National Public Radio has ceased distribution of the classical music show "World of Opera" because its host, Lisa Simeone, took part in political protest: http://huff.to/op2xpA.

In justifying the decision, NPR spokeswoman Dana Davis Rehm said : "Our view is it's a potential conflict of interest for any journalist or any individual who plays a public role on behalf of NPR to take an active part in a political movement or advocacy campaign. Doing so has the potential to compromise our reputation as an organization that strives to be impartial and unbiased."

Meanwhile NPR itself takes money from many corporations that surely "take an active part" in political movements or advocacy campaigns (2009 annual report, p. 37: http://n.pr/nQURSy). The number of political advocacy groups in the United States is staggering: http://bit.ly/pRq5Xz. Does NPR monitor its hosts' involvement in all of them? Does NPR consider the Republican and Democratic parties to be political movements or advocacy campaigns? Does donating to either of them constitute "taking an active part"?

Despite its claim of striving to be impartial and unbiased, NPR's decision to drop "World of Opera" is itself the result of bias: a bias against political involvement that takes place outside established channels and thereby challenges the status quo.

Says Lisa Simeone, host of "World of Opera": 
“I find it puzzling that NPR objects to my exercising my rights as an American citizen — the right to free speech, the right to peaceable assembly — on my own time in my own life. I’m not an NPR employee. I’m a freelancer. NPR doesn’t pay me. I’m also not a news reporter. I don’t cover politics. I’ve never brought a whiff of my political activities into the work I’ve done for NPR World of Opera. What is NPR afraid I’ll do — insert a seditious comment into a synopsis of Madame Butterfly? This sudden concern with my political activities is also surprising in light of the fact that Mara Liasson reports on politics for NPR yet appears as a commentator on FoxTV, Scott Simon hosts an NPR news show yet writes political op-eds for national newspapers, Cokie Roberts reports on politics for NPR yet accepts large speaking fees from businesses.”

We call on NPR to reinstate "World of Opera" and its host, Lisa Simeone, and to issue a public statement explaining why its original decision was itself an example of unfair bias.