Clarity Missing in Debate over Free Speech  In AltMuslim.
October 27, 2010  Juan Williams is neither a racist nor a bigot.
But by perpetuating negative stereotypes he breached the ethics
of fairness, crucial ingredients to succeed as a journalist. His
firing from NPR, while admittedly handled in a clumsy way, was
ultimately the right action. At a time when public discourse has
descended to freighting levels of incivility, holding
professionals accountable to the highest ethical standards may
not be a bad thing. We can and should have vigorous debates. But
statements that perpetuate negative stereotypes simply have no
place in a civilized society. Just as a doctor or teacher will
be rendered ineffective if they were to express their “true
feelings” about every situation they encounter, so is true for
journalists. Like every other specialists we expect journalists
to be professionals who provide us with accurate accounts and
unbiased analysis of news. Public expressions of their own
biases render them ineffecti