010 12:29:14 PM

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a quasi-private non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress.

WTF?

10/22/2010 12:32:08 PM

They provide a very useful and in some communities vital resource of news and information. I see no problem with a few pennies (if even that much) of my tax dollars and any additional voluntary amount going towards them. There are MUCH larger things to bitch about if you want to be a deficit hawk.

It's times like these though that I miss ol' hooksaw. He'd plaster the thread with clips and snippets of various NPR shows over the decades that have voiced some inkling of a liberal viewpoint and attempt to make the claim that this represents the entire organization. Upon being called out for having seen that very feeble distortion on Fox News this very morning he would reflexively feign ignorance claiming that he doesn't watch Fox News.

10/22/2010 12:57:56 PM

I can't justify having government subsidize a news organization. In order for the media to properly fulfill it's role as a "watch dog," it must be wholly independent from the government. In any case, I'm not a fan of TV or radio news. I don't like having stories carefully picked, spun, and dictated to me. I'd rather use, you know, the Internet.

10/22/2010 2:14:19 PM

NPR gets most of their funding from corporations anyway. NPR=FOXNEWS

10/22/2010 2:14:57 PM

I don't get claims of NPR being left of center...and I lean right, so it isn't like I have some sort of cognitive bias here.

Unless by left of center you mean all the non-news type of shows they run.

10/22/2010 3:03:04 PM

NPR is liek 90% human interest garbage and 5% news. The news part is generally good simple reporting.

10/22/2010 3:09:45 PM

Quote :

"I can't justify having government subsidize a news organization. In order for the media to properly fulfill it's role as a "watch dog," it must be wholly independent from the government. "

I don't want the government to control all media, but I also don't want all media to be influenced by the market or private entities.

10/22/2010 3:13:57 PM

Quote :

"I don't want the government to control all media, but I also don't want all media to be influenced by the market or private entities."

Why? Should it be influenced by the forces that benefit by only having certain pieces of news reported? I don't see your reasoning here at all. People are, by nature, private entities. We want people observing and reporting news. We don't want it going through a government filter. Yes, people will often want compensation for their time, but many times, they don't. More and more news is being reported and analyzed by bloggers, who usually aren't making a living from it.

10/22/2010 4:15:56 PM

Quote :

"Why? Should it be influenced by the forces that benefit by only having certain pieces of news reported? "

There's no such thing as a news provider that doesn't have something to benefit from "only having cartain pieces of news reported". Its going to happen regardless of who is reporting it. Better to have as many sources reporting from as many viewpoints as possible.

10/22/2010 4:50:29 PM

to be fair, the talk-shows on NPR are generally left of center. I sometimes detect bias in the way things are reported on the news shows, such as consistently calling the dubya tax breaks, "tax breaks for the wealthy", and it hasn't been simply reporting on what the democrats are calling it. They explicitly say "bush's tax breaks for the wealthy." That's bias, whether you like it or not. Other times I think they don't ask hard questions of political candidates they are interviewing, but that tends to run both ways. but, by and large, the news is fairly unbiased, which is why I listen to it.

like other people have said on here, though, I don't pledge because I know my tax dollars are helping to fund it. Plus, the notion of them being commercial free is laughable. How many times do I hear them saying "sponsored by Pepsi, makers of refreshing cola drinks" or how many times have I heard them saying "sponsored by Herman Miller, maker of the Aeron Chair, now in 'True Black'"? That's a fucking commercial, lol

10/22/2010 5:10:23 PM

If you tune in late at night, they shut the hell up and just rebroadcast the BBC. Sure you have to put up with the bullshit sports like futbol and cricket, but at least I don't have to listen to Dianne Rehm.

I especially like Neil Nunes. His voice makes me chuckle.

10/22/2010 5:59:46 PM

It seems that many people are overly focusing on the news aspect of NPR. It also distributes great music shows like Jazzset and informative stuff such as Car Talk.

It's kinda dumb to declare war on it.

10/22/2010 6:05:55 PM

IT'S THE WHATDYAKNOW RADIO HOUR!

Kill me now.

10/22/2010 6:09:17 PM

Quote :

"NPR is liek 90% human interest garbage and 5% news."

