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WASHINGTON — NPR president and CEO Vivian Schiller resigned Wednesday in the wake of comments by a fellow executive that angered conservatives and renewed calls to end federal funding for public broadcasting.

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The chairman of NPR’s board of directors announced that he has accepted Schiller’s resignation, effective immediately.

NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik said in a tweet that Schiller was forced out by the board.

On Tuesday, conservative activist James O’Keefe posted a hidden-camera video in which NPR executive Tom Schiller bashed the tea party movement as “racist” and “xenophobic” and said NPR would be better off without federal funding. Tom Schiller is not related to Vivian Schiller.

Vivian Schiller was criticized for last year’s firing of analyst Juan Williams after he said on Fox News that he feels uncomfortable when he sees people in “Muslim garb” on airplanes.

“The Board accepted her resignation with understanding, genuine regret, and great respect for her leadership of NPR these past two years,” board chairman Dave Edwards said in a statement. “I recognize the magnitude of this news and that it comes on top of what has been a traumatic period for NPR and the larger public radio community.”

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