NPR CEO Vivian Schiller Resigns

[The Straight Story]

NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller has resigned, NPR just announced.

This follows yesterday's news that then-NPR fundraiser Ron Schiller (no relation) was videotapped slamming conservatives and questioning whether NPR needs federal funding during a lunch with men posing as members of a Muslim organization (they were working with political activist James O'Keefe on a "sting.")

Vivian Schiller quickly condemned Ron Schiller's comments, and he moved up an already-announced decision to leave NPR and resigned effectively immediately. But Ron Schiller's gaffe followed last fall's dismissal of NPR political analyst Juan Williams, for which Vivian Schiller came under harsh criticism.

NPR just released this statement from NPR Board of Directors Chairman Dave Edwards:

"It is with deep regret that I tell you that the NPR Board of Directors has accepted the resignation of Vivian Schiller as President and CEO of NPR, effective immediately.

"The Board accepted her resignation with understanding, genuine regret, and great respect for her leadership of NPR these past two years.

...

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/03/09/134388981/npr-ceo-vivian-schiller-resigns

[rucky]

1. O'Keefe wins again.

Not that I'm a big fan of NPR, but :puke:

[leftynyc]

16. He only wins if they cut the funding

I'm not impressed with the job this woman did with Juan Willaims and the optics of this latest video are horrible. Glad she's gone.

[KharmaTrain]

2. The Real Game Here...

I'm not sad to see Ms. Schiller resign...she's messed up the Juan Williams firing that has fed the latest right wing assault on Public Broadcasting and is now screwing up on this non-story...in essence now giving it legitimacy and legs.

But there's another game at play here. Defunding NPR and public stations (at the state level) not only silences what the rushpublicans consider a "liberal" voice but also then force these stations to be sold to religious broadcasters for pennies on the dollar. In tandem with hate radio, "religious" stations are a major source of right wing talking points and disinformation.

[Ron Green]

6. +1, and

those "public" stations that remain will be held to an even stricter standard of conservatism.

[DirkGently]

3. Enough of these dishonest smear-paigns and weasel-boy The NPR people said & did nothing blameworthy.

[xchrom]

4. +1

[emulatorloo]

9. +1 - I am really surprised she resigned over a "James O'Keefe" "expose"

The guy is a know criminal and liar. And she was not even in the video.

[Zebedeo]

17. Saying the Joos control all the newspapers

is not blameworthy to you?

[elocs]

5. K&R

[unblock]

7. one could imagine an o'keefe-style liberal "sting" again foxnews or limbaugh

but it would be entirely redundant with what they actually broadcast.

[emulatorloo]

8. Somebody needs to do an "sting" on O'Keefe. But it probably wouldn't matter

Getting arrested for phone tampering sure didn't manage to discredit him.

[DirkGently]

10. Exactly. Not to mention weirdo journalist "seducer." From whence any credibility?

[emulatorloo]

11. I wish CNN had pressed charges.

Maybe there wasn't enough to make a case.

[unblock]

12. o'keefe merely provides the (faux) excuse for the (faux) outrage that the right-wing wants.

so they can exert pressure to cut funding for organizations they don't like.

if not for him, the right-wing mob would just find another excuse to throw a tantrum.

the real problem is that we have a bureacracy and democrats and a washington power structure that lets right-wing tantrums work.

[emulatorloo]

14. Dunno why they are afraid of Jim DeMint. n/t

[unblock]

15. what they are afraid of is being "targeted" in the next campaign.

aside from the usual challenges, the right-wing picks a few democratic seats each cycle, finds a willing challenger, and outfunds the incumbent democrat 5-1.

THAT's what they're afriad of.

[Exultant Democracy]

13. No shit, why is this dirt-bag untouchable? If anyone has cache with anonymous send them after him.