News Roundup - Hour 1
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-10-22/news-roundup-hour-1
President Obama campaigns in western states to rally Democrats. A federal appeals court keeps the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy intact for now. And Toyota issues another massive recall. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.
Guests
John Dickerson
chief political correspondent for Slate.com and CBS political analyst and contributor. Author of "On Her Trail: My Mother, Nancy Dickerson, TV News' First Woman Star."
Susan Page
Washington bureau chief for USA Today.
Naftali Bendavid
national correspondent, The Wall Street Journal; author of "The Thumpin': How Rahm Emanuel and the Democrats Learned to be Ruthless and Ended the Republican Revolution."
News Roundup Video
The panelists address NPR's firing of Juan Williams following his comments about Muslims earlier this week on Fox News:
Comments
Please familiarize yourself with our Code of Conduct and Terms of Use before posting your comments.
I have to agree with Laurel Taylor. This makes me quite uncomfortable about the Helen Thomas firing.
I am a sort of middle of the road person, with some left wing views and some right wing views. I disagree with Juan Williams about 80% of the time and probably disagree with Helen Thomas about 70% of the time.
I am also a massive supporter of Israel and agree with Juan Williams comments about Muslims. However, I have to wonder if my own biases are creating some hypocrisy in this situation. What is the difference between the Juan Williams firing, and the Helen Thomas firing?
I personally found what Helen Thomas said more offensive, but was it really?
The problem here is that when we drive this sort of discussion out of the public square and vilify those who engage in it and subscribe to rules of political correctness that dictate certain topics are not to be discussed, we miss a huge opportunity to reach a deeper understanding of the issues that confront us.
Diane,
I love your time on the air and it is close to being fair to both sides of the isle, but it is more left over the air. I do think you try to be fair, but 90% of media is liberal because of exposure to listeners and readers.
Your firing of Juan is understandable and might have been forced by the administration due to his exposure on Fox, but don't you feel like you are walking on egg crates these past 2 years? The one optimistic view of the Obama election was to put race relations behind us, but on the contrary it is more prevalent ever since the meeting at the White House that was called by the President and Vice President of the United States of America in regards to a police report of arresting a black man breaking into a home as to the reported complaint by a neighbor.
Over played, and ever since race is mentioned in every discussion!
Maybe, this is what the First Lady meant when she said after the election "This is the first time I can say I am proud to be an American"
My mother's cousin was born in a small town in Lithuania. One of the few from his town to survive Auschwitz, Birkenau and forced labor in Poland.
After collapse of the Axis, his DP camp was addressed by an officer whom he believes to have been Ike: If you go back where you came from bad things will happen to you. We are going to take as many of you as possible back home with us.
The cousin had plans of emigration to Israel but was brought by relatives to the US instead.
As the world regulatory body of the time had created a Jewish state, it seems outlandish for Helen Thomas 6 decades later to insist that Israelis go 'home.'
To compare this to a description on Fox of uneasy feelings in an airport is not to compare apples and oranges. It is to compare citrus fruit with a rotting granny apple.
sorry diane, there's a difference when helen thomas is telling someone at a jewish heritage celebration to 'get the hell out of palestine' in an INTERVIEW, and saying you you get nervous on a plane when you see people who primarily identify themselves as muslims.
and no. your show is not unbiased, not noways, not nohow. you may strive for it but the in the very way you ask questions belie your views. i can only listen to your show on certain subjects, the social issue subjects i have to turn off.
juan williams is a liberal but when he didn't toe the liberal line to the letter he was let go. i wonder if he would have been fired had he been a contributor to keith olbermann's show?
Diane,
1) NPR and the smug, liberal media, think they are the arbiters of Truth. Now they are being exposed. I'd love to have their funding contigent on adding conservative commentators to their rouster.
2) One of your guests wondered why their was a firestorm over the Thomas antisemetic comments and not so over the Williams. It's obvious. Acceptance of minority groups in America is not dolled out like so much pork; it's earned. Every group needs to work hard at it. If the American Muslim community had risen up and said, en masse, that the new mosque in NYC was a bad idea, let's just let it go and say we're sorry, it's have gone a long way. But no, they stick to their guns and say we build where we want. Do they rise up and condemn regularly and vociferously the crazy jihad of their co-religionists in trying to destroy the West? Again no. This only makes people like Mr. Williams and other nervous. Once THEY change their behavior/attitude, then they will begin earning their acceptance. Then, when someone says something anit-muslim, it will be a natural and obvious thing to condemn it, because they are such upright and outstanding citizens. So far they are not.
