Where was the chorus of boos from the right and from Fox News when Helen Thomas got fired for speaking her mind? The only differences between her and Juan Williams is that she spoke out against Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and she didn't work for Fox. If it was okay for the AP to fire Helen for what she said, then it's okay for NPR to fire Uncle Juan for what he said.
Case closed.
6 comments:
I didn't support either action, not because it isn't within the right of either AP or NPR to terminate employees, but that the abridgment of free speech just because it isn't politically correct is not part of the First Amendment. Things may be very uncomfortable for us to hear (Westboro Baptist Church, for example), but that doesn't make it wrong according to the Bill of Rights.
I agree Gregory, people can say whatever they like, as long as they don't call for the violent overthrow of the government, like some have done in the past. The deal is, you can say what you like, I don't have to listen to it if I so choose.
Agreed Dr. Monkey. And also agreed that reporters shouldn't be fired for expressing personal opinions.
I thought that what Helen Thomas actually said, vs the deceptive paraphrasing in the corporate media, was quite reasonable.
I second you, libhomo. But Juan Whatever gets a multi-million contract with Fox and Helen Thomas is smothered. Man, the world is not just.
Since news organizations are supposed to be unbiased and objective - theoretically - when a reporter makes personal statements that show his/her bias, it undermines the appearance of objectivity and neutrality.
In today's media climate, opinion and editorial are frequently presented as News, and the entire news industry is driven by advertising dollars just like any other entertainment. If we chose to pay attention to the News at all, we typically prefer venues that support our own biases.
Ergo: Since NPR likes to pretend they have a liberal bias, Juan had to go to protect that image. Helen had to go to protect the those corporate interests too.
That the news has become entertainment and/or propaganda is just another example of the deterioration of our society. I won't get started on what Fox News exemplifies.
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