The folks at National Public Radio fired Juan Williams, ostensibly because of his comments on “The O’Reilly Factor,” which were judged by NPR to be “inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”
Here is the offending statement: “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.”
It’s a remark that reminds me of Jesse Jackson’s frank (and controversial at the time) observation that when he heard footsteps behind him on a dark street, he tended to be relieved when the person following him turned out to be a young white male and not a young black male.
Williams is an intelligent, moderate, nuanced member of the media establishment, and so naturally he brings precisely those qualities to Fox. The effect is similar to the presence of David Brooks on the Lehrer News Hour. Williams makes Fox interesting, buttressing its claim that it reflects a cross section of American opinion and not just a narrow ideological position. This is precisely what the liberal media establishment does not want.
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