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NPR firing: what should Juan Williams have said?
As flame wars rage over NPR’s decision to fire Juan Williams, what should the newly minted Fox News commentator have said instead? Williams told Bill O’Reilly that seeing passengers in Muslim garb on an airplane makes him “nervous.” That was the straw that broke NPR’s back, according to ombudsman Alicia Shepherd. Does admitting bias help or harm a discussion? When can journalists express an opinion? Could Williams have phrased his comment another way, or, as NPR seems to suggest, should he have simply held his tongue?
As flame wars rage over NPR’s decision to fire Juan Williams, what should the newly minted Fox News commentator have said instead? Williams told Bill O’Reilly that seeing passengers in Muslim garb on an airplane makes him “nervous.” That was the straw that broke NPR’s back, according to ombudsman Alicia Shepard. Does admitting bias help or harm a discussion? When can journalists express an opinion? Could Williams have phrased his comment another way, or, as NPR seems to suggest, should he have simply held his tongue?