NPR Ombudsperson Alicia Shepard responds to the attempted purge of Mara Liasson (and earlier, although it got less attention, against Juan Williams). Both Liasson and Williams have come under fire from left-wing thought police at NPR for moonlighting at Fox.
Writes Shepard:
More phone calls than usual came in as well, all on Liasson. By 11:30 this morning, we had 142 emails, with the majority supporting her right to appear on Fox. Liasson, who joined NPR in 1985 and now is a national correspondent, began appearing on Fox as a "political contributor" in 1997.
"I enjoy listening to Mara Liasson on Special Report. She provides another viewpoint in a non-antagonist manner," wrote Howard Kirsh of East Meadow, NY. "Your attempt to pressure her from appearing on this show is an outrage. Stifling free speech because you do not agree with a network's point of view is dangerous to say the least."
Sounds like a victory for people power to me. TCG predicts that NPR backs off on its threats against Liasson and Williams, just as the White House backed off on its threats against Fox News.
So much for NPR's attempt to keep their Berlin Wall against diversity of opinion.
