This is pretty hilarious — at one point Mr. Williams actually says “NPR called me names” (paraphrase) which of course, if you watch “The Factor” (NetNoir watches in-context clips only lol!) is pretty much O’Reilly’s stock and trade. O’Reilly literally has a “pinhead” award for people he disagrees with — aside from the fact that O’Reilly stalks people he disagrees with, which is just plain creepy.

Cash in while you can Mr. Williams.

http://www.mediaite.com/online/the-oreilly-factor-ambushes-npr-ceo-vivian-schiller/ (h/t mediaite)

Team Obama has started on a final push to GOTV (Get Out the Vote), using targeted “urban” ( black!) artists, interviews and media campaigns. Here’s a DNC/OFA (Obama for America) radio announcement by John Legend. (h/t theroot.com) Interesting the NY Post (kind of a shaky source given their Murdoch / Fox News ties) has an article featuring the influence that Jay-Z will have on the 2012 elections.

I’m doubtful that these last minute targeted work will have that much of an affect..we will see.

Fairly interesting stuff, while folks like Marc LaMont HIll are fired from Fox News for going against the dominant paradigm on the network, Juan Williams was just rewarded for being fired from NPR — to the tune of $2 Million dollars over three years (h/t thedailybeast.com)

Interestingly, Mr. Williams has just penned a piece for his new full-time employer entitled : ” JUAN WILLIAMS: I Was Fired for Telling the Truth.” I hope he is happy to know how his “truth” will be used to support bigotry against Muslims (or African Americans, Jews, Irish, etc…) as just the “truth.”

Here’s a great flashback to 2009…

NPR has more than 400 reporters, editors, producers and analysts on its news team, and none is more of a lightning rod than Juan Williams. But it’s usually not for anything he says on NPR.
…
Last year, 378 listeners emailed me complaints and frustrations about things Williams said on Fox. The listener themes are similar: Williams “dishonors NPR.” He’s an “embarrassment to NPR.” “NPR should sever their relationship with him.”

The latest flap involves Williams’ comment on Fox about First Lady Michelle Obama. To date, I’ve received 56 angry emails. For comparison, this year so far, listeners sent 13 emails about Steve Inskeep, 8 about Mara Liasson and 6 about Cokie Roberts — other NPR personalities who I often get emails about.

…

His “Stokely Carmichael” comment got the attention of NPR’s top managers. They are in a bind because Williams is no longer a staff employee but an independent contractor. As a contract news analyst, NPR doesn’t exercise control over what Williams says outside of NPR.

[emphasis added] Read More at NPR

Long-time National Public Radio contributor Juan Williams was fired after the latest of many gaffes, that “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.” h/t NPR.org

Interestingly, rather than avoid directly writing about the issue, NPR’s David Fokenfilk wrote a story about the National Public Radio decision. Here’s a bit from the Folkenflik piece:

Late Wednesday night, NPR issued a statement praising Williams as a valuable contributor but saying it had given him notice 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,” the statement read.

NPR

It’s likely that Juan Williams knew he was on incredibly thin ice with NPR — NPR had already told him to refrain from using the NPR brand when on Fox News. So, I don’t think this is a “one and done” sort of comment, like CNN firing Rick Sanchez over his comments about “Jewish control of media,” rather Mr. Williams had simply used up all his chances.

For example, many people remember Mr. Williams slander of Michelle Obama as “stokely carmichael in a dress..” There’s only so often you can carry water for folks on Fox News, and continue to hold yourself out as a credible “analyst.”

Mr. Williams isn’t the only African American who straddles a divide between Fox News “contributor” and a policy / analyst / professorial position in a completely different sphere. Interestingly, Fox News Contributor / Host Mike Huckabee called on congress to cut NPR’s funding in response (and politician — nice how so many Republican politicians who are out of office work for Fox News).

Embattled Bishop Eddie Long addressed the followers of his 25,000 strong New Birth Baptist Missionary Church on Tuesday at an “empowerment service.” As we addressed earlier, the pastor faces four civil sexual harassment lawsuits and another lawsuit that claims he and business partners owe 1.8 million in on a defaulted property loan.

Although Bishop Long did not address any specific allegations, he told followers to remain steadfast “in the wake of life’s storms.” In another interesting segment from Bishop Long’s sermon, he told parishioners “I didn’t build New Birth and because I didn’t build it, I can’t kill it… God started this. I’m not worried about the future of New Birth because hell can’t stop what God has started.”

You can get more on Bishop Long’s sermon here at the AJC.com

The wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Virginia Thomas, demands an apology from Anita Hill. Although it appears Virginia Thomas asked for the apology through a semi-private channel — the office voicemail of Prof. Anita Hill at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. Rather than speak directly to Mrs. Thomas, Prof. Hill turned the voicemail over to the FBI (and presumably someone called up NBC news to drop the story).

Virginia Thomas is interesting she’s actively engaged in “tea party” (whatever that means) politics, and no stranger to controversy in various settings — she might be the first spouse of a Supreme Court Justice to actively seek political donations while their spouse is still an office holder.

I’ve always found Clarence Thomas an interesting figure due to his similarity to other “black conservatives” who constantly claim to ignore race; yet, are consistently used in their positions by conservatives as representatives of “black” conservative thought — an interesting paradox to say the least.

At the time of the Supreme Court hearings, Clarence Thomas spoke of Anita Hill’s claims as : “From my standpoint as a black American, as far as I’m concerned, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you.” …

Yet, this new explosive message by Virginia Thomas is sure to not only bring up the past, but cause many people to reconsider and examine Clarence Thomas’s own conduct and denials of sexual harassment.

(h/t Black Snob)

Veteran Journalist Amy Alexander examines her time at the NAACP and describes the 100+year old organization as gradually becoming a vehicle for the NAACP President to massage their ego.

At very detailed length, Alexander describes her time as the “voice” of Jealous, writing his editorials, crafting his talking points and attempting to get him media ready. The key word is “attempting.” Many people have remarked that Jealous’ jump to erroneous conclusions on Sherrod smelled to high heaven of someone who’s not media savvy (or even regular savvy). Alexander paints an even more damning portrait — of a man in love with himself and in love with the limelight, but incapable of meeting the needs of the 101 year old, historic civil rights organization.

Amy Alexander