I have no dog in this fight. I listen to NPR and while Mr. Williams was among my least favorite commentators, I certainly wish him no ill will. Nina Totenberg, while much more insightful, has a singsong, slightly nasal voice that I find extremely grating. And I also haven’t been following the ins and outs of this story (busy at work), so I don’t know whether NPR was in the right or the wrong by terminating him.
But there is a larger issue than an employee-employer dispute. Mr. Williams’s statement was remarkably honest; there’s no denying it. But there’s also no denying that it was also remarkably bigoted; he admitted to feeling unease around Muslims simply because they are Muslims. And that’s the real tragedy of this story: that FOX “News” has completely legitimized Islamophobia in this country. Hannity, Blech, Michelle Malkin, Sarah Palin; it’s like the Player Hater’s Ball of religious intolerance. Even “moderate” Bill O’Reilly made two hosts of The View walk off their own set when talking about 9/11. (In all fairness to Papa Bear, “Muslims killed us on 9/11!” is a factual statement, as are “Jews run the media” and “Christians lynched black people”.) And their editorial decisions to hype Park51 and Terry Jones might be the biggest overblown coverage since Terri Schiavo. Mr. Williams said what he said because he thought he could get away with it, given the venue; it probably didn't crack the Top Ten Most Offensive Things Said About Muslims on FOX “News” for that day. President Obama even cancelled a trip to a Sikh holy site during his upcoming trip to India for fear of being portrayed as Muslim. What does it say about our country when being a member of the 2nd largest organized religion in the world is material for slander?
The FOX "News" Boycott is a good start. But it has to be more than just pressuring advertisers; encourage your elected officials (especially Dems) to stay away from them as well. With no guests on the network, the talking heads will talk themselves out – and people will tune out. (Elected officials are also more responsive than multi-nationals; one fewer vote in a close House race has more marginal utility than one fewer Big Mac sale at your neighborhood McD’s). Until FOX starts acting like the BBC News, it should be treated like the Weekly World News.