{"id":3882,"date":"2011-03-08T14:31:08","date_gmt":"2011-03-08T19:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/?p=3882"},"modified":"2011-03-09T13:28:41","modified_gmt":"2011-03-09T18:28:41","slug":"senior-exec-npr-would-be-%e2%80%9cfar-better-off%e2%80%9d-without-federal-funds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/08\/senior-exec-npr-would-be-%e2%80%9cfar-better-off%e2%80%9d-without-federal-funds\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior Exec: NPR Would Be &#8220;Far Better Off&#8221; Without Federal Funds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I can&#8217;t say I&#8217;m shocked or even surprised by the latest uncover video from James O\u2019Keefe&#8230; There&#8217;s really nothing surprising or shocking about a senior NPR executive being caught on tape bashing conservatives as  \u201cwhite, gun-toting \u2026 xenophobic \u2026 seriously racist people.\u201d It&#8217;s what they believe, they&#8217;ve made it clear they think we&#8217;re a bunch ignorant, barefoot rubes.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"595\" height=\"335\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xd9OYJMX9t4?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Anyway, here&#8217;s the back story from the <a href=\"http:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2011\/03\/08\/npr-executives-caught-on-tape-bashing-conservatives-and-tea-party-touting-liberals\/\" target=\"_blank\">Daily Caller<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In a new video released Tuesday morning by conservative filmmaker James O\u2019Keefe, Schiller and Betsy Liley, NPR\u2019s director of  institutional giving, are seen meeting with two men who, unbeknownst to  the NPR executives, are posing as members of a Muslim Brotherhood front  group. The men, who identified themselves as Ibrahim Kasaam and Amir  Malik from the fictitious Muslim Education Action Center (MEAC) Trust,  met with Schiller and Liley at Caf\u00e9 Milano, a well-known Georgetown  restaurant, and explained their desire to give up to $5 million to NPR  because, \u201cthe Zionist coverage is quite substantial elsewhere.\u201dOn the tapes, Schiller wastes little time before attacking conservatives. The Republican Party,  Schiller says, has been \u201chijacked by this group.\u201d The man posing as  Malik finishes the sentence by adding, \u201cthe radical, racist,  Islamaphobic, Tea Party people.\u201d Schiller agrees and intensifies the  criticism, saying that the Tea Party people aren\u2019t \u201cjust Islamaphobic,  but really xenophobic, I mean basically they are, they believe in sort  of white, middle-America gun-toting. I mean, it\u2019s scary. They\u2019re  seriously racist, racist people.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The only real takeaway from this video is Mr. Schiller&#8217;s admission that NPR would do better <em>without<\/em> federal funding:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Later in the lunch, Schiller explains that NPR would be better  positioned free of federal funding. \u201cWell frankly, it is clear that we  would be better off in the long-run without federal funding,\u201d he says.  \u201cThe challenge right now is that if we lost it all together we would  have a lot of stations go dark.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When one of O\u2019Keefe\u2019s associates asked, \u201cHow confident are you, with  all the donors that are available, if they should pull the funding right  now that you would survive?,\u201d Schiller answered this way: \u201cYes, NPR  would definitely survive and most of the stations would survive.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Frankly, I think we should take Mr. Schiller at his word and cut the purse strings. Let NPR compete in the market place like everyone else.<\/p>\n<p>You can read NPR&#8217;s official response <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/blogs\/thetwo-way\/2011\/03\/08\/134358398\/in-video-npr-exec-slams-tea-party-questions-need-for-federal-funds?ft=1&amp;f=1001\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>. The full uncut two hour video is available <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theprojectveritas.org\/nprjudge\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Update<\/strong>:<\/span> NPR has placed Ron Schiller on &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.slate.com\/blogs\/blogs\/weigel\/archive\/2011\/03\/08\/npr-puts-ron-schiller-on-administrative-leave.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">administrative leave<\/a>&#8221; while they investigate&#8230; They&#8217;ve effectively fired him, Mr. Schiller had already informed NPR that he was resigning to take a new job with the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aspeninstitute.org\/news\/2011\/03\/03\/aspen-institute-taps-ronald-schiller-new-head-arts-program\" target=\"_blank\">Aspen Institute<\/a> starting in May.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Update II<\/strong>:<\/span> Mr. Schiller has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mediaite.com\/online\/nprs-ron-schiller-issues-statement-i-have-agreed-that-my-resignation-is-effective-today\/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mediaite%2FClHj+%28Mediaite%29\" target=\"_blank\">resigned<\/a> from NPR effective immediately:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWhile the meeting I participated in turned out to be a ruse, I made  statements during the course of the meeting that are counter to NPR\u2019s  values and also not reflective of my own beliefs.  I offer my sincere  apology to those I offended. I previously resigned from NPR effective  May 6th to accept another job.  In an effort to put this unfortunate  matter behind us, NPR and I have agreed that my resignation is effective  today.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Update III<\/strong> (Wedneday, March 9, 2011 @ 10:30):<\/span> Vivian Schiller, is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.npr.org\/blogs\/thetwo-way\/2011\/03\/09\/134388981\/npr-ceo-vivian-schiller-resigns?ft=1&amp;f=1001\" target=\"_blank\">out as President and CEO of NPB<\/a>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Update IV<\/strong> (Wednesday, March 9, 2011 @ 1:00 p.m.):<\/span> Ron Schiller has decided <a href=\"http:\/\/www.poynter.org\/latest-news\/romenesko\/122506\/ron-schiller-will-not-be-joining-the-aspen-institute\/\" target=\"_blank\">not to join<\/a> the Aspen Institute.