Substitute "black people" for "Muslims" and you find reason to let Juan Williams go. "If I see black people [in a park, in a lobby, in a hallway] I get nervous." Nothing said before or after makes that okay.
We can't put "race" behind us and it's naive to think that we can. Just this week, someone in East Texas put up a sign, "There are lions in Africa, and lieing (sic) by an African president." Sick.
Diane Rehm frequently has analysts on her show that are from the conservative sector (the national review, the economist, the weekly standard). The difference is when Juan is on her show I discredit his remarks, I always feel his comments are tainted by the OPINIONS he gives on FOX. I have more respect for other conservatives on NPR, who dont spew their own opinions as facts in other venues.
Black people werent behind a)Sept 11, b) Ft Hood shootings, c) Times Square bombing attempt or d) Christmas Day bombing attempt.
So, your point is?
Either you want us to ignore A, B, C, and D; or pretend that those terroristic acts and/or attempts were perpetrated by Blacks?
@BoJones:
Ok so you want some examples of "FOX Fantasy" dressed up as news?
How about:
* FOX's Reporting on Obama's "forged" birth certificate...and the Network's egging on of the "Birther" movement.
* FOX's Reporting and fetishization of the so-called "Death Panels" during the HealthCare Reform debate
* FOX's repeated and deliberate confabulation of the utterances of their "Fringe Division" (i.e. Beck, O'Reilly, Hannity, et. al.) as actual "news" instead of identifying these screeds on the Administration as odious "opinion"
If that's not enough referncing for you then go to: FactCheck.org and see some hundred or so other examples.
Cheers!
EC
BJ, I respectfully disagree with you. Mr. Williams's job at NPR was not to report the news and not give his opinion -- the same as all NPR reporters. NPR really believes in reporting and facts, not opinion. That is where Mr. Williams ran into trouble. It isn't that he appeared on Fox News or any other reason, it is that he is supposed to be an unbiased reporter. He showed biased in violation of his contract, unfortunately. I say unfortunately because Mr. Williams always had thorough, smart stories and educated us very well on The Diane Rehm Show when he was a guest.
In the same vein, NPR will not allow employees to go to Jon Stewart's rally because NPR wants to avoid even the appearance of bias. While I am sad to see Mr. Williams go, I understand and support NPR's reasoning and action.
As a registered Independent that- counted on NPR to provide balanced reporting, I was dismayed to hear of the decision to fire Juan Williams. Choosing to dismiss him over his honest admission of his feelings about Muslims in a post 911 America demonstrated a political reactivity that I thought was beneath the caliber of NPR. America has indeed become a country of the left and the right, and some of it has been exacerbated by irresponsible 'journalism.' Must NPR now choose to jump into the fray?
The 911 attack, was executed exclusively by Muslims, in the name of their god. If we as a nation cannot allow ourselves to have honest conversations about how this has changed our comfort level with people that openly display their Muslim faith, what hope have we for finding a common direction for this country?
Where is the leadership of NPR that I have come to expect when they take this reactive position to what should have been an opening for honest public dialog?
I support NPR's decision in firing Juan Williams. I took issue with the fact that Mr. Williams appearance on the show seemed to be for his own private and financial interests. Yes, as an "analyist", Mr. Williams does provide opinions on the Diane Rehm Show. That makes sense, he is hired by NPR to do so. However, such opinions are fact-based and given in a forum with a multi-sided debate, in sharp contrast with shows encouraging punditry, personal biases, and speculation.
As an avid NPR listener, I find it disheartening that even as Mr. Williams is your personal friend Ms. Rehm that you do not agree with his termination. I absolutely agree with it. I listen to NPR stations in order to receive the news that I do not get from 24 hour television news nor local news. I do not find Fox News (or MSNBC & CNN for that matter) as a legitimate source for anything, why Mr. Williams would feel that The O'Reily Factor be a show to give his opinion on anything is crazy to me. Since Mr. Williams gets a 2 million dollar contract, I suppose this will help Fox News buy Journalist's that come from the "real news" demographic and turn them in to a circus/reality show. I will continue to get my news from Journalists who don't feel they need to be a guest or work for 'Op Ed TV', and that to me is NPR.
Thank you.
