This last week saw the "Muslim" issue re-inflmamed with NPR firing long time news person Juan Williams. My personal opinion is that was a serious misstep by NPR to fire him over this comment. Depending on how deep one is willing to go to find conspiratorial explanations as to why this firing came when it did, I feel that at best, NPR handled this issue poorly.
But what I want to know, is in the midst of people getting fired for comments about Muslims, and with such backlash for people making statements about Muslims being terrorists and the like, why is it that people are fired for what they say about Muslims, but news anchor after news anchor have insulted, belittled, and directly attacked the Mormon faith with no repercussions whatsoever. Why is it not okay to talk about Muslims, but it is okay to thrash Mormons? If the issue is about respecting religion, why not respect all religions? Who was the last news reporter to be fired because of even an isolated attack on mormons?
There's a big difference between making negative statements about one particular Muslim or Mormon and making generalized comments about all of them. He did refer to the history of the Mormon faith as reason why Elder Oak's statements were particularly hypocritical but that's not the same as condemning all Mormons. "Who was the last news reporter to be fired because of even an isolated attack on mormons?" - Who was the last news reporter to make an attack on mormons?
ReplyDeleteThe issue is not or should not be "respecting religion". We should not demand that our media figures respect all religions. Simply because a group of people declare their world view to be a religion does not entitle them to respect. When religious groups and religious people do good things they should be praised, regardless of whether they are Jews, Muslims or Mormons. When religious groups and religious people are intolerant, belligerent, or say patently ridiculous things, they should be called out on it.
Who was the last reporter to attack mormons? Really... I didn't think there was a shortage....
ReplyDeleteRegardless, I think that reporters are entitled to their own opinions so long as they don't try to pass it off as news. Intolerance is a fleeting concept. People disagree, that doesn't mean it is intolerance.
I can't think of an example of a reporter attacking Mormons and passing it off as news. Can you? Olbermann's "Worst Persons" segment is rather obviously opinion not news.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that depends on what you call an attack. As a Mormon, my sensitivities to such a thing have a different threshold than yours might Charles.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I asked for an example.
ReplyDeleteAfter thinking about the scenario further, I feel that perhaps to the true definition of an attack, the only way for an attack to take place is when given by opinion. News, to its truest definition is the reporting of an event, something that happened and perhaps how others responded to the event.
ReplyDeleteAn attack, by nature or definition, cannot be technically news. However, it is not uncommon to have news outlets, or reporters, share personal opinions that are attacks on one group or another. But the second it becomes an attack it ceases to be the news. Regardless of who says it.
So, to answer your question, I would say that reporters have often taken a crack at lots of religions including Mormons. But no such opinion would be considered news.
As this relates to the Juan Williams story, that is precisely the point. NPR has pundits on all the time giving opinions and commentary. Other members of the staff have shared a great deal of opinion including remarks that they hoped a certain individual contracted and died of AIDS. They were not fired. Olberman, and many others have shared opinions in opposition and criticism of the Mormon Church and have not lost their job. It is not an uncommon thing.
But the second Juan Williams talks, not even negatively, about Muslims, he is fired. There is a very clear double standard that is out there right now. Bill O'Riley and the whole feud with the "ladies" of the view. Had Bill O'Riley gone on and talked negatively about Mormon's, or even Catholics, there would not be any feud. But because he was talking about Muslims, the protected group de jour, he was blasted.
I have to suspect that the firing of Juan Williams was not entirely due to his single comment on the O'Reilly show. But nonetheless, it is clear that there are some groups that can be derided publicly without reproach and others that cannot. Muslims have been denigrated often by persons on "news" networks over the last 9 years without repercussions. A negative remark about the state of Israel (even though that does not reflect on Jews as an ethnic or religious group) will get you fired in no time.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I can tell, negative remarks about Mormons or Catholics or fundamentalist Christians are pretty much OK in our media within limits. My position is that no person or group deserves special treatment simply because they fly the banner of religion. They should be judged on their actions, not their professed beliefs.
Ignorant view from your perception. Bill made the mistake of saying "all" muslems instead of extreme muslems. C'mon, buddy! It's not hard to figure that one out! Juan is not scared to fly with Mormon missionaries, that is why he got fired. He said he was scared to fly with "all" muslems. Man oh man! Can you get some perspective?
ReplyDeleteHere are the comments that Juan made.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71pWw51uLsc
He did not say "all" muslims. His comments were not racist, or anti-religion. He simply shared an opinion that he felt uncomfortable on a plane next to a muslim, this being based on the recent information and past attacks made by radical muslims, using airplanes. He didn't say he hated muslims, he didn't say they were all terrorists, he just said that he sometimes felt uncomfortable next to them on a plane.
Lets just assume that they meant "all" muslims. So what? Why is that even a fireable offense in your completely whacked out mind? What if Juan was uncomfortable with all muslims, all the time? Is he not entitled to his opinion?
Lame. Juan is uncomfortable sitting next to any muslim. That means "all" muslims. My mind is just fine. Is yours?
ReplyDelete