Update: NPR Ditches Opera Show Over Host’s Involvement With Occupy D.C.
- Posted on October 22, 2011 at 10:42am by
Madeleine Morgenstern
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NPR said it will no longer distribute the opera show hosted by Lisa Simeone after she admitted to participating in the ongoing "Occupy" movement. (Media credit: NPR)
NPR said it will no longer distribute the opera show whose host has been participating in the ongoing Occupy D.C. movement.
Lisa Simeone came under fire this week after she admitted to serving as a spokeswoman for October 2011, an Occupy-related group currently staked out in D.C.’s Freedom Plaza. She was terminated as the host of one of her programs, the radio documentary show “Soundprint” which airs on NPR affiliate stations, but was kept on as the host of “World of Opera,” a show distributed — not produced — by NPR.
The decision to keep Simeone as the host of “World of Opera” was made by North Carolina-based classical music station WDAV, which produces the show, and as a result NPR said it will no longer distribute it to its near-60 member stations around the country.
WDAV said it plans to distribute the nationally syndicated program on its own and is keeping Simeone on because her involvement in a political protest is not related to her job as a music program host.
NPR spokeswoman Dana Davis Rehm disagreed with that notion, and said the network is dumping the program because Simeone’s dual role as host and Occupy participant is inappropriate, even though she’s not technically an NPR employee.
“Our view is it’s a potential conflict of interest for any journalist or any individual who plays a public role on behalf of NPR to take an active part in a political movement or advocacy campaign,” Rehm told The Associated Press. “Doing so has the potential to compromise our reputation as an organization that strives to be impartial and unbiased.”
NPR’s ethics code regarding political activities states: “NPR journalists may not participate in marches and rallies involving causes or issues that NPR covers, nor should they sign petitions or otherwise lend their name to such causes, or contribute money to them.”
WDAV has previously said its mission is different from NPR, and it seeks to provide arts and cultural programming, rather than news.
“We think it’s really important to classical music that we continue to produce the show and make it available,” station spokeswoman Lisa Gray told the AP. “That’s our primary concern, that we continue to be able to provide this programming to listeners and stations across the country.”
Simeone criticized NPR after news of her involvement with the protests first broke, saying she found it “puzzling” that NPR objected to her exercising her “rights as an American citizen.”
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Comments (63)
BOspreadnwealth
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 1:51pmAfter the O’Keefe incident they are running skeerd.
Report Post »capecodsully
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 1:22pmImpartial and unbiased? That’s very funny. Good move to weed out the most flagrant of the lefties though. Must keep up appearances after all.
Report Post »KangarooJack
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 12:11amLOL! I read this story and said aloud “No Way!”.
I listen to NPR on my work breaks, in my car. Wow! she got canned for this? From NPR? Must be she isn’t pleasing somebody on the higher up scale-nothing to do with politics.
Report Post »cayuse
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 1:21pmNPR seems to be getting it, but are just making noise because they are scared of funding and will never get it. if they are making these noises and staying away from those idiots how stupid does that make the wh?
Report Post »donh2
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 1:19pmOperetic Spirit fingers for collecting a multimillion dollar annual budget from the public treasury to stage protests for a global violant fascist revolution . >>>> http://youtu.be/Nya3qNwlb3I
Report Post »MrMagoo
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 1:15pmDEFUND National Public Radio.NOW
Report Post »John the Doe
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 1:49pmAye, aye
Report Post »motonutt
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 2:09pm@MRMAGOO…..Ah well…..ah we don’t really want to go that far…..We are still a viable mouthpiece for the left.
Report Post »Free2speakRN
Posted on October 23, 2011 at 3:02amsooner
Report Post »ilikai
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 1:13pmHah!!! They still have a very long way to go to get to be impartial and unbiased. Don’t hold your breath.
Report Post »jakartaman
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 12:11pmWhy do we allow the government to give our money to any business.
Report Post »Is that not discrimination against those that don’t get $$.
Exrepublisheep
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 1:48pmGood point.
Report Post »grandmaof5
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 12:06pmApparently she missed the lecture that reporters are supposed to be unbiased, not that that seems to be a pre-requisite to a degree. In fact, I wonder if they get to clep the course if they lean far enough to the left; in fact, I wonder if being left is on the admission’s application, which would guarantee a future job.
Report Post »Taquoshi
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 5:39pmI’m not trying to raise an argument here, Grandma, but I would like to clarify that she was a host of a musical show, not a reporter.
