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Public broadcasting's ombudsman whacks Juan Williams re: Fox News

June 19, 2009 11:14 am ET by Eric Boehlert

And this was before Williams' most recent, and dreadful, backstop appearance on The O'Reilly Factor, where he defended the host's wild and violent anti-abortion rhetoric and compared today's abortion crusaders with non-violent civil rights protesters from the 1950's.

 Centrist Ken Bode recently wrote that he "cringed" and was "embarrassed" when he saw Williams on the program:   

I admire Mr. Williams for his scholarly writing and his reporting on NPR. Fox News president Roger Ailes knows he is exploiting the credibility that Mr. Williams has built at NPR and carries with him to Fox. I wonder if Williams ever thinks that he is squandering a measure of that credibility by his continued appearances with Bill O’Reilly.

BTW, in the same column Bode, critiquing a recent PBS "NOW" program, was also quite clear about what he sees as O'Reilly's role in the assassination of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller:

Overall, the ["NOW"] program was strong and convincing on this point: radical, anti-abortion opponents, including Bill O’Reilly of Fox News, are guilty of promoting domestic terrorism. They always deny that their rhetoric promotes and condones the violence directed at doctors who are performing services protected under the law. However, little question remains from the reporting on “NOW” that they are guilty of inspiring the murderous outcomes they encourage.

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    • Author by nerzog (June 19, 2009 11:18 am ET)
      3  
      I'm sure Mr. Williams is paid handsomely for squandering his credibility. Money goes a long way toward soothing a guilty conscience.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by doggone-ga (June 19, 2009 11:50 am ET)
        3  
        "Money goes a long way toward soothing a guilty conscience. "

        It doesn't soothe it...just drowns it out.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by Easy to refute wingnuts (June 19, 2009 12:04 pm ET)
        3  
        I'm sure Mr. Williams is paid handsomely for squandering his credibility.
        They're probably overpaying him. All he needed was thirty pieces of silver.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by Disputed Zone (June 19, 2009 1:02 pm ET)
      1  
      The NOW program about Dr. Tiller was excellent. It's online here:

      http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/524/index.html
      Report Abuse
    • Author by njguy93 (June 19, 2009 3:33 pm ET)
      2  
      That extra paycheck must go a long way for Juan. Maybe those NewsCorp. dollars help to make the payments on a mansion in Northern Virgina or have dance parties at his home like John Harwood does in Southern Maryland.

      THANK YOU.
      njguy93@yahoo.com
      Report Abuse

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  • County Fair is a media blog featuring links to progressive media criticism from around the Web as well as original commentary, breaking news and rapid response updates to major media events from Media Matters senior fellows and other staff.