Juan Williams
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-10-26/juan-williams
Juan Williams is a political commentator for Fox News and until last week he was also a news analyst for NPR. He joined NPR in 1999 as the daily host of Talk of The Nation, and in recent years he’s served as an NPR senior national correspondent. His comments on Fox's The O'Reilly Factor last week prompted a seemingly abrupt dismissal from NPR. Juan Williams talks about his career, his roles as news analyst and commentator, and his reaction to the recent controversy over his dismissal from NPR.
Guests
Juan Williams
FOX News political contributor, former NPR news analyst and author of "Enough."
Related Video
Fox News political contributor and former NPR news analyst Juan Williams discusses his feelings about NPP management and the way in which he was fired last week following remarks he made on Fox's "The O'Reilly Factor." Williams described his exchange with NPR senior vice president for news, Ellen Weiss, from whom he received the news of his dismissal: "I asked Ellen Weiss, 'Do you have a conscience?'...she was carrying out orders. This was an execution from her point of view, I guess:"
"I'm a big fan of radio and public radio," Fox News political contributor and former NPR news analyst Juan Williams said in response to Diane's question about whether he meant to attack all of NPR's programming in his recent criticisms of the organization. Williams draws a distinction between local stations' programming decisions and those made at the national level at NPR's headquarters:
Diane's Complete Interview With Juan Williams: Part 1
Diane's Complete Interview With Juan Williams: Part 2
Diane's Complete Interview With Juan Williams: Part 3
Diane's Complete Interview With Juan Williams: Part 4
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I listened to Mr. Williams on the show today, and his demeanor only confirmed my opinion that while NPR probably didn't handle his firing properly, he should not be working there. My thinking is that anyone who is afraid of all Muslims is just plain ignorant. I heard him say that he wasn't a bigot. Looking up the definition of the word, perhaps he isn't, but I think he could fit the definition of a racist. And that's the crux of the matter, IMHO.
I think NPR was heavy handed and should have at least set up an appointment to talk about the issues. But on the other hand, people get fired from jobs for a lot less. Mr. Williams has a surprisingly thin skin, for all the years he has been in the public eye. If he had just not interjected himself into his reporting, this wouldn't have happened. I don't really care to know the personal views of journalists; and when you are speaking publicly, you are always held to a higher standard than if you are just conversing with a few friends.I have supported NPR in the past, and I will continue to do so in the future.
Please!! The guy made a derogatory comment about Michelle Obama. He has been narrow-minded in whom he will take on and let us not forget what happened at the Washington Post.
Juan Williams was angry, unforgiving, and at times inconsistent in the interview. Regardless of what has happened, Juan appears to have lost his objectiveness and rationality. That for me means the end of a good journalist.
I am VERY upset by Juan William's firing by NPR. I was going to join my local public radio outlet until this happened and have decided to wait and see how this plays out. He is an outstanding voice of progressive views and offers a clear and strong opposite point of view from the right wingers on Fox News.
If Juan was fired for his comment, why is Nina Totenberg still employed at NPR as a correspondent?
Nina Totenberg appearing on "Inside Washington":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7msrF1V4NeY
I listened with interest to Diane's interview of Juan Williams. I have always respected and valued Mr. Williams’ reports and commentary on NPR. I do not watch or listen to Fox news on a regular basis. However I have caught the O'Reilly Factor on occasion and have always found the pitch of the dialogue close to frantic. It seems to me that the purpose of the show it to create fear and hatred. I don't understand how someone who has studied our history to the extent that Mr. Williams has cannot see how damaging this fear and hatred is in our society. To call the show conservative is a massive understatement. Mr. O'Reilly is a fear monger and from my point of view, Mr. Williams' presence on the show serves to damage the credibility of his other work.
I was writing my NPR membership renewal check when I heard the news about Mr. Williams' firing. I stopped, did some research on the event and thought to myself that his comment was perhaps not the most appropriate but was not worthy of firing especially without a conversation. I then destroyed the check.
I think the release of Mr. Williams was predictable and expected. I doubt that his contract would have been renewed at year end and this was foreseen when they canceled "Talk of the Nation", but the way they handled his dismissal was very unprofessional.
