NPR just released two statements — one on the completion of an independent review of the Juan Williams firing, and another on the resignation of Senior Vice President for News Ellen Weiss who was responsible for firing Williams.
You can read the statements here, but essentially the review concluded that NPR was within its rights to fire Williams after he made some highly controversial — and highly contextualized — statements about Muslims. Nevermind, the NPR has never had a problem with insulting conservatives in the crudest terms possible and the whole episode quickly became a PR nightmare for NPR. Still, the review encourages NPR make some changes in light of the controversy, including the following:
–Ensure that its practices encourage a broad range of viewpoints to assist its decision-making, support its mission, and reflect the diversity of its national audiences. The Human Resources Committee of the Board is working in conjunction with key members of NPR management on this issue.
Note that NPR CEO Vivian Schiller, who famously apologized for saying Williams should keep his feelings about Muslims between him and “his psychiatrist or publicist” is still employed.