Playa please. AM Radio, ranked according to airtime:

-ads for overpriced beds, doomsday gold, debt consolidation, diet scams, and tech scams aimed at 65 year olds
-calls from the borderline metally-disabled
-the week's conservative buzzwords combined into semi-coherent sentences.
-actual commentary
-news... provided by the local station

10/22/2010 7:39:24 PM

Juan is ON FIRE tonight, lol. dude is pissed off

10/22/2010 8:19:20 PM

NPR has a staff member who said it would be karma if Jesse Helms or one of his grandchildren were to get AIDS from a blood transfusion (sidenote: Helms became one of the biggest proponents for AIDS relief in Africa by the end of his career). She was not suspended, let alone fired. But Juan Williams speaks about differentiating between extremist and non-extremist muslims, in the process highlighting his fears of extremists after 9/11, and NPR fires him on the spot, releasing a statement implying that he needs psychiatric help. Then they take several swipes at Fox News, saying that their reporting is not "fact-based", but rather pure punditry.

How did Fox News launch this war again? Seems like there has been a concerted effort to discredit Fox News from the Obama administration and now NPR. Let's not pretend that they are the only news source guilty of bias and partisan hackery.

10/22/2010 9:10:00 PM

Quote :

"IT'S THE WHATDYAKNOW RADIO HOUR!"

Oh come on! How can you not find that show funny? But then again I find The People's Pharmacy mostly snorable although I should really try their Vick's Vapor Rub on the feet thing!

I remember someone saying a few years ago or so that they hated how NPR referred to W. as "Mr. Bush" when now they refer to our current president as "Mr. Obama". Where's the outrage!

10/22/2010 9:42:32 PM

The right wing was just fine when Helen Thomas & rick sanchez lost their jobs.

10/22/2010 10:14:30 PM

What the shit are you talking about? Also (and I seriously don't know the back story to this), you allegedly owe someone five dollars.

[Edited on October 23, 2010 at 12:34 AM. Reason : ]

10/23/2010 12:33:42 AM

PAY UP LAFTAAAAAAAAAA

10/23/2010 1:31:52 AM

^^^^^It was Nina Totenberg

Quote :

"It looks like NPR was looking for reasons to fire him and latched onto this"

IIRC he had said other stuff that pissed NPR off and this was the last straw

still not a good reason to fire him

10/23/2010 12:05:13 PM

It should be National Private Radio


?

10/23/2010 12:09:18 PM

Anyone who claims not to be at least slightly suspicious of the piously dressed Muslim - or the clean shaven Arab with the large backpack, for that matter - while using public transportation, is a liar.

It's not that I don't understand that the percentage of Muslims who would blow up a plane (or a train, or a bus, or a car) is extremely small; it's that I know there are Muslim terrorist groups all around the world who are committed to doing such things.

10/23/2010 12:48:13 PM

Quote :

"(sidenote: Helms became one of the biggest proponents for AIDS relief in Africa by the end of his career)"

if by "the end of his career" you mean "after he retired and no longer had any power", then sure

10/23/2010 2:18:50 PM

Quote :

" They explicitly say "bush's tax breaks for the wealthy." That's bias, whether you like it or not."

In the context that you've just described it, no. If were talking about the tax cuts that Obama is allowing to expire on the wealthiest Americans, how would these not be Bush tax cuts for wealthy individuals?

Quote :

"It's not that I don't understand that the percentage of Muslims who would blow up a plane (or a train, or a bus, or a car) is extremely small; it's that I know there are Muslim terrorist groups all around the world who are committed to doing such things. "

Lolers. I know that my chances of winning the lottery are effectively zero. But fuck it, I play anyway as if I'm actually gonna win.

I get more suspicious driving through fucking Henderson, NC at night that harm is going to happen to my person than from any differently dressed person flying. I don't understand why more emphasis isn't placed on the fact that we have been actively fighting the hell out of terrorism since 2001 and have been busting a lot of plots well before they have a chance to win. The only shit creeping through is from these bitch made nobodies trying to get to Allah and epic failing at it. I'm not so worried about those people.

10/23/2010 3:37:11 PM

^ this was before there was any talk of expiration. The entire tax cuts were referred to as "Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy." I remember hearing that several times and thinking "damn, where is your objectivity?"

