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Juan Williams, Ginni Thomas Stories Converge -- Through Geoge Soros?

2 years ago
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On Wednesday, the story of Ginni Thomas phoning Anita Hill and asking her to apologize was all the rage. One day later, that controversy was overshadowed by news that NPR had fired Juan Williams for comments he made on Fox News.

While these back-to-back stories illustrated how fickle the news media are (obsessing over one story until a newer one takes its place), there are also some interesting parallels as well.

First, there is the obvious ironic point that each story spotlights an African-American man who was attacked by liberals. What is more, both Thomas and Williams have largely prevailed (the former was confirmed to the Supreme Court, and the latter just landed a $2 million contract from Fox).

But there are other links, as well. As Howard Kurtz wrote in the Daily Beast, Williams' career was greatly impacted by his coverage of the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings:

When [Williams] was a Washington Post columnist in 1991, he took immense heat from his "side" for defending Clarence Thomas against Anita Hill's charges -- a story that has catapulted back into the news this week with Thomas' wife Ginni asking Hill for an apology.

And there is an indirect link too. David Brock, founder of Media Matters for America, is in some ways connected to both stories.

As Karen Tumulty and Kevin Merida recently noted at the Washington Post,

In 1993, Ginni Thomas attended a book party for author David Brock upon the publication of his book "The Real Anita Hill," which raised questions about Hill's credibility. When he admitted in a subsequent book, "Blinded by the Right," that his Hill reporting had been slanted, he became a pariah among conservatives. A concerned Thomas left a voice mail for Brock saying that she was praying for him and that she hoped they could still be friends.

Why is the Brock/Thomas connection relevant today?

As previously noted, Brock went on to found Media Matters for America, a group that spends a considerable amount of time monitoring Fox News -- and a group that has also been critical of Williams' appearances on the network.

This week, it was announced that liberal billionaire George Soros donated $1 million to Media Matters. It also turns out that Soros coincidentally donated $1.8 million to NPR the other day.

For obvious reasons, many conservatives are suspicious that Soros' NPR donation, and Williams' termination, may, in some way, be linked.
Filed Under: Matt Lewis and the News, Islam
Tagged: anita hill, bill oreilly, Clarence Thomas, david brock, ginni thomas, Media Matters, NPR, virginia thomas
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snrar

You don't have to be a brain surgeon to figure out what George Sores motives are and have been for many years . He is a committed leftist ( millions or billions ) who funds far left causes . He has no use for America . Williams was fired because he worked at fox and old George is being slammed on The Factor and Glen Beck's programs every now and then . George has herd enough and has poured tons of money to fight back and get back at Fox .

October 24 2010 at 8:02 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
imlaughlin

I highly regard Juan Williams' opinions on NPR, C-Span, Fox, his books ... and NPR revealed its true colors by firing him. -- "Journalistic principles" my Aunt Fannie. NPR is one of the most insidious of the partisan media outlets precisely because they are highly talented communicators ... and they hide behind a facade of impartiality. I recognize their tactics, and you can too, if you listen carefully. What is news: Anything positive about Democrat candidates or policies, anything negative about Republican candidates or policies. Also, anything negative about USA policy, business, principles, or USA's Armed Forces. What is not news: Anything positive about USA policies, military or businesses. How to cover a political campaign: Democrat candidate: pick best quote, first explain it, then air it, then explain what you just heard. Republican candidate: pick a non-sequitor quote, but criticise it before and after the quote, offering counter-arguments. This is the "ethical journalism" that NPR defended by firing the highly ethical Juan Williams.

October 22 2010 at 12:04 PM Report abuse +8 rate up rate down Reply
ellingt5

"may be some suspicion that they are linked" Ya think? Shameful! NPR should not get one dime from our tax dollars. Let them sink or swim with their Liberal supporters and Soros. Freedom of the press! Pitiful!

October 22 2010 at 11:30 AM Report abuse +7 rate up rate down Reply

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