I am very concerned about the censorship being exercised by NPR. Juan Williams made it abundantly clear that he was voicing his own, personal opinion when he made his comments on FOX News. He was speaking in a commentary forum, and he should be entitled to voice his opinion without fear of losing his job as a journalist, a completely different job in a completely different forum. His firing is unconscionable.
Karen
You beat me to the punch! Thank you!
Have never agreed more. The whole thing is just sad and disgusting. Why as a nation do we need to be scared of a persons color or religon? Shouldn't we just be scared of the 'Crazy Extremists' across the board or possibly the 'Opinion Nation' that seems to be running cross country to help everyone not get along.
Although I have a great deal of respect for Susan Page, I must correct her.
Ms. Page said that Juan Williams was a ""liberal commentator offering that perspective on Fox [News]."
In fact, Mr. Williams was a black commentator on Fox News, not a liberal commentator.
There is a distinction and it is significant.
-- MrJM
Note: If there is any doubt as to the illiberal nature of Mr. Williams's perspective, one need only recall the Michelle Obama as "'Stokely Carmichael in a designer dress" comment referred to in the clip above.
I don't think this has hurt Mr. Williams career. I see his just received a big reward from FOX. I am surprised that NPR didn't expect this firestorm--that is what bothers me. You played right into the hands of the Right Wing Nutjobs. Actually, I guess I would not hate it if the government money went away--I am tired of hearing the right complain about their tax dollars going to NPR. I will continue to listen every day (Thank you for your show, Diane) and I will give to my local station. But please learn from this, NPR.
The Arlington, Texas women who called in applauding NPR's firing of Juan Williams actually believes NPR is one of the "few non-partisan media outlets that isn't run or funded by a major corporation with a political or business agenda." The mind boggles how this women considers NPR as a "non-partisan" media outlet. I'm sure this women will be ecstatic to know that the far left George Soros is buying one hundred political “reporters” for National Public Radio. Who could possibly see this as funding by a major entity with a political agenda?
Jeffery - If you watch the whole recording of Helen's comment, it's clear that she was speaking out of a sense of frustration about the plight of the Palestinian people, not expressing a desire for a return to the Holocaust. WWII was a terrible event, but the suffering of a group of people should NOT be used to justify the oppression of another group. I'm glad your family was able to immigrate to America. I suspect that you enjoy living in a society that offers political protection to all races and religions - I know I do.
Frankly put, the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, the treatment of non-Jewish Israeli citizens, the occupation of the West Bank, and the blockade of Gaza make Helen Thomas's frustration a lot less outlandish, and a lot more justified - even if her off the cuff remark wasn't a real solution to the problem she was attempting to address.
If you're interested in the connections between individuals who lost family in the Holocaust and who are now passionate advocates of Palestinian rights and critics of the Israeli government - I suggest you check out Dr. Norman Finkelstein.
I think Laurel Taylor's comment was right on.
To say that you feel fear upon seeing people on a plane dressed in Muslim garb is not bigoted; the fear expressed is based on past terrorism in airplanes occasioned by Muslims. It is a feeling that the speaker resolved in favor of the Muslim community at large.The comment does not suggest that all " Muslim-dressed "people engage in terrorist acts;Nor does it suggest that the speaker would act differently with respect to muslim garbed people; it is simply an honest comment of some fear associated with past acts of violence on planes at the hands of Muslim fanatics.
I just pledged to NPR 2 days ago; Still value the service I get; but it is NPR that has the black eye, not Juan Williams.
shame on schiller
Diane asked a caller, who applauded Juan's firing, her appraisal of Mara Liasson since she appears on FOX News. The caller said it was OK for NPR to keep her on, for the moment. Yet NPR already made noises about their dissatisfaction with Mara Liasson's appearances on FOX News.
"Executives at National Public Radio recently asked the network’s top political correspondent, Mara Liasson, to reconsider her regular appearances on Fox News because of what they perceived as the network’s political bias, two sources familiar with the effort said."
"According to a source, Liasson was summoned in early October by NPR’s executive editor for news, Dick Meyer, and the network’s supervising senior Washington editor, Ron Elving. The NPR executives said they had concerns that Fox’s programming had grown more partisan, and they asked Liasson to spend 30 days watching the network."
And with respect to Helen Thomas; that was quite different. she responded to the question,
"What about Israel? " with her opinion (NOT her feelings), stating that it was historically the Palestinian's land; another opinion (not a feeling). That opinion was considered antithetical to unbiased journalism. (what about the history that the Jews have on that land).
Williams' feelings were not antithetical to open-minded reporting, especially when all of Williams comments are considered.
