Juan Williams Fired from NPR After Muslim Comments

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - Journalist and commentator Juan Williams has been fired by NPR News following remarks concerning Muslims that Williams made Monday on "The O'Reilly Factor."

During an interview with Bill O'Reilly that centered on Americans' perceptions of Muslims in a post-9/11 world, Williams said that "political correctness can lead to some kind of paralysis where you don't address reality."

And then he went on to say, "I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot.

"You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."

NPR said it had notified Williams that it is severing his contract.

"His remarks on 'The O'Reilly Factor' this past Monday were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR," a statement released by NPR News read.

NPR's bio of Williams reads that he appeared regularly on NPR's "Morning Edition" and hosted NPR's national call-in show "Talk of the Nation" from 2000 to 2001. The show had broadcast live "town hall" meetings across the country as part of a year-long NPR series on rapid changes in society and culture as the United States entered a new century.

Williams has written books including the biography "Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary" and the nonfiction bestseller "Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965."  He worked for The Washington Post for 21 years as an editorial writer, op-ed columnist and White House reporter.

He has also served as a political contributor to FOX News Channel since 1997. FOXNews.com identifies him as a regular panelist on "FOX News Sunday" and said he has anchored weekend daytime live coverage on the FOX News Channel.

NPR News said that his relationship with FOX News' "largely conservative and often contentious" prime-time talk shows "has long been a sore point with NPR News executives." His status had earlier been changed from staff correspondent to analyst after he spoke out about public policy on television and in newspaper opinion pieces.

His remarks on "The O'Reilly Factor" have drawn criticism this week from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which posted a note on CAIR's Facebook page asking Muslims and others to ask NPR to address his statements.

"Such irresponsible and inflammatory comments would not be tolerated if they targeted any other racial, ethnic or religious minority, and they should not pass without action by NPR," CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad stated.

Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin criticized NPR, stating that the network had "apparently caved into left-wing attack dogs on the Internet."

"Political correctness is the handmaiden of terror," she said.

NPR said Williams was reached for comment Wednesday evening but replied that he was not yet ready to talk.