If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

POLITICAL COMMENTARY

Politically Correct Radio

A Commentary by Susan Estrich

"There is nothing more painful to me at this stage of my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start thinking about robbery -- then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved."

Rev. Jesse Jackson, speaking at the PUSH convention in 1993. "(W)hen 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."

Juan Williams, on Bill O'Reilly's show, for which he was fired.

I wish I didn't get nervous seeing black men behind me on the street. I wish there was no correlation between race and crime.

I wish 100 percent of the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 had not been members of one religion. I wish we didn't hear diatribes on a daily basis threatening our children and us in the name of Allah. I wish I didn't get nervous seeing Muslims on a plane.

But firing Juan Williams won't make it so.

What exactly was he fired for? According to National Public Radio, "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." Come again?

I've known Juan for decades. He is not a bigot. He went on to warn O'Reilly against blaming all Muslims for the actions of extremists, just as all Christians should not be blamed for the likes of Timothy McVeigh or all Catholics for the death of Dr. George Tiller or all Jews for the death of Prime Minister Rabin.

Is it really inconsistent with "editorial standards and practices" for a "news analyst" to honestly express his opinions on another network? Or was it because it was Fox News?

Juan and I have been contributors to Fox News for more than a decade. We're part of the "balance" in "fair and balanced." I've taken heat for it from my Democratic friends, and he's taken heat from others at NPR. My answer -- and I expect his, as well -- is that because of the strong conservative voices heard on Fox, it is all the more important for there to be strong voices expressing other views.

You could certainly make a case that reporters should stick to reporting and not cross the line between reporting the news and expressing opinions about it. But that line gets crossed every Sunday morning and most days in between.

Besides, Juan's title at NPR was "analyst." On O'Reilly's show, he was clearly expressing an opinion -- one shared, painfully, by many people. Others are free to disagree, on both Fox News and NPR. But to fire an analyst for expressing an honest opinion violates the very principles of free expression and the First Amendment on which NPR so often prides itself.

I have no doubt that Juan will be just fine. I'm sure there will be plenty of room for him at Fox. I'm sure conservatives will rush to make him their hero and use his firing as a weapon with which to attack NPR.

As an NPR listener, that saddens me. Public radio doesn't have to be politically correct radio. NPR does many wonderful things. This was not one of them. I fear that in the end, NPR -- and its listeners -- will pay the price.

COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM

See Other Political Commentaries.                         

See Other Commentaries by Susan Estrich.                      

Views expressed in this column are those of the author, not those of Rasmussen Reports.       

Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.

We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.

Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.

To learn more about our methodology, click here.