Quote:
Originally posted by Azred:
Firing journalists for having opinions or not keeping the networks with high ratings sets a very disastrous precedent. Enough people have difficulties trusting the media already; I doubt they can afford to add the fuel of "say what we want" to that particular fire....
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Arnett wasn't fired for having an opinion. He was fired for expressing it on Iraq's Gestapo TV.
If he'd expressed that opinion in the US, it might have turned some heads, but nothing more. There are plenty of others expressing more contraversial opinions.
That said, anchors of the various shows on the cable new networks get fired "regularly" for bad ratings. NBC made a quick decision to protect their ratings from the firestorm of criticism that would have descended on them. MBC could have held off to see if the level of criticism warranted a firing. But that would have placed them at risk. They simply decided that the best course was a preemptive firing to seperate themselves from Arnett. IMHO it was the wisest course of action since now few will hold NBC responsible for Arnett's comments.