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I must say that NPR has certainly covered themselves in glory once again after being tipped off by Roll Call’s gossip columnist Neda Semnani (who seems to be the TMZ of the “Washington Is Hollywood For Ugly People” set) that Lisa Simeone is an anarcho-syndicalist Verdi-humper.
The voice behind two music shows heard on NPR affiliates was pushed out for violating the public radio network’s code of ethics by appearing at the D.C. portion of the Occupy Wall Street protests. Lisa Simeone, who still has a profile on the “People at NPR” website, hosted the syndicated show World of Opera and documentary series Soundprint, but was spending her free time demonstrating in the nation’s capital. Last night, a post appeared on the NPR blog entitled “Clarification Regarding Lisa Simeone,” assuring all scandalized listeners, “We of course take this issue very seriously.” Simeone says she was then fired, but not before being read the NPR rules.
“I don’t cover news. In none of the shows that I do, do I cover the news,” she said. “What is NPR afraid I’ll do? Insert a seditious comment into a synopsis of ‘Madame Butterfly?’”
An NPR spokesperson said that their rules apply to those who host culture shows, too. “We are not her employer, but she is a host for a show that we distribute,” said NPR. “She has that public presence.”
The overreaction appears to be part of a pattern for the network, following the Juan Williams/Fox News mess and the James O’Keefe fiasco, and subsequent forced resignations, earlier this year. As the Associated Press puts it, NPR is “sensitive to accusations that it carries a liberal bias.”
Now, less than 24 hours after NPR’s Senior Vice President for Marketing, Communications, and External Relations, Dana Davis Rehm sent out a panicky email NPR has switched to an all Hey, We Barely Knew The Girl format, all the time. Well played, smart people at NPR. Maybe someday you can donate your body to science so they can uncover the mysteries of an organism that is able to knee-jerk despite the absence of a spine.
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This is why I come here.
Once… just once… before I die, I’d like to see the Person In Charge who, when faced with the latest Van Jones/ACORN/Shirley Sherrod/NPR #1/NPR (the sequel), figuratively say “Bite me. We don’t make decisions based on something written by a Cheeto-stained basement-dwelling blogger.” Or… forget “figuratively”; that’d be even better.
Just once….
What he said. That so completely sums up my feelings toward the Nice Polite Republicans. This little episode should serve me well in an on-going crusade to get friends and neighbors to dismiss the vapid info-tainment channel as a credible news source, and to ignore their pathetic and incessant fund drives…
So now she’s back. Apparently not so much a knee-jerk as a complete flail.
And with the added bonus of letting WDAV take all the “heat” from people who never even heard of this program, let alone listen to it.
It’s still the best game in town (at least in broadcast media). I’d find it tough to give up.
Clearly, like all other mainstream corporatist media propoganda outlets, NPR is happily eager to embrace accusations of conservative bias as acceptable and factual.
Nice Polite Republicans is no longer an accurate statement of NPR’s mission and whom they serve. I go more for: National Pentagon Radio or perhaps even better National Propoganda Radio.
No surprises here. Been going downhill since the days of Alzheimer’s-riddled Reagan. Look at the corporate sponsors, and you’ll see who calls the shots at NPR. Ain’t the 99% doners, and that’s for d*mn sure.
Streaming radio online means you can pick and choose. Democracy Now!, European radio, podcasts, you name it — roll your own package, and spare yourself the overpaid windbags who think they represent “the people” just because it says “public” radio on their business cards. YMMV, but if you throw in the few decent elements of public radio still out there (usually produced by someone other than the corrupt NPR mothership itself), you’ve got a pretty decent alternative.
Thank you. I thought I was the only one who noticed that.
I should think that when President Obama leaves office, he could drop right in as the CEO of NPR without taking his hands off his ankles.
Indeed, Sooner. He wins the internets with that one.
Well written, TBogg.
No organization needs a top to bottom revamp more than NPR, after this hideous and repulsive behaviour.
We are going to have to deal with a lot of society and politics as a result of OWS, and we should not forget these slugs.
So, lemme see: Juan Williams can be an NPR host AND a Fox News host AND a proud speaker/participant/fundraiser for conservative candidates and causes while opining non-stop on issues of national importance. No big deal.
This woman exercises her private political rights on her own time without invoking NPR’s name, and is summarily canned.
Glad I’ve never given to NPR, and even happier that I support (and run) my own community radio station (WBTN-AM, Bennington).
All together, class:
“IOKIYAR.”
Very good!
I used to haz a big sad when I could no longer get the local NPR station on my radio at work (having them install an MRI suite next door plays havoc with radio reception). Now I rather rejoice. I used to listen to them in the morning before I left for work, but I discovered that my co-workers were much happier when I didn’t show up all snarly and furious about something. I don’t think I’d even notice if they weren’t there any more, except that from time to time we catch “Car Talk” if we’re doing errands on Saturday morning. I’d miss those guys a lot…
While it used to be Nice Polite Republicans in years past it’s been my understanding (from what I can listen to, see above) that now it’s most definitely Never Provoke Republicans. A subtle but important difference.
Gee, I’ll bet no one from NPR ever attended a Heritage Foundation social event or a Koch Brother’s blacktie MOTU Fund raiser. Hate to see these people lose their job, too.
Have they changed their name to National Private radio yet? At some point in the future, we may want to discuss if we really want NPR entirely funded and run by RW corporations with a financial interest in framing the news? You know Big Oil, Big Coal, Big Pharma, Big Coal,,,,,the companies that get taxbreaks so we can’t publicly fund public broadcasting. I want my NPR 100% publicly funded so we don’t get a different version of Fox masquerading as progressive network.
“I don’t cover news. In none of the shows that I do, do I cover the news,” she said. “What is NPR afraid I’ll do? Insert a seditious comment into a synopsis of ‘Madame Butterfly?”
The funny thing is, I met Lisa Simeone two days before the 1984 election and she told me she was planning to play mournful music all evening long on the classical program she then DJ’d on WETA in case of a Reagan victory. (I did listen that night and she did not seemed to have actually done that.
Shhhh. Don’t ever let them know about Charlie Pierce and his frequent appearances on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.
He’s far too good a writer for those nitwits to even figure out what he’s saying, I suppose.
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Tbogg, when you get a chance, could you post the link to the Fox News segment where they rail against NPR for this outrageous act of political censorship? Thanks so much.