Vivian Schiller: House Republicans Helped Throw NPR Into 'Turmoil'

Former NPR CEO Vivian Schiller said that the new Republican majority in the House contributed to the "turmoil" facing the network.

Schiller, who was ousted as chief of NPR following the scandal surrounding fundraiser Ron Schiller (no relation), was speaking on Tuesday at the Paley Center for Media in New York.

"The organization has been in a bit of turmoil because of a confluence of events," she said, citing the decision to fire Juan Williams and "the change in majority in the House," which put additional, heavy pressure on the network. Indeed, the Republicans have made public media a prime target, even voting to defund NPR Ron Schiller scandal.

"It's a very difficult time with an incredible amount of scrutiny in what we do and all the actions of NPR...because the presence of even one dollar of federal money changes the dynamics," she said.

Schiller also had harsh words for James O'Keefe, who put together the sting that ultimately forced her firing from NPR. (The initial video that was widely disseminated by the media turned out to be misleadingly edited.)

Schiller called O'Keefe and his practice of undercover stings an "abomination," and said, "this is not journalism. You don't ensnare people. You don't entrap people with hidden cameras...I don't know what this is, but it has nothing to do with the kind of journalism that i know."