NPR chief sorry over handling of Williams' firing

NEW YORK – NPR's chief executive says she's sorry for how analyst Juan Williams' dismissal was handled — but not for firing him.

Vivian Schiller sent an apology to National Public Radio staff members on Sunday night and wrote to managers at NPR stations. Her dismissal of Williams for saying on Fox News Channel that he gets nervous when he sees people on a plane with clothing that identifies them as Muslim became a "public relations disaster," NPR's ombudsman said.

The question now for NPR is whether the situation will cause lasting damage to public broadcasting permanently, or whether in some ways it might help it.

Williams, who was fired in a phone conversation, deserved a face-to-face meeting, Schiller wrote. She has also expressed regret for saying, after last Wednesday's firing, that whatever feelings Williams has about Muslims should be between him and "his psychiatrist or his publicist — take your pick."

NPR, which had long been troubled by Williams' dual role as an analyst at Fox, said his remarks violated its standards of not having on-air personnel giving opinions.

"I stand by my decision to end NPR's relationship with Juan, but I deeply regret the way I handled it and explained it," Schiller wrote to staff members.

Williams said Monday that he had not received any apology from NPR or talked to anyone at the station since his dismissal. NPR said Schiller has tried to reach him.

"Obviously, I feel that I should have had the opportunity to supply NPR with the entirety of the context of the statement to make sure they understood, and I am hurt by the suggestion that I need a psychiatrist and am a bigot," he said.

Schiller's decision unleashed conservative critics already suspicious of public radio at a time when many stations were soliciting pledges, right after a liberal icon donated $1.8 million, and shortly before an election that could put some of its opponents in a position of power.

NPR had previously asked Williams not to identify himself as an NPR analyst when he appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor" or other Fox shows. The journalist said last week he believed his bosses were looking for an excuse to fire him. It looked to many on the outside as if Williams was losing his job for saying something that hardly seemed like a fireable offense.

Yet the decision also eliminated a distraction — NPR ombudsman Alicia Shepard said Williams had long been the subject of the most listener complaints — and allowed NPR's leaders to portray themselves as defenders of old-school journalistic values.

The fallout spread quickly. PBS ombudsman Michael Getler said he had received hundreds of calls or e-mails critical of the decision, even though Williams did not work for public television. When Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina introduces planned legislation to eliminate government funding for public radio, he said it would include television, too.