S.A.C Capital founder and art collector Steve A. Cohen joins Museum of Contemporary Art’s board of trustees, in addition to his current duties at the Painting and Sculpture Committee of the Museum of Modern Art [AO Newslink]
NAMI Asks NPR to Take Action to Protect Against Hostile Work Environment in Wake of Juan Williams Comments
Wireless News November 4, 2010
Wireless News 11-04-2010 NAMI Asks NPR to Take Action to Protect Against Hostile Work Environment in Wake of Juan Williams Comments Type: News
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has warned National Public Radio (NPR) that a remark made by NPR’s CEO in the firing of senior correspondent Juan Williams may violate the letter or spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
In this week’s NAMI Blog, NAMI Executive Director Michael Fitzpatrick shares the text of a letter sent to NPR president and CEO Vivian Schiller, calling on NPR to adopt a plan no later than its board meeting scheduled in November to “educate and reassure” managers and employees about ADA protections in the workplace for people with mental health concerns.
After firing Williams for talking about Muslims during a Fox TV News program, Schiller told news media that Williams’ personal feelings should have been kept between himself and his “psychiatrist or publicist; take your pick.” Williams responded that he did not have a psychiatrist. website hostile work environment
Schiller later apologized for the “thoughtless remark,” but NAMI called it an “outrageous” statement.
“NAMI remains greatly concerned about the cruel signal the incident has sent to millions of Americans; and its chilling effect both on people seeking help for mental health concerns and their expectation of privacy and support in employment relationships,” said Fitzpatrick.
NAMI said it warned Schiller the remark “may violate the letter and/or spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) — risking creation of a hostile work environment, flowing from the top down through NPR and its affiliates for any employee who lives with mental illness.” this web site hostile work environment
In the NAMI Blog, Fitzpatrick further noted: “Once again, someone has played ‘the stigma card,’ suggesting mental illness to discredit a person rather than debating issues on their merits.”
Fitzpatrick told Schiller the remark was “sadly inconsistent with NPR’s own stellar record of reporting fairly, accurately and compassionately on issues related to mental illness.”
The NAMI letter to Schiller was copied to NPR’s Vice-President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, Joyce Slocum.
NAMI is a grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.
More information:
ami.org
((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))
n/a
This entry was posted on Friday, January 13th, 2012 at 4:10 pm and is filed under Art News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
