One day after getting fired from NPR, Juan Williams has signed a new multi-year deal for an expanded role on Fox News.
The deal was announced Oct. 21 by Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO of Fox News.
Williams was terminated by NPR Wednesday evening after an eruption of
criticism from Muslim advocacy groups in reaction to comments Williams
made Monday on Bill O'Reilly's The O'Reilly Factor.
Williams confessed that he is wary of flying with passengers in Muslim clothing.
"I mean, look, Bill, I'm not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've
written about the civil rights movement in this country," Williams said. "But when I get on a plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are
in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they're identifying themselves
first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous."
Williams will host The O'Reilly Factor on Friday night and will appear with O'Reilly on the show Thursday night.
In making the announcement, Ailes said, "Juan has been a staunch
defender of liberal viewpoints since his tenure began at Fox News in
1997. He's an honest man whose freedom of speech is protected by Fox
News on a daily basis."
NPR CEO Vivian Schiller and Senior Vice President for News Ellen Weiss
said in a joint statement that Williams' comments were "inconsistent
with (NPR's) editorial standards and practices, and undermined his
credibility as a news analyst."
