Published by San Diego News Room October 27, 2010
Journalism seems to be on steroids lately as one controversial news story morphs into another and a commentator’s stated opinion of news becomes the bigger news.
First, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly makes headlines while appearing on The View, after Whoopee Goldberg and Joy Behar walk off the stage in the middle of a conversation in which O’Reilly dares to call the perpetrators of 9/11 Muslims. He meant “Radical” Muslims but failed to make such a distinction. In the days that follow, Whoopee and Joy come under a lot of criticism for being unprofessional.
Meanwhile, Juan Williams, a veteran of NPR (but also a contributor to Fox News) comes on The O’Reilly Factor. Poor Juan. By defending Bill’s appearance on The View he unleashes a whirlwind which leaves The View light years behind and makes a fatality out of his own NPR gig.
According to Juan Williams’ own account last Thursday on Fox News:
“Wednesday afternoon I got a message on my cell phone from Ellen Weiss who’s the head of news at NPR asking me to call. When I called back, she said, ‘What did you say? What did you mean to say?’ and I said, ‘I said what I meant to say which is that it’s an honest experience that when I’m in an airport and I see people who are in Muslim garb who identify themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I do a double take. I have a moment of anxiety or fear given what happened on 9/11. That’s just the reality.’ And, she went on to say that crosses the line and I said what line is that? And she went on to somehow suggest that I had made a bigoted statement. I said that’s not a bigoted statement…And, then she said, ‘This has been decided.’ I don’t even get a chance to come in and we do this eye ball to eye ball, person to person, we have a conversation. I’ve been there for more than 10 years. We don’t have that chance to have a conversation about this? And she said, ‘There is nothing you can say that will change my mind. This has been decided above me and we’re terminating your contract.’ “
Things took an even uglier turn when NPR’s President and CEO Vivian Schiller explained to the Atlantic Press Club that Williams didn’t reflect their “editorial standards and practices” She also said his feelings about Muslims should be left between him and “his psychiatrist or his publicist – take your pick.”
I guess the “editorial standards” do not apply to Schiller while she suggests Williams needs a psychologist. But then, she, herself, is not a news commentator, only a CEO who puts out internal memos such as the following:
Dear AREPS.
“First, a critical distinction has been lost in this debate. NPR News analysts have a distinctive role and set of responsibilities. This is a very different role than that of a commentator or columnist. News analysts may not take personal public positions on controversial issues; doing so undermines their credibility as analysts, and that’s what’s happened in this situation. As you all well know, we offer views of all kinds on your air every day, but those views are expressed by those we interview – not our reporters and analysts.”
Second, this isn’t the first time we have had serious concerns about some of Juan’s public comments. Despite many conversations and warnings over the years, Juan has continued to violate this principal.
Third, these specific comments (and others made in the past), are inconsistent with NPR‘s ethics code, which applies to all journalists (including contracted analysts).” (From Fox News, October 21, 2010)
In point of fact, the generally understood procedure is that news analysts (unlike hard news anchors) are expected to offer opinion. Schiller is certainly free to claim NPR has its own unique standard, but the evidence for this superior rule is not particularly forthcoming when we remember that premier NPR/PBS news commentator Bill Moyers likes to compare the Taliban to Republicans (The Weekly Standard, Feb 22, 2002).
Another NPR host, Tavis Smiley, claimed (without a shred of evidence) that Christians were responsible for more terrorism in America than Muslims (Pajamas Media June 13, 2010).
And who can forget NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr’s tirade over the 2000 Supreme Court decision which forbade a Florida recount? He called this “judicial coup” (NPR News, Dec.10, 2000). Strange, he did not cry “coup” in the wake of the highly Democratic Florida Supreme Court’s decision to demand a recount or the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court would not have even looked at the case had there been no Florida ruling. Neither did he emphasize that the matter would never have gone to the courts at all if Al Gore had not sued the state of Florida. Yes sir! You have to admire this unbiased, middle of the road journalism!
While we’re taking a trip down memory lane, how about the sweet, kind wish from NPR’s Nina Totenberg, explaining to the host of PBS’s Inside Washington that “retributive justice” if it exists in the world, will cause Jesse Helms to “get AIDS from a transfusion, or one of his grandchildren will get it.” (Inside Washington, July 8,1995) Hmm. I must have missed the breaking news when NPR fired her for “taking a personal public position on controversial issues and in doing so undermined her credibility as an analyst.” Oh that’s right! The reason I don’t remember is that it never happened.
Given the quite obvious track record of opinion at NPR, one wonders what “editorial violations” might truly be on Schiller’s mind. Perhaps the only thing really bothering her is the idea of an NPR representative having the unmitigated gall to also appear on Fox News programs, not such a far fetched theory when we remember that Williams was instructed in February by Ellen Weiss not to mention his affiliation with NPR while appearing on The O’Reilly Factor. (News Busters Feb 17th, 2009)
And in 2009, NPR executives requested that correspondent, Mara Liaison rethink her regular appearances on Fox because of the news channel’s “partisan coverage.” (The Daily Caller 10-21-10).
Admittedly, Fox commentators do seem to tilt somewhat to the right but NPR (paid for partially by our tax dollars) tilts about 180 degrees to the left! Is their journalistic standard truly one that frowns upon panelists and talk show hosts sharing personal feelings or are the only culprits those who dare to express politically incorrect emotion?
Ironically, the very fact that Fox News brings on people like Juan Williams in the first place flies in the face of those who accuse them of right wing propaganda. I’ve been listening to Juan on programs such as Fox News Sunday and Special Report, for years, always disagreeing with him and for a very good reason: I am a conservative. His views are liberal by any stretch of the definition. So are the views of Mara Liaison, Greta Van Susteren, Alan Colmes, Geraldo Rivera, Geraldine Ferraro, Susan Estrich, Shepard Smith, Ellis Hannigan and Chris Wallace, all Fox News personnel or contributors. Make no mistake: The lack of balance which NPR whines about is not absent from Fox. But they do seem to have a fox or two guarding their own hen house.
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