NPR blew an opportunity by firing Juan Williams. As a financial supporter of a PBS station and regular listener of NPR, I see the firing as contradicting the open-mindedness and civil discussions and programming I enjoy. It goes against what I believe as a journalist, particularly one who is paid for expressing opinions.
NPR fired Williams, also a paid contributor to FOX, for saying on the "O'Reilly Factor" that Muslims make him nervous when he's taking an airplane. I personally disagree with Williams' opinion and concede it could be problematic for NPR if he does a report on Muslims. But it's an opinion that is clearly held by many Americans. As a journalism professor, I see the firing of Williams, a news analyst, was a missed opportunity for a teaching moment about the difference between commentary and news analysis and the evolving roles in journalism. NPR could have shown that it is truly liberal - that is, open-minded. A reprimand, maybe, but fired without giving the man a hearing? It sends a distorted message about free speech. It's a disservice to our nation at a time when NPR should be helping to lead the serious and civil dialogue that we're desperately lacking if we are to avoid permanently boxing ourselves into separate narrow-minded stupors.
Knee-jerk calls to fire people typically come from folks who feel overly comfy in their jobs or don't have a clue (or have forgotten) what being fired feels like. I was blindsided by a firing in 2006 and it threw my family and me into a mental and financial tailspin. The lame excuse given for my firing had more to do with my supervisor's low self-esteem and a company that lacks class, than my job performance. Many firings have nothing to do with job performance, but simply the boss wants to dump an annoying employee. According to published reports, this seems to be the case with Williams. And if so, NPR looks lame.
Labeled a right wing black conservative mainly because of his work on FOX, Williams, who has been with NPR more than 10 years, reportedly has irked many of his more recent white liberal co-workers and bosses. This was the last of several previous straws. Possible evidence of this is that NPR's CEO Vivian Schiller said that Williams should've kept his Muslim comment "between him and his psychiatrist or his publicist." She later apologized, but what was that personal slap about?
"I think they were looking for a reason to get rid of me," Williams told Good Morning America. "They were uncomfortable with the idea that I was talking to the likes of Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity."
NPR appears close-minded, while FOX, which is obviously bias, capitalizes by hiring Williams full-time with a $2 million deal over three years. Good for Williams.
FOX viewers (all TV news viewers) need to see and hear from diverse journalists like Williams to help them understand differing viewpoints. There is nothing wrong with being black and conservative, especially considering polls consistently show that African Americans are socially conservative, primarily because of Christian influences. The black community is not monolithic, contrary to what some in and outside of the community would prefer to believe.
Considering its difficulties maintaining diversity in its staff and programming, you would think NPR would be more sensitive to dumping one of its few black journalists - especially one who has done quality award-winning work for several years. Unfortunately, that's one of the annoying blind spots of white liberals that many blacks are all too familiar with, but decline to talk much about. Doing so can get you fired.
As a columnist/blogger, author, TV talk show contributor, and radio show host, I make sure to expose myself to different viewpoints. Along with PBS, I watch FOX, MSNBC and CNN, C-SPAN and other stations. I read liberal and conservative publications and commentators. The exposure helps me to become clearer and more confident in my own opinions. By the time I express my thoughts, I'm sure of what I believe because I've challenged myself from within.
Perhaps the mishandling of Williams' firing and the overwhelming response can help NPR to challenge itself to be a little more liberal – that is, open-minded.
Wil LaVeist is an award-winning journalist, professional speaker, and author of Fired Up: 4 Steps to Overcoming a Crisis, Including Unemployment. Contact him at www.WILLAVEIST.com, and listen to The Wil LaVeist Show Wednesdays at Noon to 1 p.m. on 88.1 WHOV in Hampton, Virginia.
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