NPR senior news executive resigns
Board completes review of commentator’s firing
WASHINGTON – A senior news executive at National Public Radio who played a key role in firing commentator Juan Williams has resigned, NPR said Thursday in announcing the completion of a review of the Williams controversy.
The radio network said in a statement that Senior Vice President for News Ellen Weiss has resigned and NPR’s board of directors also recommended new internal procedures for handling personnel decisions and disciplinary action after reviewing Williams’ dismissal in October.
The statement said NPR chief executive Vivian Schiller also accepted responsibility as top executive and while the board expressed confidence in her leadership going forward, it voted against a bonus for her covering 2010 amid “concern over her role in the termination process.”
Williams was fired by NPR after saying on the Fox News Channel that he gets nervous when he sees people on a plane with clothing that identifies them as Muslim. Long troubled by Williams’ dual role as a Fox analyst, NPR had said at the time that his remarks violated its standards of not having on-air personnel giving opinions.
Williams, who has since taken on a bigger role with Fox, had said he was hurt by the suggestion he’s a bigot.