Reporting on Juan Williams' termination from NPR, Fox News has gone into overdrive in attacking NPR for the move, hilariously accusing NPR of employing commentators with a “history of intolerance” and attacking NPR for its “record of offensive, bias coverage.” Their evidence? One comment Nina Totenberg made 15 years ago; another 15 year old comment about the rapture allegedly made by a New Orleans-based NPR commenter; Terry Gross pointing out that there are a lot of “extreme” candidates this year; and a supposedly unbalanced discussion about this past summer's Gaza flotilla incident. Well Fox, I see your one-and-a-half, maybe two reasonable examples (both from 15 years ago, I might add) and I raise you a million. Seriously, a network that rewards employees for calling the president a “racist,” does not get to attack anyone for having “employees [who] made questionable remarks.” Ever.
Fox's hatred of Muslims--and the inflammatory rhetoric that goes along with it--has been well documented, and it's not like Fox News figures' propensity for inflammatory commentary ends there. After all, Fox News didn't seem to mind when Bill O'Reilly all but called for a terrorist attack on San Francisco due to a military recruiting policy with which he disagreed. For years, O'Reilly crusaded against “Tiller the Baby Killer,” and was unapologetic for doing so, even after Tiller was murdered by an anti-abortion extremist. O'Reilly also was startled that no one “was screaming, 'M-Fer, I want more ice tea'” at the Harlem restaurant, Sylvia's; Glenn Beck famously accused President Obama of being a “racist”; and Brian Kilmeade lamented Americans' lack of “pure genes.” Oh, and let us not forget about former Fox News host E.D. Hill's "terrorist fist jab." I could go on, but I don't think I really need to belabor the point.
And, NPR's biased? Please--that accusation would carry a lot more weight if it weren't coming from the communications arm of the Republican Party.
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