NPR’s Old CEO Was Accused Of ‘Racism’ For Asking Employees For ‘Civility’

National Public Radio’s (NPR) former CEO got accused of racism in 2023 for requesting “civility” from employees, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. - JASON COHEN

• Former NPR CEO John Lansing pushed employees to consider “civility” more during a question-and-answer forum regarding the outlet’s hip-hop podcast focused on black and queer issues called “Louder Than A Riot” lacking its own budget, the NYT reported. 
• When Lansing made the request after the podcast’s editor Soraya Shockley had pressed him about lack of funding for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), an employee at NPR wrote in the forum’s chat that the term “civility” is “racist” because it is frequently deployed against minorities...
• Shockley submitted a human resources complaint against Lansing following the session, suggesting the “civility” comments “dog-whistle racism,” an individual aware of the interaction told the NYT...