Last Saturdays' diary by Dartagnan's on 'Hilarious--NPR Receiving Warnings From Longtime "Viewers"' was heavily commented and many of us sent emails and donations to NPR in support of their terminating Juan William's employment.
I sent this email along with my own donation to my local NPR, WNYC.
Original Message: While you may be getting email from those claiming to no longer support NPR, they probably never did to begin with. There is an underlying conspiracy to use the firing of Williams to benefit those who wish to use anything to advance their own agenda. NPR has, in my opinion, done the right response in firing Juan WIlliams for violating terms of his employment. The claim of NPR violating his freedom of speech, is bogus and clearly shows that those using this reasoning don't understand what the 'freedom of speech' right is really about the government making laws against freedom of speech. It has nothing to do with employment issues. You are a valuable asset to our country. Please don't let this nonsense change your role in broadcasting.
Today I received the following reply email from NPR. It reads like a form email sent to everyone who contacted them on the Williams' situation. But I thought some of you would be interested in reading what they are saying.
Dear Renie,
Late Wednesday evening we gave Juan Williams notice that we’ve terminated his contract as a Senior News Analyst for NPR News. We didn’t make this decision lightly or without regret. Juan has been a valuable contributor to NPR and public radio for many years.
However, his remarks on The O’Reilly Factor this past Monday violated our ethics guidelines. Unfortunately, this has occurred several times in other media. Our decision to end our contractual relationship with Juan has come after repeated conversations and warnings about some of his public comments. This was a difficult, but principled decision.
We’ve been contacted by listeners who have passionately agreed with our decision, as well as those who have disagreed with it, with equal conviction. We hear you both and respect your perspectives. At the same time, we believe that the public is better served by NPR holding firm to the values and standards that have guided us for many years.
As some listeners have also asked for more details about our funding, you can find a detailed overview of our funding on our website in our "About" section. Of note, and as is explained in that site, NPR, Inc. has received no direct operating support from the federal government since 1983.
I recognize that this decision has sparked a strong debate in the blogosphere and elsewhere, and that you have a firm position on the matter. While we stand by our policy, we also regret that we were compelled to take the actions that we did.
Sincerely
Dana Davis Rehm
Senior Vice President, Marketing, Communications, and External Relations