Bill O'Reilly Blasts NPR Over Williams' Firing

From America Rising:

Bill O’Reilly Blasts NPR Over Williams Firing, 10.21.2010


Written on October 21, 2010 by LogisticsMonster in Chilling Effect, Climate Of Fear, Media, Progressives1 Comment .1ReTweet(For those that need to catch up on the entire Juan Williams/NPR fiasco, hit the link: Juan Williams: Chilling Free Speech In America.)



Bill O’Reilly, in his talking points memo, blasts taxpayer funded NPR for the firing of Juan Williams stating that Mr. Williams was fired because of his association with FoxNews, that former NY Times employee and NPR CEO, Vivian Schiller should be fired for incompetence, that Sen. Jim Demint will be introducing legislation to defund NPR, and that George Soros has infused millions in cash to Media Matter and NPR (to hire political journalists) to attack FoxNews. Mr. O’Reilly believes that NPR will ‘rue the day’ they decided to impose rules on free speech, and that NPR has ‘devolved into a totalitarian outfit functioning as an arm of the far left.‘ (Wow, Bill, you just figured that out? Actions speak louder than words, and yes, us little people have to slap you silly sometimes; we’ve known for over two years now.)




 
I personally believe that now that the progressives have the prize in their sites, they are going to go whole-hog to achieves their ends. I say, “Bring It” because FoxNews is NOT the only alternative news platform and ‘net neutrality’ does not scare us.




(And for those that are interested in the double standard, check out this Weekly Standard piece: Bill Moyers, Still Working For PBS, Even After Comparing GOP to Taliban.)


And, related, from The American Spectator:

12:26 PM (9 hours ago)Defund NPR So We Don't Have to Care About Their HR Policiesfrom The American Spectator and AmSpecBlog by John TabinSo, Juan Williams got fired from NPR. This really shouldn't be such a big deal; though there's a good case to be made that Williams got a raw deal, you don't have a right to a job, and news organizations have to make editorial decisions about what commentators they provide a platform for (even if their standards are intelligible only as enforced left-wing orthodoxy).




But NPR is a special case, because it gets part of its funding from taxpayers, so its editorial decisions are suddenly the business of every taxpayer. So this becomes a public policy debate, which it has no business being. Happily, the Williams kerfuffle -- along with an infusion of Soros-cash that NPR just got -- seems to be reviving the debate over whether NPR should get federal funds at all, as The Daily Caller's Chris Moody reports:



The firing of National Public Radio news analyst Juan Williams for comments made about Muslims, combined with leftwing billionaire George Soros' recent $1.8 million donation to the organization, have reignited calls to end NPR's taxpayer subsidies.



In June, Colorado Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn introduced legislation that would end government funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (the entity through which subsidies to NPR flow) after 2012. The bill's passage did not stand a chance in the Democratic-controlled Congress, but the measure could gain momentum in a Republican-led House next year./Lamborn told The Daily Caller that there is no reason taxpayers should continue to subsidize an already-flush media company.



"This is an organization that can stand on its own. Why in the world, in the era of trillion dollar deficits, should the taxpayer have to subsidize it? It doesn't make sense," Lamborn said. "Under Nancy Pelosi, the Democrats just throw money at anything that's moving. But if we have the honor of retaking Congress, we're going to have to do things differently. I would love to defund NPR completely. Not because I don't like it - actually there are things on NPR I do like - but because it can stand on its own."



Indeed it can, and it's long past time that it did.



And, related, from Freedom's Lighthouse:
 
12:39 PM (9 hours ago)Juan Williams Responds to Being Fired By NPR for Comments Made On FOX – Videofrom Freedom's Lighthouse by Michael



 
Juan Williams explains how he was fired by NPR for saying he has a “moment of fear” when seeing Muslims in Muslim garb on air planes. Williams said he received a call and was asked to explain what he “meant to say,” he did not back down and replied, “I said what I meant to say.” He was then told his comments “cross the line” and were “bigoted statements.”




Willliams was upset, rightfully so, that after more than 10 years at NPR they fired him over the phone and would not let him come in and “do this eyeball to eyeball


And, from the American Spectator:

10:47 PM (3 minutes ago)Roger Ailes Leads from the Frontfrom The American Spectator and AmSpecBlog by John R. GuardianoHear, hear to Fox News CEO Roger Ailes! The man stands by his people when they're under fire.




NPR fires Juan Williams, so what does Ailes do? In a classy and well-timed move, he renews Williams' contract with Fox, raises Williams' salary, and publicizes the move with this commendable statement:



Juan has been a staunch defender of liberal viewpoints since his tenure began at Fox News in 1997. He's an honest man whose freedom of speech is protected by Fox News on a daily basis.



Ailes is the kind of guy you want to work for and follow into battle -- as I say, a class act. And, what's more, he understands, appreciates, and respects a free press, free citizens, and the First Amendment.



Well done, Sir -- and Semper Fi!