(Image Source: Kevin Roose)


BY CHRISTINA MARTIN

Occupy DC and you can’t occupy a host’s chair. At least, that’s what NPR told host Lisa Simeone.

Simeone’s involvement in the protests has the Internet wondering if she got fired for crossing an ethical boundary. (NPR)

But TIME writer James Poniewozik says it doesn’t matter where a host falls on the political spectrum.

“You might argue that hiding one’s opinions is necessary to get access to sources and to be taken seriously by readers. I would say you’re wrong, but that’s another discussion. Applying the same principle to the host of an opera program is ridiculous almost to the level of satire: I could care less if a music host follows Occupy or the Tea Party or advocates giving the vote to dogs.”

“SoundPrint” airs on NPR affiliates and covers news, history and the arts. Hot Air writer Ed Morrissey doesn't have a problem with NPR’s decision on that front.

“I think NPR did the right thing here about ‘SoundPrint,’ which is clearly a news-oriented show where questions about bias would undermine its credibility.”

This isn’t the first time NPR has been under fire for canning an employee who toed the line

“NPR fires Juan Williams for saying he gets nervous when he sees Muslim passengers on a plane, but was the firing really about his connection to Fox news, where some hosts are calling for an end to NPR’s federal subsidies?” (CNN)
 
Former CEO Vivian Schiller resigned in March after the head of NPR fundraising was caught on tape calling the Tea Party “xenophobic” and “seriously racist”, and NPR brought on the man in charge of the muppets to do damage control.
 
“The man who brought Sesame Street to a global audience for the last 11 years will take over as CEO and president of NPR. Gary Knell will start at National Public Radio on December the first. He tells the Associated Press he wants to depoliticize NPR by highlighting its commitment to hard hitting local, national and international journalism.” (KSDK)

And the Media Research Center -- an organization dedicated to exposing what it calls “liberal bias” in the media -- called Simeone’s participation in the protests an “outrageous violation of ethics.” Its president sent a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner demanding Congress cut NPR’s funding.

“NPR is a rogue operation which must be eliminated once and for all. It wasn’t necessary, we can’t afford it, and it continues to violate its own ethical standards of non-partisanship.”

Simeone will continue to host “World of Opera”, produced by North Carolina station WDAV.
 
Transcript by Newsy.
 

Entertainment News: NPR Employee Fired for Participating in Occupy Wall Street

NPR Freelancer Fired for Occupy DC Involvement

October 21, 2011
(2:17)
Lisa Simeone participates in Occupy DC and gets fired from "SoundPrint." Did she cross an ethical boundary?
   
TRANSCRIPT

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