Juan Williams Scandal reaction

Journalism today is constantly evolving. New forms of media have opened new doors and with it, new sets of challenges. Among the challenges is the changing landscape of ethics and objectivity.

The primary role of a journalist is to cover a story without showing bias or prejudice. Personal opinion, unless in an individual's column, is definitely frowned upon. The question, though, is what happens when a reporter crosses lines and acts as a commentator? Should they be held to the same standard as written journalists are? Should they be given more lee-way to express their own opinion? These are just some of the many points to consider.

In the case of Juan Williams, I believe he was unjustly fired. While he expressed his own opinion that he would feel nervous if he saw Muslims in traditional garb on a plane he was flying on, he did not say that all people should feel that way. He also did not indicate that those views were those of NPR. I can see how this may reflect negatively on NPR and cause some outcry, however, I do not believe they were just in their actions. If I were him, I would have done the same thing, though it is important to chose one's words wisely.

If I was NPR, I would have contacted Williams immediately following the comment to discuss it with him. I would not have waited 36 hours as O'Rielly indicated on his show. Being that Williams is a respected writer and, at the time, member of their staff, I would have treated with more courtesy and professionalism. If in fact there was a large out cry, I would have sat him down and issued him an ultimatum: Either apologize, resign, or be fired. This action could have allowed everyone to "save face" and the incident would have been over with instead of becoming bigger then it needed to be. NPR could have also issued a press release regarding the statement, after its discussion with Williams, as a disclaimer to what was said. There are many ways they could have went about this, but I believe they chose the wrong one.