http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/10/21/n … p;iref=NS1
National Public Radio said it terminated the contract of a news analyst after he said on a Fox News show that he gets nervous when he sees people with Muslim garb on planes.
Juan Williams had worked at NPR for a long time, but his other job as an analyst on the "largely conservative and often contentious prime time talk shows of Fox News has long been a sore point with NPR News executives," an article on NPR's website said.
Williams made the comments recently on Bill O'Reilly's show "The O'Reilly Factor."
O'Reilly, the Fox News personality, was seeking comment from Williams on O'Reilly's own controversial remarks he made on the "The View" about Muslims.
"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." Williams said.
Williams worked for 21 years at The Washington Post and hosted a national call-in show with NPR for a year along with being a news analyst for the radio company, according to his biography on NPR's website.
This seems like a bit of an overreaction on the part of NPR. Williams makes an offhand remark about Muslims on planes which a lot of people probably can relate to, and then he gets fired.
It's kind of sad when political correctness is so prevalent that a remark that is honest and not meant to be hurtful can result in losing your job.
What do you guys think? Was this firing justified, or is NPR being too politically correct?
National Public Radio said it terminated the contract of a news analyst after he said on a Fox News show that he gets nervous when he sees people with Muslim garb on planes.
Juan Williams had worked at NPR for a long time, but his other job as an analyst on the "largely conservative and often contentious prime time talk shows of Fox News has long been a sore point with NPR News executives," an article on NPR's website said.
Williams made the comments recently on Bill O'Reilly's show "The O'Reilly Factor."
O'Reilly, the Fox News personality, was seeking comment from Williams on O'Reilly's own controversial remarks he made on the "The View" about Muslims.
"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." Williams said.
Williams worked for 21 years at The Washington Post and hosted a national call-in show with NPR for a year along with being a news analyst for the radio company, according to his biography on NPR's website.
This seems like a bit of an overreaction on the part of NPR. Williams makes an offhand remark about Muslims on planes which a lot of people probably can relate to, and then he gets fired.
It's kind of sad when political correctness is so prevalent that a remark that is honest and not meant to be hurtful can result in losing your job.
What do you guys think? Was this firing justified, or is NPR being too politically correct?
