Ari Shapiro, 46, is leaving NPR at the end of next month after 25 years with the organization and nearly ten years as co-host of All Things Considered. His final broadcast will be Sept. 26. Congress recently approved cuts to federal funding for public broadcasters at President Donald Trump's behest, but Shapiro said his departure "has nothing to do with the challenges facing public radio, the news media, or the country." He praised NPR's 1970 mission statement and public radio's ability to evolve while maintaining public service. Outgoing NPR news chief Edith Chapin said Shapiro told staff months ago that this milestone felt like the right time to try something new.
Working at NPR has been a wild privilege. Since I became a host of 'All Things Considered,' I've kept the original 1970 mission statement from founder Bill Siemering taped in view of my desk. I especially love the part that says we 'will encourage a sense of active constructive participation rather than apathetic helplessness.' Public radio's ability to evolve and change without sacrificing that unshakable mission of public service is NPR's greatest strength.
As I start the next chapter of my own professional evolution, I can't imagine an organization more uniquely prepared to deliver the kind of illumination, understanding, and joy that I have treasured my entire life - and that I will continue to depend on as a listener. The work of public radio is more important today than it has ever been. I plan to keep supporting it, and I hope you will too.
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