National Public Radio today fired one of its announcers who has been acting as a PR flak for Occupy DC:
After violating National Public Radio’s ethics code by acting as a spokeswoman for Occupy DC protesters, Lisa Simeone was fired Wednesday evening from one of the two public radio programs she hosts, the Associated Press reports.
Simeone was fired from “SoundPrint,” an internationally syndicated program appearing on NPR affiliate WAMU in Washington, D.C. The official who fired Simeone reportedly did so over the phone and read NPR’s ethics code to her during the call. …
The firing comes after The Daily Caller and others reported that Simeone violated NPR’s ethics policy by acting as a spokeswoman for the Occupy DC group “October 2011,” the organization currently “occupying” Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C.
While she has been fired from her job as “SoundPrint” host, she also hosts an NPR-distributed show on opera that is carried by Davidson College’s public-radio station WDAV. NPR reportedly is in discussions with the station as to how to handle the Simeone situation.
It’s hard to see how NPR can cashier someone from the network but still keep them on the payroll for work done on an NPR-syndicated show. My guess is opera buffs within WDAV’s broadcast area might need to find another outlet for their interest in arias.
