Juan Williams Fired from NPR - Note to Conservatives - Not a First Amendment Issue!
Well, as one can expect for a firmly held conservative concept of late, it's not based in fact or reality. The free speech protections of the Constitution do not extend to the workplace, at least not in the same fashion. Of course, there are times when free speech can be violated at work.
Chastised for speaking a different language during lunch? Retaliated against for whistle blowing? Are employees of some religions or national origins allowed to speak about them around work, but not others? Just some kinds of free speech protected at work.
What is not, is opinion. At least in the context of a news reporter and/or commentator. Radio stations, television shows, newspapers, all have the right to dismiss a person not meeting their standards. Even if those standards aren't in agreement with what some others might think.
When Alan Colmes had to leave Hannity and Colmes because even a lightweight liberal like Alan Colmes can make Hannity look like an idiot, it wasn't a free speech issue. And neither is Juan Williams dismissal from NPR.
Conservobots are calling for funding to be pulled from NPR, predictably. They have always hated NPR. Educational and informative programming without a conservative agenda aren't something they like to have on. Real information is the enemy of the willfully misinformed.
And Juan Williams also worked for Fox News. As that channel has been thoroughly exposed as a partisan infomercial, it's hard for any organization wanting to retain credibility to employ someone also working for Fox.
Whenever Juan Williams offered opinion on NPR, he had to consider that he was on a network not nearly as conservative as Fox, and not as likely to allow him to give opinion better suited to Fox. Any pundit has to be aware of what they say in the context of where they are saying it.
If, for example, I say "every time I see a bunch of rednecks I hear banjo music in my head," or "when I see Sarah Palin I have to fight the nausea to hold down my lunch," I am fairly certain I won't get fired. Juan Williams made the same calculation, and was wrong.
Published by Jeff Musall
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16 Comments
Post a CommentAs well, specifically, "Educational and informative programming without a conservative agenda aren't something they like to have on. Real information is the enemy of the willfully misinformed," is PARTISAN BS and you know it, as is "As that channel has been thoroughly exposed as a partisan infomercial, it's hard for any organization wanting to retain credibility to employ someone also working for Fox." Everytime you offer a ray of decency ya gotta F it up with this crap. Your credibility is waning as fast as your political fortunes Pal. Enjoy man!
JEFF, you are right in your thesis. Free speech is not in question here at all. Where you are wrong is in trying to pretend every non-progressive is trying to argue otherwise. Why are you so non accepting? I thought to you as an inclusive one, we each had individual merit and all that? Your point, while correct in this case, still indicts all conservatives. Why can't you be less all encompassing in your denigrations. I mean even a mush disliked person like me USUALLY employs the term SOME or MANY when I indict your pals, but you just label all of us the same. Very open minded of you. Yet your work is so wonderful and enlightening and mine, just the rantings of an extremist, armed up ass. How fair. Your very own words really puts the truth to the lie, don't it?
TIM, your second comment has some merit. ALL religions except Buddhism have blood on their hands for sure. Ya don't teach history, do ya Tim? If ya did maybe you'd admit who invaded whom first? Muslims went to Europe in the 6th or 7th century - look it up. Stayed until ousted in 1492 from Spain. Look it up! Of course the Crusades were as bad, but if ya wanted to be fair you'd admit that was about retaking the Holy Land and keeping the sites of Christian antiquity far more than about converting anyone to Christianity, now wasn't it. And what is Vlad Tepes is known for besides the Impaler thing? Would that be as the guardian of Europe, holding back the Muslim invasions - CONSTANT invasions of Europe in the 15th century? Miss that did ya? I don;'t know who has MORE blood on their hands, but typical that you would be sure to indict Christians first and foremost. At least you're consistent.
TIM, your first comment is so awesome UNTIL "Conservative Machine looking to silence all liberal thought," Show me the institutional practice of wishing to deny liberal free speech. Funny, I have heard fat mouth Big Ed go on and on about shutting up conservative "hate speech" but haven't heard of Conservatives saying that.
When conservatives complain about a federally funded art exhibit presenting a depiction of Jesus being sodomisze, liberals complain of first amendment censorship. However, when federally funded NPR fires someone over their speech, it's not equally first amendment censorship?
And, in response to the always on-target Orchiolum, Juan and his followers still need to get past their denial that Christianity has just as much--if not more--blood on its hands than Islam. All religions except Buddhism, from what I gather, have killed in the name of God millions of time. Frankly, I'd rather get on board a plane with someone that looks like Mohammaed Atta than someone that looks like Timothy McVeigh. And there a LOT of guys who look (and think) like McVeigh.
Juan Williams should not have been fired in my opinion. I wholeheartedly support NPR and am against cutting even the measely amount they get from the guvmint, but you can't have your cake and eat it to. Mara Liasson and others on NPR have long spouted their personal views and weren't kicked off. It was just bad form for NPR to do this. I can't say I agree with the Conservative Machine looking to silence all liberal thought, but I do think Williams got a raw deal from them.
Just another commie-pinko liberal agreeing with you. From what I'd heard from JW, he would be more comfortable at Faux News.
The ONLY reason why Juan Williams was fired was because he appeared occasionally on FOX – There is nothing more to it. Juan’s creditability, honest journalism, and unmatched integrity will be a strong asset to FOX and bring more honest debate and many more viewers. GOOD work NPR.
I was struck by his "Muslim garb" comment. I don't recall William describing the wearing of crosses on necklaces as Christian garb after the bombing of abortion clinics and the assassinations of abortion doctors by right-wing Christians. He sounded like the new darling of The Rabid FOX.