Double Standards & Racism: Williams & Thomas

On the firings of Juan Williams and Helen Thomas:

It was a rash decision to fire Juan Williams. A thorough review should have occurred. While his comment that seeing Muslims on airplanes made him feel uncomfortable certainly had racist undertones–which I'll explain–media outlets and other entities that value a diversity of opinions, like universities, should not so easily fire people based on their opinions. People from different backgrounds with different ideas are the sign of a vibrant organization. When those opinions are harmful to individuals or unsupported with good scholarship, then they deserve review.

The real question about Williams' comments is why did he express them in the first place? Also, why were these comments not denounced outside NPR as the comments of Helen Thomas that lead to her firing from the Washington Post were?

On the first question, we can see that Muslims have now been associated with terrorism, particularly on planes. What role has the media played in this? Is this portrayal accurate? Would these comments be appropriate if another group of people were used instead of Muslims?

The media has certainly played up the Muslim-terrorist connection, particularly related to air travel. While Muslims were involved in Sep 11, certainly the millions of Muslims that fly on airplanes are not terrorists. Finally, if Williams said he was uncomfortable when he sees a black man in a grocery store (implying black men have robbed grocery stores) would such comments be acceptable? Of course the answer is no. Those are not only stereotypes, but are racist. (admittedly Williams probably wouldn't say that because he is black himself, but that's not the point)

Now when comparing the reaction to Williams' firing with Thomas', you can see two columns appearing in the same section of the New York Times on the same day. In the one regarding Thomas her comments were called "insensitive," "infamous," "incendiary" and her new job "naturally stirred up anger." She is also described with positive terms, such as her "tenacious," reputation and was noted for her "stature and professionalism" by her new employer. In general, however, she was described as a controversial figure. The author said her "misguided anger" was the result of being the child of Lebanese-Syrian parents. Does that mean that all immigrants have misguided anger or just Lebanese-Syrians? Does that mean Lebanese and Syrian frustration at Israel are misguided? Such a sentence leaves too many questions, makes too many implications and does not take history into consideration. The author also said that she defended her statements in a recent speech, ignoring that she made an apology when she left her job.

In the one regarding Williams no such negative adjectives were attributed to his comments. Instead, NPR's decision to fire him were "hasty," and created a "firestorm" and a "flashpoint." NPR executives were labeled "Nazis" and as part of an "incestuous culture in that institution that’s not open to not only different ways of thinking but angry." The article noted twice that federal funding to NPR was in question. Not only that, but it also leaves NPR "with no prominent African-American male voice," implying that NPR has not made efforts to hire black males and possibly that race played into his firing.

In journalism we are not supposed to introduce the race of a person unless it is relevant to the story. Both articles decided race was relevant. You may also note that no voices critical of Williams' comments or hiring at Fox News occur in the story, such as from a Muslim organization. In the column about Thomas several critical opinions appear about her comments and her new job, including from a prominent Jewish voice, Ari Fleischer.

What both these affairs indicate is a rejection of racism in America directed at some groups, but not others. It is no longer acceptable to publicly denounce Jewish or black people, but Muslims (and Latinos) are fine targets because they are largely considered law-breaking illegal immigrants and terrorists. This is an obvious case of double standards

and a clear example of bias in the media, as shown by the two New York Times columns.