I am sorry that he will not be part of NPR's future and even more sorry he is going back to Fox. Yet even as I question my future with NPR I admit I would not watch Fox News even if they were to hire Diane Rehm. In 40 years of listening to NPR I have heard them leave what I once thought was very neutral ground to land on the left and they seem to be drifting farther left with each election. This firing may be part of that drift. At the same time to call Fox News right winged with a major agenda is kind of like telling a skunk they stink.
I have listened to NPR since its inception in Boston, my hometown. Juan Williams’s appearance on D.R.'s show today was over-the-top for a man in denial. He was actually parroting Bill O'Riley! How pathetic "I don't have all the particulars" when redressing a caller's assertions. All I can say is he stands as a guest you should invite if Rush Limbaugh is unavailable or Sean Hanity or the Factor(less) himself. I hope Juan continues on Fox fake news for many years to come - He sold out. He put himself on the block and went to the highest bidder. Just like they use to do.... never mind.
Mr. Williams,
I have been a successful fund raiser in my community for NPR for years. I am serously considering saying "no" this year. I am very concerned that PC has gotten to high handed. Your release from NPR is in my view, a shameful thing.
What do you want me to do?
I have enjoyed Juan's work since he was on Talk of the Nation, and thought his comments on the Special Report show on Fox was welcomed and needed.
There is no doubt that Juan was fired for appearing on FOX. 99% of his comments would have never elicited controversy on NPR. However, as witnessed by many comments below, FOX is hated by the majority of NPR listeners, and this made Juan to difficult to retain.
This is shameful, and the way NPR management has handled this is even more shameful. Saying Juan should, "share his views with his psychiatrist is offensive and petty.
Good luck, Juan. Maybe as times get harder for NPR, you can make a nice donation--I'm sure they'll gladly accept some of that ugly FOX money.
And, just for the record, NPR will not be getting any of my money during this pledge drive as it is clear my viewpoint is not important to NPR.
I have been listening to NPR for 35 years. As a child it was a staple in my household and something I have grown to cherish as an adult. I enjoy NPR because of the diversity or coverage or issues, and stories and enjoy the superior reporting for your reporters. I was appalled by the recent comments of Juan Williams and applaud the way in which your organization handled the situation. It is human for people to hold bias – but, good journalism should be unbiased and reporters need to share personal opinions carefully. I am sure Mr. Williams would not have appreciated someone stating “I am afraid to fly on an airplane with someone of xyz skin color.” This entire situation is unfortunate – but Mr. Williams no longer belongs at NPR.
For those of you considering no longer funding NPR, kudos to you. But I doubt NPR will miss your largess considering George Soros is buying one hundred political “reporters” for National Public Radio. I'm sure these "reporters" will be as non-partisan and unbiased as Nina.
I think the real problems with Juan William's comment about fearing people in "Muslim garb" are being missed.
1 - By failing to acknowledge that his expressed fear was irrational, he left the impression that this fear was completely OK.
2 - In his remarks he suggested that the decision to wear "Muslim garb" was made in order to show that the person is self identifying as a Muslim as opposed to some other identity like American, French, Western, etc.
There was ample reason for his dismissal.
His performance on the show as the innocent victim was unbecoming. He clearly could not see that he made any mistakes, ever.
"We are not denying Beck or anyone else their First Amendment rights. He can say anything he wants. But advertisers don’t have to support his brand of hate mongering, and audiences don’t have to take Fox News seriously if one of its top names has become a “circus clown.”
Actually, Beck is worse than a clown. He’s more like a terrorist who believes he has discovered the One True Faith, and condemns everyone else as a heretic. And that makes him something else as well — a traitor to the American values he professes so loudly to defend."
-- Cokie Roberts
That's an example of analysis that meets NPR's editorial standards and policies, since if it didn't surely Ms. Roberts would have been fired, right? But does it undermine her credibility as a news analyst with NPR? Of course not, it's perfectly in line with the agenda everyone realizes is consistent with the NPR brand. In fact, it's not even surprising she would say that. The President and CEO of NPR probably believes the same thing.
On Oct. 18, Soros donated $1.8 million to National Public Radio to hire 100 new reporters for a project targeting state governments called "Impact of Government."
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/551438/201010221913/Geo...
Days after the Soros windfall was announced, National Public Radio fired liberal news analyst Juan Williams.
