The Story

Juan Williams, longtime analyst for NPR News, was fired by the agency for remarks he made on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor."  Although Williams warned Bill O'Reilly, the program host, against blaming all Muslims for the actions of a few extremists on 9/11, he did admit to feeling "worried" and "nervous" when he sees people in "Muslim garb" on an airplane.  The context for this comment (below) was Bill O'Reilly's dispute on the TV program, "The View," where he said "Muslims killed us on 9/11."

Discussion Starters

• Williams' termination is highly controversial, with some Republican representatives calling for Congress to cut federal funding of NPR.  Why would someone take this position? Republican Rep. Peter King said, "This is political correctness carried to its extreme form." What does he mean by this?
• Williams denies that his comments are "bigoted" and disputes his termination.   Watch his response to the firing, below.  How would you describe Williams' point of view?

Assignment Ideas

• In small groups, discuss your own view.  Should Williams have been fired?  Why or why not?
• How does this story relate to the discussion of unbiased language in Chapter 2?  Discuss your perspective with a partner.