NPR: Executive in Juan Williams firing resigns

[January 07, 2011]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- A senior news executive at National Public Radio who played a key role in firing commentator Juan Williams has resigned, NPR said Thursday in announcing the completion of a review of the Williams controversy.

The radio network said in a statement that Senior Vice President for News Ellen Weiss has resigned, but gave no reason.

Weiss joined NPR News in 1982 and was the executive producer for 12 years of its daily news magazine program "All Things Considered," her NPR biography states. She had roles in coverage of key domestic and foreign events before rising into senior news management in 2007.

Weiss has also served as a senior producer, editor, field producer and director at NPR News. A phone message left at a listing for Weiss in Washington was not immediately returned.

The same statement also announced several internal changes recommended by NPR's board of directors after reviewing events surrounding Williams' dismissal in October. Williams has since taken on a bigger role with the Fox News Channel.

Based on the review, NPR's board of directors recommended new internal procedures for personnel decisions and disciplinary action.

Williams was fired by NPR after saying on Fox that he gets nervous when he sees people on a plane with clothing that identifies them as Muslim. Long troubled by Williams' dual role as a Fox analyst, NPR had said at the time that his remarks violated its standards of not having on-air personnel giving opinions.

Williams had said he was hurt by the suggestion he's a bigot.

Soon afterward, NPR chief executive Vivian Schiller said management stood by its decision. But Schiller had acknowledged NPR didn't handle the firing perfectly. She wrote that Williams, who was fired in a phone conversation, deserved a face-to-face meeting.

The statement said outside legal counsel assisted in the review, which also involved interviews with many past and present NPR employees and contractors. It said attempts were made to reach out to Williams but "unfortunately, these efforts were unsuccessful and Williams was not interviewed."

[Associated Press]

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