^^ maybe by "career" he meant "his time being a total douchebag, aka, his life"

10/23/2010 3:50:57 PM

Quote :

"I'm not so worried about those people."

I'm not particularly worried about them, either. It's not like I've let them have any effect on my life. In fact, I've spent this entire week cruising around on London's excellent public transportation system, despite warnings that Europe is at its greatest risk of attack since 9/11. But it's naive as hell to equate the threat of Islamist terror attacks against public transportation systems to the randomness of the lottery, considering the fact that there exists a very real strain of violent Islamism that has committed such acts in the past and promises on a daily basis to strike again.

[Edited on October 23, 2010 at 5:07 PM. Reason : ]

10/23/2010 5:02:21 PM

Quote :

"if by "the end of his career" you mean "after he retired and no longer had any power", then sure"

In 2000, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Helms co-authored and pushed through Congress legislation authorizing $600 million in U.S. funds for AIDS treatment and relief in Africa and other poor nations.

10/23/2010 6:16:44 PM

Quote :

"The entire tax cuts were referred to as "Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy." I remember hearing that several times and thinking "damn, where is your objectivity?""

Well, ok. I'll take your word for it since NPR doesn't transcript anything.

Quote :

"But it's naive as hell to equate the threat of Islamist terror attacks against public transportation systems to the randomness of the lottery, considering the fact that there exists a very real strain of violent Islamism that has committed such acts in the past and promises on a daily basis to strike again."

What a generic statement. It isn't naive at all. On a statistical basis alone, the chance of being a victim of a terrorist attack is exceedingly low. This is before considering how much money (and eroding of personal liberty) has gone into weeding out terrorist operations. You didn't comprehend anything that I wrote.

10/23/2010 6:51:11 PM

Quote :

"to be fair, the talk-shows on NPR are generally left of center. I sometimes detect bias in the way things are reported on the news shows, such as consistently calling the dubya tax breaks, "tax breaks for the wealthy", and it hasn't been simply reporting on what the democrats are calling it."

To be fair, talk-shows are not news reporting.

[Edited on October 25, 2010 at 11:46 AM. Reason : .]

10/25/2010 11:42:00 AM

You know, the peeps at NPR keep saying that Juan had a "series of controversial statements," and that that led to his firing. I can't seem to find any other "controversial statements" that he has made. The only other thing I can find is his statement about Michelle Obama, but even that wasn't bad. Seems like NPR was just pissed that he was on FOXNews and they were getting complaints about it. Seems like stupid shit, if you ask me...

10/25/2010 8:49:41 PM

Quote :

"Well, ok. I'll take your word for it since NPR doesn't transcript anything."

here let me google that for you: https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=%22bush's+tax+cuts+for+the+wealthy%22+site:npr.org&hl=en&safe=off&filter=0

10/25/2010 9:38:55 PM

^^juan williams: "michele obama = stoakely carmichael in a designer dress"

10/26/2010 7:40:44 AM

What is a non-biased way of saying "Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy? Granted, it's a prime democrat talking point, so you are going to hear that phrase wherever you find reports paraphrasing democrats.

^^For the sake of comparison, "Obama-care" gets a lot more hits.

[Edited on October 26, 2010 at 9:42 AM. Reason : .]

10/26/2010 9:40:03 AM

Does anybody in this thread actually get nervous when they see dudes in "Muslim garb" on a plane?

I know I don't. It was fun to joke about like five years ago, but nobody is actually scared of that stuff.

Juan Williams is extraordinarily intelligent, way better educated than most of us, and definitely more worldly in terms of experience. There is no way in hell he's actually nervous about a man in a turban on a plane. So, no, OopsPowSrprs, he was not just saying "what he feels and being honest." It was cynical, calculated pandering of the worst kind.

It wouldn't surprise me if he runs for office sometime soon. At the very least, we'll see another book from him by next year.

[Edited on October 26, 2010 at 11:54 AM. Reason : hell, not heck. I'm allowing hell.]

10/26/2010 11:49:09 AM

NPR doesn't need government assistance. That said, the government would never dare cut funding. "As Ben Wattenberg is alleged to have said when he heard the Gingrich Congress was thinking of defunding PBS: 'What! Just when we've taken it over?'"

10/26/2010 11:54:48 AM