Coincidence?
Diane:
Thank you for bringing Juan Williams on this morning. I think we all needed an opportunity to hear what he has to say in his own defense in a forum that allows for complete answers to tough questions from both you and listeners. I am convinced that Juan's firing was an egregious error on the part of NPR management. Further, I continue to see/hear mischaracterizations of what he expressed on Fox from NPR, PBS and other media outlets. Juan was expressing his own fears to the Fox audience in an effort to help them to understand the importance of not allowing our fears to govern our behavior or our public policy decisions. Juan has always been a source for honest and clear-headed assessment of the news. He will be GREATLY missed by me. I don't watch Fox often, but I may have to now. At least I still have the Diane Rehm Show!!
Juan has a superinflated sense of his journalistic integrity. I remember him arguing an insipid point to the effect the Pres. Obama should not call himself a professor. He kept on until a calller called in and told him the University of Chicago guidelines for who is a professor, and Obama fit those guidelines.
Then he refers to Michelle Obama as someone who should avoid being a female Stokley Carmichael. That was a total mischaracterization of anything that she had ever said.
He's petty. He belongs at Foz News, not on NPR.
I agree. He showed himself to be very petty. He could have made a simple statement deploring threats and connecting that to his feelings about how he was treated. Instead he acted like a petulant child.
The disclosure came five days after a Williams column on The Post's op-ed page in which he said that Anita Hill had "no credible evidence" for her allegations of sexual harassment by Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, but that Hill was "prompted" to make her charges by Democratic Senate staffers. The Post's personnel inquiry had begun more than two weeks earlier, but the column angered many women in the newsroom, and several came forward to say that they had also had problems with Williams. Post editors say they decided to make a public statement after WRC-TV aired a report on the controversy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/21/AR201010...
Thanks to the caller who alerted me to this.
DIANE:
Thank you for having Juan on today--I feel for him.
Wish Vivian S. was tolerant of others as you are!
At least YOU are a class act with all persons, and YOU still believe in freedom of speech, whether its reckless or proper. Expressing our feelings should always be the American way!
I think what's missing from the conversation is what I'm feeling: an intense sense of betrayal.
Here is a man who wrote about the civil rights movement and experienced racism firsthand and missed all the lessons contained therein.
The arguments and defensive comments Juan uses harken back to Birmingham Alabama back in the 50's and 60's.
When you start to judge people based on how they look instead of who they are, you become the problem.
Juan, I'm deeply sad to have ever heard your voice and listened to what I thought was a decent person.
You'll fit in well with fox news/
The more I hear about this issue the more it appears to me as a series of bad decisions on both sides that just keeps on growing. When trust is gone dialogue becomes nearly impossible. At some point somebody has to say, "Stop. This is going way wrong and I'm not making it any better. I am not trying to cause you any further anguish. I think you're wrong but I want to talk about this again, preferably from the beginning." When you get your back up about 'the principle of the thing' you no longer hear anything else.
I was very disappointed in the way the firing was originally handled but I think Ms. Schiller is doing the right thing now. You can be as angry about it as you want but when you make mistakes you try to fix them and I think she is trying. It takes both a little guts AND contrition to start the conversation again since you know the other side is going to share their take on your mistakes.
I was also very disappointed that Mr. Williams did not take the opportunity to say, "Threatening people's families over somebody getting fired from a job is wrong and should stop right now."
Should NPR commentators also appear on FOX? Probably not a good idea but FOX has 'exclusivity' clauses anyway so it is moot. Should NPR have some sort of policy for comment-vs-reporting? Absolutely, and if it was violated that has to be enforced or it has no meaning. Should people (including reporters) be allowed to mention their feelings, rational or not, if they have direct bearing on what they are talking about? That is the issue for debate isn't it?
Well stated Bezdomny! My question is: why would the average person "be afraid" of someone wearing Muslim garb in a plane after passing through all the current security checks? Juan Williams statement was the result of mindless blather echoing his fearmongering boss, Bill O'Reilly. Would Juan feel afraid if he traveled in Morrocco or Algeria, where the garb is common?