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 12:06pm“the potential to compromise our reputation as an organization that strives to be impartial and unbiased” — do they actually BELIEVE that? Since WHEN have they had such a reputation?
Report Post »SERUM
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 12:04pmDefund them, they are just outdated….
Report Post »motonutt
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 12:10pmThey like to keep it much more subliminal. Like just in the way they twist the stories to the left.
Report Post »South Philly Boy
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:57amHow many more to go?
Report Post »AxelPhantom
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:56amIf it was good enough for Juan Williams to be fired for voicing his personal beliefs, I guess actual participation in a movement is “justifiable”.
Report Post »Locked
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:54am““NPR journalists may not participate in marches and rallies involving causes or issues that NPR covers, nor should they sign petitions or otherwise lend their name to such causes, or contribute money to them.””
So, the host of an opera show, not even performed on NPR, is now a journalist?
Pretty bad move. NPR’s trying too much to appear neutral in an issue that really is not an issue at all. Shame on them, I say.
Report Post »ares338
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:39amAt least NPR did one thing right!
Report Post »John the Doe
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 1:51pmI missed the point.
Report Post »ADNIL
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:32amI stopped listening to NPR a long time ago. I found them heavily biased and I could not stand the euro-trash accents.
Report Post »Nlitend1
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 1:17pmDo you listen/watch/read any news at all? Since you don’t like bias, maybe you could tell me one source that is not biased.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:30amNPR “strives to be impartial and objective.” Strive on, NPR ! You have a long way to go in the political area ! You are too tied into the BBC, New York Times, International Far Lefty news…
Report Post »rdk
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:29amGood! The NPR is listening to the people who pay a lot of their bill.
Report Post »kapnkd
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:41amNot really, they are just doing “damage control” and hoping we’ll buy into their “BS” excuse to cover up their blatant involvement in OWS by one of their own. My guess is she was actually on “assignment”!
Report Post »ripvanwinkle
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:25amNPR, like any profit or nonprofit, must deliver value to their customer via the introduction of innovations or through the pursuit of operating efficiencies. Seeking to trim associations with progressive activists is a reasonable strategy.
I personally like NPR (or used to) as a place to go for calmly trying to understand progressive arguments. However, the writing is on the wall that NPR needs to adapt to the reality of the environment, which is that the customer no longer values extreme anarchist attitudes or extreme communist attitude. We like the republic and we like the freedom to pursue happiness.
In my view NPR is probably in dire straits right now. The real question for NPR is whether they’ll be able to regain a position they used to have as a source of intelligent journalism. Probably not.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:33amIn our area they raised $1 million of their $11 million budget. Doesn’t sound good unless they are following that Democrat Deficit Budget ! Know NPR carries the Obama Administration’s water…I listen, in the mornings, painfully, but do not contribute just because they are so biased…
Report Post »GumRock
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:09amNPR, a Fine example of “ Government Controlled Media ”
Report Post »CanteenBoy
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:01amNPR is just radio noise. Wouldn’t exist in a free market; the only way they survive is wait, you guessed it… Obama money!!
Report Post »YepImaConservative
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 10:58amNow she can devote her time to the Soap “Opera” that is…. OWS.
Report Post »YepImaConservative
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 11:14amHeavy on the “soap.”
Report Post »Chr1st14n
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 10:58amthis is hilarious
Report Post »UBETHECHANGE
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 10:53amNPR is just trying to appease DC, don’t for a minute think they are unbiased. I tune into to NPR once in a while and it’s so apparent. Defund NRP now! No more taxpayer funded liberal(commie) propaganda.
Report Post »UlyssesP
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 10:50amI haven’t listen to NPR in more than a decade.
Report Post »I really don’t care that this woman lost her job FOR BREAKING AN AGREEMENT WITH HER EMPLOYER, not merely her involvement with the protests. Free speech my a$$. Nothing to do with it.
Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 10:48amDoing so has the potential to compromise our reputation as an organization that strives to be impartial and unbiased.”
Okay now does anyone want to join me in roars of laughter at the idiotic statement from the NPR propaganda ministry of Mr Obama…
Report Post »mr.goodvibe
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 10:50amHaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 10:55am10
Report Post »HaHa
PATRIOTGRUNT
Posted on October 22, 2011 at 12:02pmAgree 100% .NPR should be defunded . They shouldn’t be allowed even #10.00 of tax payers money. Compete on your own (NPR) merits or go out of business like any other station.
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