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/blog\/watercooler\/2011\/mar\/8\/video-npr-sr-vp-climate-change-deniers-wont-be-cov\/\" target=\"_blank\">NPR officers compare deniers of climate change to birthers and flat earth believers<\/a> &#8211; The Washington Times<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2011\/mar\/7\/npr-pbs-campaigns-to-keep-federal-funds-called-unl\/\" target=\"_blank\">NPR, PBS campaigns to keep federal funds called unlawful<\/a> &#8211; The Washington Times<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/blogs\/beltway-confidential\/2011\/03\/gop-leader-amazed-condescension-and-arrogance-npr-video-calls-dem\" target=\"_blank\">GOP leader amazed at &#8216;condescension and arrogance&#8217; in NPR video, calls on Dems to support defunding<\/a> &#8211; Byron York, The Washington Examiner<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/nation.foxnews.com\/national-public-radio\/2011\/03\/08\/juan-williams-responds-npr-sting-it-shows-exactly-who-villains-are\" target=\"_blank\">Juan Williams Responds to NPR Sting: &#8216;They Prostitute Themselves for Money&#8217;<\/a> &#8211; Fox News<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I can&#8217;t say I&#8217;m shocked or even surprised by the latest uncover video from James O\u2019Keefe&#8230; There&#8217;s really nothing surprising or shocking about a senior NPR executive being caught on tape bashing conservatives as \u201cwhite, gun-toting \u2026 xenophobic \u2026 seriously racist people.\u201d It&#8217;s what they believe, they&#8217;ve made it clear they think we&#8217;re a bunch [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"content-sidebar","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[19,7],"tags":[1160,1159,1081,1158],"class_list":{"0":"post-3882","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-media","7":"category-politics","8":"tag-betsy-liley","9":"tag-james-okeefe","10":"tag-npr","11":"tag-ron-schiller","12":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfpI7-10C","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3925,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/10\/new-npr-sting-video-shows-execs-willing-to-except-donation-from-alleged-muslim-brotherhood-front-group\/","url_meta":{"origin":3882,"position":0},"title":"New NPR Sting Video Shows Execs Willing to Accept Donation From Alleged Muslim Brotherhood Front Group","author":"Jeff","date":"March 10, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"A newly released video from James O\u2019Keefe's Project Veritas indicates National Public Radio executives\u00a0 intended to accept a $5 million donation from a fictitious Muslim Brotherhood front group, the\u00a0 Muslim Education Action Center (MEAC) Trust. NPR maintains they \"refused\" the check multiple times, but the video released today clearly shows\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Media&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Media","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/media\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/P64rmpnT32U\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3617,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2010\/10\/22\/npr-fires-juan-williams-shoots-self-in-foot\/","url_meta":{"origin":3882,"position":1},"title":"NPR Fires Juan Williams; Shoots Self in Foot","author":"Jeff","date":"October 22, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"NPR's decision to fire Juan Williams for remarks he made\u00a0 during an appearance on\u00a0 \"The O\u2019Reilly Factor\" Monday night has generated a considerable amount of media attention over the last of couple days. Mr. Williams's crime was apparently speaking honestly about a visceral reaction many Americans have in our post\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Media&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Media","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/media\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2730,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/09\/16\/washington-times-acorn-says-workers-conduct-indefensible\/","url_meta":{"origin":3882,"position":2},"title":"Washington Times: ACORN Says Workers Conduct &#8216;Indefensible&#8217;","author":"Jeff","date":"September 16, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The Washington Times is reporting that ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, is suspending advising new clients as part of its service programs and is setting up an independent review to investigate what happened: ACORN, calling the actions of some of its employees \"indefensible,\" has suspended advising\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Breaking News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Breaking News","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/breaking-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1468,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2009\/02\/10\/stupidity-run-amok-teacher-placed-on-leave-for-facbook-photo\/","url_meta":{"origin":3882,"position":3},"title":"Stupidity Run Amok: Teacher Placed On Leave For Facebook Photo","author":"Jeff","date":"February 10, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm slowly working my way through the stories that I bookmarked over the weekend... Most of them aren't blog worthy but this one: Teacher placed on leave for questionable Facebook posting BEAVER DAM (WKOW) -- Beaver Dam school officials placed a middle school teacher on administrative leave after discovering a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Culture&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3484,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2010\/08\/03\/pete-stark-the-federal-government-can-do-most-anything-in-this-country\/","url_meta":{"origin":3882,"position":4},"title":"Pete Stark: The Federal Government can do most anything in this country","author":"Jeff","date":"August 3, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"This video of Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA) has been making the rounds... it's extraordinary, the woman questioning Rep. Stark lays out one the clearest examples of the Constitutional issues surrounding health care reform I've seen and Rep. Stark simply has no answer for them saying: I think that there are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Culture of Corruption&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Culture of Corruption","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/culture-of-corruption\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4078,"url":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/2011\/06\/20\/acting-atf-director-likely-to-be-ousted-over-gunwalker-scandal\/","url_meta":{"origin":3882,"position":5},"title":"Acting ATF Director Likely To Be Ousted Over Gunwalker Scandal","author":"Jeff","date":"June 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"From CNN: Kenneth Melson, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is expected to resign under pressure, perhaps in the next day or two, in the wake of the ongoing controversy over Operation Fast and Furious, two senior federal law enforcement sources said Monday. In the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Crime&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Crime","link":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/category\/crime\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3882\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jasetaro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}