National Public Radio’s Michele Norris will step away from her hosting duties as host of All Things Considered after her husband took a job with the Obama campaign.
NBC Political Director Chuck Todd (2nd L) speaks as (L-R) NBC News Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory, columnist David Broder of the Washington Post, host of NPR's "All Things Considered" Michele Norris, and moderator Tom Brokaw look on during a taping of "Meet the Press" on Nov. 2, 2008.
(Alex Wong - GETTY IMAGES FOR MEET THE PRESS)
In a note posted on NPR’s web site
(h/t PostPolitics producer Matt DeLong), Norris said that her husband, Broderick Johnson, will join the Obama team as a senior adviser. Norris will continue working at NPR “producing signature segments and features and working on new reporting projects.”
Johnson was also a senior 2008 adviser to the Obama campaign. Before that, he was a senior advisor for congressional affairs in the Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) presidential campaign and from1998 to 2000, Johnson served in senior roles in the Clinton White House, according to an Obama release.
“While I will of course recuse myself from all election coverage, there’s still an awful lot of ground that I can till in this interim role,” she wrote. “This has all happened very quickly, but working closely with NPR management, we’ve been able to make a plan that serves the show, honors the integrity of our news organization and is best for me professionally and personally.”
Norris’ connection to the Obama campaign will only fuel the ongoing storyline that NPR is a liberal mouthpiece and therefore should not be funded by taxpayers. A year ago, the outlet fired Juan Williams after he said on Fox News that when he boards a plane and sees people wearing Muslim garb, he gets nervous.
Full message from Norris below.
Hello everyone,
I need to share some news and I wanted to make sure my NPR family heard this first.
Last week, I told news management that my husband, Broderick Johnson, has just accepted a senior advisor position with the Obama Campaign. After careful consideration, we decided that Broderick’s new role could make it difficult for me to continue hosting ATC.
Given the nature of Broderick’s position with the campaign and the impact that it will most certainly have on our family life, I will temporarily step away from my hosting duties until after the 2012 elections.
I will be leaving the host chair at the end of this week, but I’m not going far. I will be wearing a different hat for a while, producing signature segments and features and working on new reporting projects. While I will of course recuse myself from all election coverage, there’s still an awful lot of ground that I can till in this interim role.
This has all happened very quickly, but working closely with NPR management, we’ve been able to make a plan that serves the show, honors the integrity of our news organization and is best for me professionally and personally.
I will certainly miss hosting, but I will remain part of the ATC team and I look forward to contributing to our show and NPR in new and exciting ways.
My very best,
Michele
Romney’s shaky immigration facts
Why Jindal still matters Biden opens door to 2016 White House bid
Comments