NPR Executives Resign Over Flaps
After a series of gaffes, both NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller and NPR Foundation President Ron Schiller (no relation) resigned Wednesday morning, Talking Points Memo reports. Ron Schiller, who planned to depart in May for the Aspen Institute, was also relieved of his forthcoming duties at Aspen, Talking Points Memo adds. The resignation of both Schillers “proved an uncomfortable and unexpected crisis for NPR, which was already under heavy fire from Republicans in Congress who are pushing legislation to cut funding to the public broadcaster.”
Illinois Governor Bans Death Penalty, Commutes Death Sentences of 15
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn “signed a historic ban on the death penalty in Illinois and commuted the sentences of 15 death row inmates to life without parole,” The Chicago Tribune reports. Writes Quinn in his signing statement: “Since our experience has shown that there is no way to design a perfect death penalty system, free from the numerous flaws that can lead to wrongful convictions or discriminatory treatment, I have concluded that the proper course of action is to abolish it. With our broken system, we cannot ensure justice is achieved in every case.”
Islamophobe Peter King’s Greatest Contradiction: Support of the IRA
US House Rep. Peter T. King (R-New York) may be holding hearings before the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday concerning “the radicalization of American Muslims,” which he views as a threat akin to terrorism, but in the past, he actually supported a terrorist organization: The Irish Republican Army, or the IRA, reports The New York Times. The chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security has long been a loud voice against terrorism, and, in his mind, there is a clear connection between terrorism and radical Islam. But when asked about “comparisons between the terrorism of the I.R.A. and that of Al Qaeda and its affiliates, Mr. King said: ‘I understand why people who are misinformed might see a parallel. The fact is, the I.R.A. never attacked the United States. And my loyalty is to the United States.'”
Republicans Leave Hearing Unchanged Over Climate Change’s Human Impact
Despite testimony from five esteemed academics, House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on energy and power left unchanged about their doubts over human impact on climate change, The New York Times reports. Democrats on the subcommittee, led by Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Washington) called for a hearing on the subject to delay the passage of the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, which “would overturn the E.P.A.’s [Environmental Protection Agency’s] finding that carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases pose a threat to public health and the environment and would bar the agency from writing any regulations to control them.” Inslee, the House’s leading advocate of carbon emission reduction, called out Republican representatives for their doubts, saying: “If Copernicus, Galileo, Newton and Einstein were testifying today,” Mr. Inslee said, “the Republicans would not accept their views until all the Arctic ice has melted and hell has frozen over, whichever comes first.”
Former American Apparel Employee Accuses CEO of Harassment
A former employee of American Apparel “accused the company’s chairman and chief executive, Dov Charney, in a lawsuit of holding her captive and forcing her to perform sexual acts,” The Los Angeles Times reports. In the suit, Irene Morales accuses Charney of “sexual harassment, retaliation, gender discrimination and creating a hostile workplace” and seeks $250 million in damages. Charney has been accused of sexual harassment before, though charges have never been substantiated in court.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
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