Juan Williams Defends His Controversial Muslim Remarks To Jon Stewart (VIDEO)

Juan Williams appeared on "The Daily Show" Tuesday to discuss his firing from NPR and his new book, "Muzzled."

The former NPR news analyst re-hashed the well-worn details of his firing. Williams said that he was "stunned" by NPR's decision and questioned whether NPR understood, "that I'm in fact challenging Bill O' Reilly" rather than bowing down to him. Speaking to Jon Stewart, he criticized NPR for highlighting only his remarks about Muslims in a conversation about religious tolerance and defended his remarks as part of an honest debate with O'Reilly.

Stewart seemed to agree with Williams' analysis, calling his remarks "pretty mild" compared to other commentary from Fox and other media outlets and later saying, "I was shocked by the whole thing." After noting that Williams had worked for NPR for ten years, he also observed, "You must have had so many tote bags. When you travel, carrying things must never be an issue."

Stewart also took the opportunity to throw in a few zingers at Fox. Williams blamed the firing partly on NPR's antipathy towards Fox, which he discussed at length with Bill O'Reilly on Monday. Stewart joked, "Why would they have an antipathy towards Fox?"

When Williams criticized what he called a "total lack of honest debate" and "a niche media landscape" in America, Stewart agreed with Williams, joking, "When i watch Fox News, often times they'll bring up a point that's extremely valid." He then paused, joking, "I'm thinking of one, hold on."

WATCH:

Comments

[nothingchanges]

03:06 PM on 07/31/2011

I do not know Juan Williams personally, nor at this point would I care to.

IMPO........Any "journalist" that would choose Fox News, over NPR, deserves neither respect, nor viewers. Integrity once sold, no matter what the price, is very hard to "buy back".

"WE REPORT, YOU DECIDE"?

Fox isn't news, never was............... and they don't "report".

Fox is a Republican propaganda machine, nothing more, nothing less. What they do has more in common with "distorting" then it does with "reporting".

It's too bad there are so many in this country that have never seen real journalism on television.

When Walter Cronkite was alive, he was the voted "most trusted man in America" because he represented journalism at it's finest. " writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation"

If the United States had the good sense (or integrity) to require news to be factual, as it is in Canada and Great Britain, Fox would never have been allowed a license to broadcast. Something that I personally believe would have been of benefit to the entire world.

[JOHN SERINO]

02:55 PM on 08/02/2011

Integrity, you wouldn't know that because you have your one sided
far liberal little brain where the sun doesn't shine.

[Mike Equis]

08:10 AM on 07/31/2011

"Because people don't listen."

Well, why don't people listen? The media pays attention to whoever has a snappy soundbite, even if it is dishonest and irrational. The problem is, I personally stop listening when someone's position is dishonest and irrational.

[glesslib]

06:48 PM on 08/01/2011

Nay I be your #2 fan? Well, said.

[Marysdude]

07:01 AM on 07/30/2011

Fair and Balanced may not even be possible. What Juan seems to be missing is that NPR reports are well researched and honest, while FOX News reports are slipshod and dishonest. His appearances on FOX lent a legitimacy to FOX that it does not rate. Now that he has been tainted by Rupert, his own legitimacy is questionable as well.

[centsable]

10:14 AM on 07/30/2011

Most know that FAUX is the most bias cable network, but can't a person work for, let's say Pepsi and Coca Cola at the same time?

[Marysdude]

03:09 PM on 07/30/2011

Perhaps, but if Coke is found to have used tainted syrup in a batch of its product, and Pepsi asks that employee to stop working for Coke because it may appear that Pepsi has also used tainted syrup, is it not the obligation of the employee to choose whether he wishes to remain with Pepsi or go full bore for Coke? That is a decision Juan made. He was lending legitimacy to FOX News because most intelligent people are aware of the dishonor rampant at FOX, and the good reputation at NPR. He elected to be tainted, and now wants us to believe he had a good cause to do so. You and I both know that the reason he went with FOX instead of NPR is that he himself is tainted.

[ssa5]

02:10 PM on 07/31/2011

He should have known that NPR wanted to rid themselves of this hack long ago. Maybe there was a reason they insisted he no longer present himself as representative of NPR, that should have been the first sign. Sorry Juan, NPR hires credible, intelligent, hard working journalists, you were none of that but merely a token put on Fox to give them some pathetic form of credibility in their shameless "Fair and Balanced" crap (see everyone, we have liberals represented, see see see NPR...liberal NPR).

[Marysdude]

02:55 PM on 07/31/2011

You are correct.

