I came across this news article about NPR’s firing of journalist, Juan Williams, and I was shocked at what I read. The article basically states that Williams was fired for a comment that he made about his feelings toward Muslims while appearing on “The O’Reilly Factor”. In rehashing Bill O’Reilly’s comment during his appearance on “ The View” and the drama it stirred up, Williams admitted:“...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.”
While not the best thing he could have admitted to, I understand where he is coming from, especially in light of 9/11 where Islamic extremists used airplanes as weapons of mass destruction and caused enduring and irreparable damage. I saw this as a very real and honest response; NPR saw it as a reason to give Williams his walking paper. I watched the clips and I don't see a valid reason for why he was fired. He expressed his feelings, something many people can relate to, and while some of us saw complete honesty in an arena where this is rare, NPR saw a case for bigotry. When people are punished for expressing their personal opinions, no matter how unpopular it may be, it’s no wonder we live in such a guarded society where those in the know feed us drivel instead of telling us the unvarnished truth.
From time to time, G. sends me NPR articles that she thinks I might find interesting and I’ve even signed in to log my opinion on the rare occasion. But I am not a regular NPR subscriber. If I were I would have to think twice about tuning in, in light of how they handled the Juan Williams situation. In a country that purports, or rather, expresses free speech and readily provides a platform for radical types to spout extreme and often nonsensical viewpoints, it's hypocritical that someone can be fired for expressing his or her honest opinion. It’s a real shame when we have to guard our words because we are afraid of what the consequences will be.
While not the best thing he could have admitted to, I understand where he is coming from, especially in light of 9/11 where Islamic extremists used airplanes as weapons of mass destruction and caused enduring and irreparable damage. I saw this as a very real and honest response; NPR saw it as a reason to give Williams his walking paper. I watched the clips and I don't see a valid reason for why he was fired. He expressed his feelings, something many people can relate to, and while some of us saw complete honesty in an arena where this is rare, NPR saw a case for bigotry. When people are punished for expressing their personal opinions, no matter how unpopular it may be, it’s no wonder we live in such a guarded society where those in the know feed us drivel instead of telling us the unvarnished truth.
From time to time, G. sends me NPR articles that she thinks I might find interesting and I’ve even signed in to log my opinion on the rare occasion. But I am not a regular NPR subscriber. If I were I would have to think twice about tuning in, in light of how they handled the Juan Williams situation. In a country that purports, or rather, expresses free speech and readily provides a platform for radical types to spout extreme and often nonsensical viewpoints, it's hypocritical that someone can be fired for expressing his or her honest opinion. It’s a real shame when we have to guard our words because we are afraid of what the consequences will be.
