Ombud: NPR handled Williams situation badly, but…

NPR.org
Alicia Shepard says NPR could have waited until Juan Williams‘ contract ran out to let him go, or possibly suspended him pending a review. “Either way, a more deliberative approach might have enabled NPR to avoid what has turned into a public relations nightmare,” writes the ombud. “Even though NPR handled this situation badly, the fact remains that NPR must uphold its journalistic standards.”
> Over 2,000 comments on Williams’ column about his firing
> “They were looking for a reason to get rid of me”
> Kurtz: Firing was “a blunder of enormous proportions”
> Rainey: “NPR has given aid and comfort to its enemies”
> Deggans: NPR handed Fox an issue to beat them with
> Bunch: Reaction has played out along predictable lines
> “This makes NPR look like prissy tyrants to Fox News”
> Muslims fear Williams’ dismissal may fan hostility