[SLivermore]

09:04 PM on 07/29/2011

Oddly enough, "Christians are unfairly demonized" is a top meme over at Fox. :/

[gsverk]

07:00 PM on 07/29/2011

first off you get "anxiety" from people dressed in muslim garb?.. well last time I checked the video the magets that bombed the the Towers were dressed in jeans and button downs..

[cheryl tobin]

05:38 PM on 07/31/2011

No that was the way Timothy McVeigh was dressed! Try to keep your terrorists straight!

[p mantis]

05:06 AM on 08/01/2011

We actually have the footage of the 9-11 hijackers getting on the plane and yeah they were dressed like any normal eveyday casual american and not in "muslim garb".

[jnratliff]

06:13 PM on 07/29/2011

The right has done away with listening!

[SLivermore]

09:05 PM on 07/29/2011

I never liked it anyway. ;-)

[ssa5]

02:13 PM on 07/31/2011

Correction, they did away with thinking, which is why losers like Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, and co. are so popular with this idiots. They do the "thinking" for them (or merely just pass on the marching orders from their masters).

[Yoga O]

05:08 PM on 07/29/2011

I watched the entire interview over at TDS website and then did some research into Juan Williams' firing. Here is what I get to:

1 - Jon was very easy on Juan (could it have anything to do with TDS being a comedy show?)

2 - Juan glossed over the reason(s) he was fired. From what I reviewed NPR was quite unhappy for some time that Fox was using Juan's "NPR" label to help legitimize faux reporting/analysis. His statements on O'Reilly baring personal prejudices was the last straw.

3 - Juan is really pretty poor at analyzing Fox v. the rest of the world (could he be too close to the story?)

[centsable]

04:38 PM on 07/30/2011

Whatever happened to a person making up his or her own mind.

[edwcorey]

04:34 PM on 07/29/2011

Williams says people in "Muslim" garb make him nervous. Does he mean Arab garb? I mean, Malcolm X wore a suit. That being said, the 9/11 perpetrators wore western garb. The Ft. Hood murderer wore a U.S. Army uniform. They were all trying to blend in. So it would seem that a perspicacious person would not fear someone who was NOT trying to blend in. I return to "Muslim" garb. The Times Square bomber was a Pakistani, not an Arab. He, too, wore western attire. What this goes to show is that most fear is irrational, and irrationality is the hallmark of the right wing. So perhaps that is what we must fear: people in western clothing, as Timothy McVeigh and the Norway mass murderer wore shirts and pants too.

[patriciacaldwell]

08:04 PM on 07/29/2011

Good points. F & F.

[DovS]

10:11 PM on 07/29/2011

Yes, and I think that was exactly the point that Williams was making in his original statement.

[HeevenSteven]

03:56 PM on 07/29/2011

"The Assault on Honest Debate"??? That should replace FOX's "Fair and Balanced".

Williams is doing the false equivalence thing here. As if FOX is just the same as all the others, but conservative.

[kkdkdkdkdk]

03:51 PM on 07/29/2011

Comparing Christians with Muslims is ludicrous.

[John David Redux]

06:24 PM on 07/29/2011

Right, because the Muslims were totally responsible for the massacres in Norway, the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building, and the countless attacks on abortion clinics.

[sammi 56]

01:21 PM on 07/30/2011

They both are the same--Religious.

[kiksadi50]

02:48 PM on 07/29/2011

stewart made 1 lame joke re Fox. This was a tepid discussion at best.

[Alessandro Ambrossio]

01:40 PM on 07/29/2011

Before you condemn this man watch the video.

[Alessandro Ambrossio]

01:39 PM on 07/29/2011

Juan explained himself pretty clearly. He made the larger point about the right not stereotyping christians the same way they do muslims. He also pointed out the uniformity of thought that comes from the republican party. I've listened to him for quite a while and although I have no apprehension towards muslims, I don't think Juan is a bad guy.

[Yoga O]

12:31 AM on 07/30/2011

Okay, he is not a "bad guy", but isn't he essentially playing the role of the "loyal (aka - token) opposition" on Fox? O'Reilly and Hannity still make their points using some pretty incredible, inflammatory and subjective language. They also KNOW that they are doing so to drive ratings. If Juan Williams were to truly analyze their comments and lay out the falsehoods being promoted, how long would he be allowed to speak?

[sammi 56]

01:23 PM on 07/30/2011

He can do that in his book but not on Fox.

[Winthorpe]

11:44 AM on 07/29/2011

"I'm so old..."
"How old are you?!"
"I'm so old, I remember Juan Williams before he became an uncle."

[ywcachieve]

01:11 PM on 07/29/2011

lol...

[nini516]

08:20 AM on 07/29/2011

Cry me a river, Juan. At least you have a job!! You will probably be muzzled by Fox too, eventually.