Politics

Aspen Institute announces that ex-NPR executive Ron Schiller won’t join organization

Matthew Boyle Investigative Reporter
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The Aspen Institute announced that soon-to-be-former National Public Radio’s Foundation nonprofit President Ron Schiller will not be joining their ranks.

“Ron Schiller has informed us that, in light of the controversy surrounding his recent statements, he does not feel that it’s in the best interests of the Aspen Institute for him to come work here,” Aspen Institute spokesman Jim Spiegelman said in an email to TheDC.

The Aspen Institute has also removed from its website a press release from March 3 announcing Schiller’s hiring. The press release quoted Aspen Institute President and Chief Executive Walter Isaacson as having the same views as Schiller.

“Ron Schiller embraces and lives the values that we share as a community,” said Isaacson in that release, which can still be seen at Yahoo! News. “I am very pleased that he has agreed to join us to help us build a strong and vibrant arts program, the kind of program that we believe is central to the institute’s origins and to its mission.”

NPR dismissed Schiller and his boss, NPR Chief Executive Vivian Schiller (no relation), over the past two days in light of a sting video conservative James O’Keefe released Tuesday showing Schiller and another NPR executive, Betsy Liley, making disparaging remarks about the Tea Party movement, saying Jewish people “obviously” control America’s newspapers and for saying NPR would survive and be “better off” in the long run without federal funding.