And with respect to Helen Thomas; that was quite different. she responded to the question,
"What about Israel? " with her opinion (NOT her feelings), stating that it was historically the Palestinian's land; another opinion (not a feeling). That opinion was considered antithetical to unbiased journalism. (what about the history that the Jews have on that land).
Williams' feelings were not antithetical to open-minded reporting, especially when all of Williams comments are considered.
Well said; And, just to go off on a tangent, how does Helen countenence living in the USA which was the Native Americans...
George Soros - anti-Fox
Media Matters - anti-Fox
George Soros, 1.8 M to NPR
George Soros, 1 M to Media Matters
Juan Williams appears on Fox
Media Matters pressures NPR to fire Juan Williams
Juan Williams ... gone
Who here would like to do the math?
Mara Liasson next? she also appears on Fox.
NPR is corrupt. Soros will use this case to pressure and intimidate left-leaning media personalities to toe his liberal-progressive line (NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, NPR, most print media - newspapers, Time, Newsweek, U.S. News, etc.)
This country is in a very dangerous place with respect to media and free speech.
Still spinning that dial; what kind of guy...am...I?
True, WITH Juan Williams NPR could'a boasted one more conservative. But...all the lax security re truckloads'a stuff comin in we used to manufacture, and Juan Williams is worried about passengers with Muslim style outfits? How Muslim did the 9/11 hijackers look? Let's see, who else besides Chomsky has said something about suitcase nukes getting into the wrong hands (correct me if I'm wrong...Richard Clarke?). Yeah, well, don't worry about which of our policies would incite someone to set off a suitcase nuke...worry about Juan Williams get'n fired!
On NPR Williams is an "analyst," on Fox a "commentator." So, an "analyst" is worried about the garb? Funny or sad? IMO it's worse than sad Williams has to cozy up to O'Reilly with worries like this (one O'Reilly never expressed himself?). It justifies it for others (and obviates real ones like shock doctrine ticking off the world). But, since we can't handle the truth, it's best "analysts" prove they worry over relative trifles just like the rest of us.
No, no...don't get to the marrow of anything. You and O'Reilly just go ahead and devo down to the level of 99.99% of all the AM shocks out there--just dwell on the triflin peripherals. Don't break down what Kuttner or Michael Hudson say. Don't even touch MoJo's breakdown of the bailout cost. Don't talk about our healthcare being more bureacratized vs Canada's with more of the old-private-style providers. Be like Colmes and start re-defending Imus all over again! Sure it would be ideal to talk about a Civil Works Administration for the 21st century but...we can't handle it! Get past this ball of confusion, gaggle, & fluff??? Naaa, ahora es be-all & end-all.
Juan, if they gave me 2 million for 3 yrs I might act just as stupid (or even what you got at NPR). Yet and still, ya gotta critique the non-logic over at Fox if you wanna burn up the karma...IMO.
You have a right to your own opinion, but not your own facts
||one more conservative||
Juan Williams is ANYTHING but Conservative!
||So, an "analyst" is worried about the garb? ||
In his role on Fox, he is a commentator, NOT an analyst - you said so yourself! He was on Fox, not on NPR.
And finally ...
||it's worse than sad Williams has to cozy up to O'Reilly with worries like this||
Juan Williams said, what many people started to think after 9/11 ... and still do. Sorry, that's just truth, bro.
Dear Diane,
I am American, but I live in the Middle East in Qatar. I live with Muslims. I work with Muslims. I play soccer with Muslims. I socialize with Muslims. I joke and laugh with Muslims. I stand in line at McDonald's and Krispy Kreme with Muslims. I fly with Muslims. And yet I am deeply disappointed in NPR for its treatment of Juan Williams. On Fox News he expressed a personal fear only, a fear in a very specific context, that is, in an airport. And his fear is one that even I, who spend my entire life surrounded by Muslims in "Muslim garb," have felt a twinge of occasionally in a very specific context, that is, on an airplane. Has NPR forgotten the deep trauma of 9/11? To fire someone for expressing a personal fear borne out of a national trauma seems insensitive at best and mean and vindictive at worst, particularly when that person has defended Muslims consistently since 9/11. I also fear that his firing sends a chilling message to other NPR reporters: beware of expressing your feelings honestly lest you be excommunicated. Diane, are you and other NPR personalities, who claim Williams as a personal friend, going to do more than talk? Can you pressure NPR to rehire him? Will you?