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March 9, 2011

NPR Exec Resigns Following Right-Wing Video Sting 
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A right-wing activist behind the infamous undercover sting against the
community group ACORN has now targeted National Public Radio. On
Tuesday, James O'Keefe released video of a secretly recorded meeting
between two NPR executives and two people posing as donors for a fake
Muslim group. The impersonators requested the meeting under the guise of
wanting to donate $5 million dollars, an offer NPR rejected. On the
tape, NPR executive Ronald Schiller, criticizes the Tea Party and fringe
Republicans.

Ronald Schiller: "The current Republican Party, particularly the Tea
Party, is fanatically involved in people's personal lives and very
fundamental Christian - I wouldn't even call it Christian. It's this
weird evangelical kind of move."

Schiller was scheduled to leave NPR for a new job next month but has
resigned effective immediately. In 2009, O'Keefe disguised himself as a
pimp and secretly videotaped ACORN employees appearing to offer him
advice. The scandal led to a congressional measure stripping ACORN of
federal funding. The release of the new video comes as NPR is facing the
threat of major cutbacks. In a statement, Republican majority leader
Eric Cantor said: "This disturbing video makes clear that taxpayer
dollars should no longer be appropriated to NPR."



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