mg,

NPR is probably as close to fair and balanced as you can get in any major news source, but that applies only to their actual "news" shows. I don't think they even claim to be unbiased in the perspective of the hosts of shows like American Routes; Thistle & Shamrock; Wait, Wait - Don't Tell Me; Car Talk, What'ya Know? ; Prairie Home Companion; This American Life, etc.    I can't think of any network, on TV or Radio, that tries as hard to be objective and balanced, while also dealing for the most part with important issues (as opposed to just "info-tainment."

I don't think Juan Williams or any other minority I think there are also racial subissues going on here, such as Mr. Williams deviated from a script he, as a minority person, was supposed to adhere to. This is very very damaging for people in minority groups and bad enough when they have all sorts of peer pressure, but when people outside their group presume to tell them what to think, that is just icky.   NPR does not have to keep him on if they don't like him. I have always liked him. I don't think what he said was bad. I think it was honest. I think it is basically the sort of thing that people can understand if they are the scary group. He did not call for any harm done to them, etc. It is a security issue. I have security issues waiting at dark bus stops in case someone who looks like Timothy McVeigh comes by and blows me up with a fertilizer truck. I should be able to say so. There I just did. mg