NPR's tolerance

Apparently the head honchos at National Public Radio are getting their cues for dealing with personnel issues from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Much like the Shirley Sherrod firing episode, NPR’s termination of analyst Juan Williams was, at best, a drastic overreaction to one statement that Williams made while ignoring the full thrust of what Williams was trying to say.

More likely, NPR CEO Vivian Schiller had just been sitting back and looking for a reason to bounce Williams off the public airwaves, since the organization’s leadership had already shown its disgust with Williams’ periodic appearances on Fox News.

The impetus for the firing of Williams was an appearance that Williams made on Bill O’Reilly’s “The O’Reilly Factor.” The friction between NPR and Fox is no recent phenomenon.

So it’s no surprise that Williams’ employers at NPR were unhappy that he was appearing on Fox to start with, and on O’Reilly’s show in particular.

What got Williams in hot water — at least as far as Schiller will admit — was his statement that he gets nervous on an airplane when he sees passengers in Muslim dress.

The bottom line is Williams didn’t ask for stricter checks of passengers in Muslim garb. He didn’t say that he wouldn’t get on a plane. He didn’t suggest anyone else avoid flying with someone dressed in Muslim garb. He didn’t say to treat them differently than anyone else.

He simply admitted that it made him nervous.

Williams said he just didn’t fit in NPR’s “box.” Indeed, Williams was essentially fired long before that TV appearance. He just didn’t know it.

— The Albany (Ga.) Herald