Roger Ailes Apologizes To ADL For Calling NPR Executives 'Nazis'

Fox News chairman Roger Ailes apologized on Thursday for calling NPR executives "Nazis" -- but he sent his apology to the Anti-Defamation League, not to NPR.

In an interview with The Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz, Ailes lashed out at NPR executives for their role in firing Juan Williams, saying, "they are, of course, Nazis. They have a kind of Nazi attitude. They are the left wing of Nazism."

Ailes apologized for the language in a letter --obtained by Yahoo's Michael Calderone-- to Abraham Foxman, head of the ADL.

"This morning you might be receiving calls because I used the word 'Nazi attitudes' to describe the NPR officials who fired Juan Williams," Ailes wrote. "I was of course ad-libbing and should not have chosen that word, but I was angry at the time because of NPR's willingness to censor Juan Williams for not being liberal enough."

Ailes also apologized "for using 'Nazi' when in my now considered opinion 'nasty, inflexible bigot' would have worked better."

In his reply, Foxman accepted the apology, saying he felt it was "sincere and heartfelt."

Comments

[MikeWebster]

12:38 AM on 11/26/2010

"The left wing of Nazism"????

What is Ailes talking about? His respect for history is at the same level as his respect for truth in general - he just makes things up for propaganda purposes.

For the record, FOX has a lot in common with totalitarian propagandists in the way they routinely invert the truth, project their own fascist ideology onto their opponents, claim to be the reverse of what they are, and generally mislead and incite in every way they can.

[GenXer]

02:51 PM on 11/23/2010

I'm sorry, I don't care for that sorry.

[jubes]

01:35 PM on 11/23/2010

Once the words leap out of your mouth, you can't stuff them back in no matter what. A footprint in the sand for Ailes - but etched in Bronze to NPR.

[WeCanDoMore]

01:24 PM on 11/22/2010

Nazis killed people. NPR are uses words, and generally it seems to me they are more the type to work out differences with words, unlike FOX and the GOP who prefer threats of 2nd amendment remedies. This is one more arrow in the quill confirming whatever GOP accuses others of doing, is what they themselves are doing or are planning to do.

[proudloudlib]

11:20 AM on 11/22/2010

I misread the headline. I thought he apologized to the Nazis. Wouldn't have surprised me a bit.

[Sandee McHale Delano]

10:23 AM on 11/22/2010

Why are Americans not more outraged about this kind of thing that is going on EVERY DAY on our airwaves and TVs by Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, et al. People need to STAND UP to these guys because our children are learning it is OK to call people nasty, unacceptable, despicable names, spread false fear, and make up the most ABSURD stories and call it news. What is wrong with people? How can anyone with half a brain or the ability to think not be completely incensed and angry about this?

How is that Bush/Cheney are bragging about war crimes and nothing is done? How can we just sit here when McConnel and Boehner state EMPHATICALLY their ONLY goal is to make Obama a one term President? How is it OK that are elections are being bought by conservative special interest groups? How is it ok for a member of congress quote the Bible to refute globakl warming??? Are there that many non-thinking, not-caring people out there? God help us.

[WeCanDoMore]

01:32 PM on 11/22/2010

These people have access to huge hordes of money. They are connected on the corpo level. Every time we buy a dixie cup ( Koch industries) or fill up the tank ( Koch industries) we are giving money to people who use it to fight truth, fairness and justice and keep our money flowing to them.

What really burns me up is that oil is the earth's bounty. The wealth from oil should be shared by all the people. Not just a few bullies who got their first. Power corrupts. These bullies are using the money to get more, and it is an ever increasing exponential value. They will have all, we will have nothing. Stem cell break throughs will increase life spans, and you can imagine the rest. Once the stem cells can give Cheney, who currently walks around with no heart beat, a new heart, just bury the rest of us.

[MikeWebster]

12:46 AM on 11/26/2010

This is how it works, and has worked in other countries. By slowly subverting the language used in the public discourse, to include bigotry, incitement to violence, and a total disregard for truth, people are slowly lulled into the state of accepting these things. This means that when the next scapegoat is selected, and violence is committed because of lies and propaganda, people do not see it as such a dramatic departure from civilised norms.

Witness the Rwandan genocide, Soviet propaganda, and of course the N.A.Z.I propaganda machine. All it takes for the seeds of hatred and bigotry that are being planted to take fruit, would be a major economic meltdown, as bad or worse than the Great Depression. This allows the demagogues to gain power out of the chaos, by blaming minorities for the problems, and presenting simplistic solutions.

The world is still teetering on the brink of such an economic calamity, even despite the efforts to get the economies going again. FOX and her backers are well placed to benefit from more chaos in America and the world.

[Cakey4814]

08:38 AM on 11/22/2010

Obviously you caught some flak over your insensitive remarks and now this..hope noone falls for this phony apology. Using the favorite repub line during the mid-term elections..man up and stand by your insult...

[ElBruce]

11:00 PM on 11/21/2010

Firing someone for making racist statements is racism? Only a racist would believe that.

[darthmaul]

10:48 PM on 11/21/2010

I just heard a very powerful piece-comment by Guy Raz on NPR's weekend edition "All Things Considered." He talked about his relatives and how many in his family were killed in the holocaust. He pointed out that the Nazi's mechanized killing and that a quarter of a million holcaust survivors are still alive.

In short, without saying it directly, but pointing it out in a very powerful way. Guy showed how Roger Ailes trivialized and insulted Jewish people. It was a brilliant piece of writing.

Roger, how about an apology to the staff of NPR who you slandered?

[mapmaker515]

10:29 PM on 11/21/2010

'nasty, inflexible bigot' would have worked better."

Sorry Roger....Rush Limbaugh has a copyright on that description.

[Sandee McHale Delano]

10:08 AM on 11/22/2010

True fact.

[Jennifer]

09:53 PM on 11/21/2010

Goebbels, the guy running the propaganda machine, calls someone else a Nazi? Such craziness.

[farmilyman]

08:47 PM on 11/21/2010

Human/pig hybrids should run the media.

[apathyinaction]

08:28 PM on 11/21/2010

http://mancakes.blogspot.com/2010/11/defund-npr-i-found-this-very-insightful.html

Here is an NPR piece about Girls Gone WIld that I found very anti-Nazi-ish. It's about a guy who saw his sister on Girls Gone WIld. I'm pretty sure if Ailes would hear this story he would match the 6% of their total operating costs that congress give them.

[leftLibertarian]

05:24 PM on 11/21/2010

I give him the gas face.

[wwoody]

12:34 PM on 11/21/2010

How is he so familiar with who is Nazis or not ? that more than a judgment call I would say. Porky Pig is somewhat authority on who and what is a Nazis.