All Articles Tagged "juan williams"
Juan Williams: Black Folk Make Me Nervous
(The Root) — Former NPR employee Juan Williams has done it again. This time while guest-hosting on The O’Reilly Factor last night, Williams said that he gets nervous when walking past black guys, while interviewing Dr. Caroline Helmand, professor at Occidental College. The two were initially discussing the most recent “rant” of New York Congressman Anthony Weiner and then the conversation veered towards NPR.
Juan Williams Admits He’s Scared of Black Men Walking in Thuggish Packs
(The Root) — Former NPR employee Juan Williams has done it again. This time while guest-hosting on The O’Reilly Factor last night, Williams said that he gets nervous when walking past black guys, while interviewing Dr. Caroline Helmand, professor at Occidental College.
The two were initially discussing the most recent “rant” of New York Congressman Anthony Weiner and then the conversation veered towards NPR. Helmand said that NPR is a “really important source of mainstream news,” and the two argued over whether NPR deserved or needed funding. The following ensued (we’d show you the video, but it has been pulled):
NPR’s Fired Reporter Juan Williams Speaks Out On “White Condescension”
(Huffington Post) — Juan Williams says NPR is an “all-white organization” that exhibited the “worst of white condescension” in its handling of his firing last year. In an interview with The Huffington Post, conducted before the most recent controversy surrounding an NPR executive’s comments about the tea party (and CEO Vivian Schiller’s ousting), Williams blasted the organization for its treatment of him. “I think when it comes to NPR’s decision to, without any reason, throw me out the door, I think that for them, especially for some of the people who created NPR, it’s an all-white operation,” Williams said. He added that he thought NPR “felt they had never had much success” with black or Hispanic journalists, and that they had had “more success with white women.”
See his video interview here
Executive in Juan Williams NPR Firing Resigns
(ABC News) — A senior news executive at National Public Radio who played a key role in firing commentator Juan Williams has resigned, NPR said Thursday in announcing the completion of a review of the Williams controversy. The radio network said in a statement that Senior Vice President for News Ellen Weiss has resigned and NPR’s Board off Directors also recommended new internal procedures for handling personnel decisions and disciplinary action after reviewing Williams’ dismissal in October.
NPR Confronts Fallout From Williams Affair
(The Root) — NPR’s board of directors has approved hiring a law firm to review the network’s handling of the termination of Juan Williams’ contract, and the network has taken steps to address concerns raised by journalists of color. NPR has hired a second African American on-air reporter, Alex P. Kellogg of the Wall Street Journal, plans to make up for its omission of “All Things Considered” co-anchor Michele Norris from its 40th-year anniversary book and is in the final stages of hiring a senior editor whose job will be to find diverse sources and voices for NPR stories.
NPR’s C.E.O. Apologizes for Handling of Williams Episode
(New York Times) — In the latest dispatch from the war between Juan Williams and NPR, Vivian Schiller, its chief executive, apologized to her colleagues for how she handled Mr. Williams’s firing for remarks he made about Muslims. But she did not apologize for the firing itself. “While we stand firmly behind that decision, I regret that we did not take the time to prepare our program partners and provide you with the tools to cope with the fallout from this episode,” Ms. Schiller said in a statement released Sunday evening, first reported on Politico’s Web site. Mr. Williams’s firing prompted an outcry from his conservative supporters, many of whom have framed the firing as a First Amendment issue. Ms. Schiller has vigorously denied that accusation.
NPR Defends Firing Williams as Criticism Mounts
(New York Times) — Of the thousands of complaints that have saturated NPR in the wake of Juan Williams’s firing earlier this week, some of the most telling have been from callers describing themselves as long-time “viewers” of NPR who warn that they are going to “stop watching.” NPR, of course, does not have viewers, it has listeners. But the public radio organization has come under severe criticism — largely from people who are not listeners, it believes — for having fired Mr. Williams, an analyst who was employed by both NPR and Fox News when he said on Fox that he felt fearful when he saw people in “Muslim garb” on an airplane.
NPR Axes, Fox Defends Juan Williams Over Remarks
(AP) — “I’m not a bigot,” longtime news analyst Juan Williams said. Then he talked about getting nervous on a plane when he sees people in Muslim dress. Fair game for one of his employers, Fox News Channel, but a fireable offense for the other, NPR. Muslim groups were outraged, saying that Williams’ remarks Monday on Fox’s “The O’Reilly Factor” endorsed the idea that all Muslims should be viewed with suspicion. But conservatives and even some liberals said NPR went too far in axing his contract for being honest about his feelings in an interview where he also said it is important to distinguish moderate Muslims from extremists.
Way To Go NPR: Black News Analyst Fired Over Questionable Comments on Muslims
Good for NPR. After one of its senior analysts, Juan Williams, made an appearance on Bill O’Reilly’s show and made comments that illuminated his narrow views on Muslims, the respected news network terminated his contract.
According to the New York Times:
On the show, the host, Bill O’Reilly, asked him to respond to the notion that the United States was facing a “Muslim dilemma.” Mr. O’Reilly said, “The cold truth is that in the world today jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet.”
Mr. Williams said he concurred with Mr. O’Reilly.
He continued: “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.”
Mr. Williams also made reference to the Pakistani immigrant who pleaded guilty this month to trying to plant a car bomb in Times Square. “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,” Mr. Williams said.
NPR defended its move, stating that the remarks “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst.”
We could not agree more. Williams’ comments may be expected from someone naive to the ways of the world and believes all the ignorant notions spewed by the likes of Bill O’Reilly, but those comments are certainly unexpected from someone who analyzes the news and has been exposed to the world in the way that he has.
Not to mention, Williams is a black man. Saying that he would be worried by a Muslim getting on a plane is like a white Manhattanite saying she gets uncomfortable when seeing the likes of Juan Williams getting on a subway train. But luckily for Williams, there’s room in the news industry for narrow minds. Let’s see how long it takes for FOX to offer him his own show.
NPR Fires Juan Williams Over Comments on Muslims
(New York Times) — NPR has terminated its contract with Juan Williams, one of its senior news analysts, after he made comments about Muslims on the Fox News Channel. NPR said in a statement that it gave Mr. Williams notice of his termination on Wednesday night. The move came after Mr. Williams, who is also a Fox News political analyst, appeared on the “The O’Reilly Factor” on Monday. On the show, the host, Bill O’Reilly, asked him to respond to the notion that the United States was facing a “Muslim dilemma.” Mr. O’Reilly said, “The cold truth is that in the world today jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet.”