I would have fired Juan Williams just for repeating this idiomatic expression once too often: "first and foremost"
Juan Williams is not a good news analyst or news commentator. He is also not liberal nor progressive. Thus it is no surprise that Fox trots him out there so they can say they have diverse voices on their programs and score points for the Republican Party with their few open-minded viewers every time Mr. Williams can not form a coherent argument.
It is illogical to counter Mr. O'Reilly who equates Islamism with terrorism by saying that you are frightened when you board a plane and see Muslims. If it is your job to intelligently analyze and comment on the news and you'd lose almost any debate than you are in the wrong job and your bosses are not wrong to fire you.
I had some sympathy for Mr. Williams before listening to today's show but his utter lack of introspection and incredible abundance of ego convinces me that not only did NPR do the right thing, they had no choice.
I would hope that this is a lesson to everyone to check their egos at the door and objectively listen to criticism.
I would also hope that news analysis and commentary come from people who do not check which way the political winds are blowing inside the DC Beltway nor incessantly parrot Republican Party talking points.
I've been ready for Williams to go ever since his early 2007 personal interview with GW Bush. Nearly zero critical discussion, with many softballs on a variety of topics. The closest Williams came to pressing any issue was mentioning that balancing the budget takes either tax increases or program cuts, and Williams simply allowed Bush to state that the situation would fix itself under current policy (not true at all, as the prior five years and the following three have shown).
It was an utter waste of an interview with a recent lame-duck president who faced historic disapproval ratings. Not a big deal it it'd been on Fox, but NPR is where you go for more proper journalism. You know, journalism where you might actually learn things rather than simply receive talking points.
- = -
Juan's comment today about skinheads was extremely telling. I'd like Juan to cite a few examples of Muslims in ethnic clothing (whether African, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Indonesian, etc) committing acts of terror on American airplanes [Hint: there are none, at least during my lifetime].
My view: it's fine to admit, then appraise and confront your prejudices (we all have some), but Williams seems comfortable admitting them and letting the issue rest there. That's not OK unless your job is solely that of commentator. Fox will be a good fit for him.
Thank you, Diane, for having Juan Williams on your show. You treated Juan much more professionally than anyone from the management at NPR. Vivian Schiller, CEO of NPR, showed little professionalism in how Juan was terminated. Then she resorted to character assassination in a public forum. As much funding as NPR receives, you would think that they would have a better HR department. NPR can terminate Juan if they want. But firing Juan over the phone is completely inappropriate. Vivian Schiller's remarks that he should could keep it between Psychiatrist or his Publicist was extremely unprofessional. She will be lucky if Juan does not sue her and NPR for her comments. She will lose the suit because unlike politicians you cannot smear or slander an current or ex-employees in public.
Let's have your boss fire you over the phone then smear you in public. I think he has a right to be upset.
That interview with the Grand Inquisitor was surreal. Juan Williams was so gracious in spite of the haughty grilling Ms. Rehm gave him it was embarrassing to listen to it. Embarrassing that Juan Williams had to fend off more ad hominen attacks from the rabid leftists that think that Diane Rehm show is their exclusive forum to attack the right. Embarrassing to Rehm because she is delusional in thinking she is balanced and fair. This woman has almost no conservatives on her show. In the past she'd have pseudo conservative on the Friday panel that works for the New York Times. This week the token presence was some guy who gets inside access to the Dems but works for the WSJ.
Rehm tried to blame the victim at the end of her interview because of some threat to the vicious Vivian Schiller. After what she did to him (supported by who knows how many vindictive PBS executives) she then wanted to take him to task for not being loyal to PBS. The leftist drones who listen to Rehm then added their Amen and then some. Before that Rehm then tries to go tit for tat with some guy who calls in complaining about bias, thinking that the guy won't admit there was bias on the right as well as the left. She couldn't even bring herself to dialog with the guy but instead relied on the tried and true mantra of the left "you do it too."
After Juan said what he said about Muslims, i think he had some self realization that it was a dumb thing to say. Riley reinforced what Juan said and Juan noticed his opportunity to cover his tracks by saying "not all Muslims Bill". It was a flat out racist remark Juan but again your on Fox where it is acceptable to say these things so therefore you felt comfortable and at home....i notice your first stint on Fox the other night, your body language,voice is louder and facial expression's are alot like Hannity,O'Riley,Beck and Greta.