WASHINGTON D.C. (LALATE) – The NPR firing of Juan Williams has prompted a security threat; now NPR has received a bomb threat less than one week after Juan Williams’ firing and Vivian Schiller’s psychiatrist remark.

NPR would not confirm to local news the receipt of the bomb threat; but the Washington Post reports the receipt Monday, via US Mail, from NPR sources. That same day, NPR reportedly sent a memo to employees warning of a general “security threat”. What prompted the threat and what is the nature and location of the threat is not detailed.

NPR spokeswoman Anna Christopher told news late yesterday that the NPR headquarters are adding “extra precautions” immediately”. Those precautions are to be “more aware” of visitors to their Washington D.C. offices and to add additional facility checks on a more routine basis.

Vivian Schiller sent an email to NPR member stations last week explaining the firing of Williams. But after taking Williams’ job, Schiller within twenty-four hours was defending her own job. Schiller went to the Atlanta Press Club on Thursday where she told attendees that Juan Williams should have kept his feeling about Muslims between himself and “his psychiatrist or his publicist”. Schiller later apologized “I spoke hastily and I apologize to Juan and others for my thoughtless remark.” Williams later denounced the remark, adding he doesn’t see a psychiatrist.

Today, Schiller is not speaking. But on Tuesday, NPR sources confirmed to the Post that Schiller has received telephone threats at her home.

Alicia C. Shepard, NPR’s Ombudsman, last week said NPR mishandled Williams’ firing. She said their website drew 7,000 comments to the firing, their email server crashed, they processed 8000 angry emails in 24 hours, and their telephone circuits were flooded. “The overwhelming majority are angry, furious, outraged. They want NPR to hire him back immediately. If NPR doesn’t, they want all public funding of public radio to stop. They promise to never donate again. They are as mad as h-ll, and want everyone to know it. It was daunting to answer the phone and hear so much unrestrained anger.”

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WASHINGTON (LALATE) – Vivian Schiller did not handle the Juan Williams NPR firing correctly, says Alicia C. Shepard. Alicia C. Shepard says NPR should have given Juan Williams an opportunity to defend himself rather than terminate him immediately. And who is Alicia C. Shepard? She is NPR’s Ombudsman who today tells news a mixture of praise and problems she has with Williams, NPR, and Schiller over the media mess.

Despite anyone’s position on the matter, Alicia C. Shepard makes clear that the termination of Juan Williams prompted the largest one day reaction to NPR in recent years. Alicia C. Shepard says that the NPR initial report of Williams’ firing drew nearly 7,000 comments from readers; the NPR server crashed handling email submissions from readers reacting to the news; that nearly 8,000 emails were processed in one day alone; and that NPR telephones never stopped ringing.

Despite Shepherd’s thoughts about the matter, how did NPR listeners react? She said she got comments of support and anger towards Williams. But overall, Shepherd says the message was support for Williams and demanding his return.

“The overwhelming majority are angry, furious, outraged. They want NPR to hire him back immediately. If NPR doesn’t, they want all public funding of public radio to stop. They promise to never donate again. They are as mad as h-ll, and want everyone to know it.  It was daunting to answer the phone and hear so much unrestrained anger.”

How did the reaction compare to previous NPR sandals? Alicia C. Shepard says nothing has ever compared to it as far she is aware of. She said a “controversial” appearance by Williams on FOX in 2008 drew a mere 378 comments.

And despite what Shepard’s position is on Williams, she is clear about one thing; NPR, in her mind, wrongly handled the firing. “If he is correct, that’s too bad. I think NPR owed him a chance to explain himself.” She says NPR now has a “public relations nightmare” because he was “told his contract was terminated without an opportunity to come into NPR and discuss the firing.”

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WASHINGTON (LALATE) – Fired NPR’s Juan Williams says he is furious over Vivian Schiller’s psychiatrist remark; Juan Williams says he doesn’t have a psychiatrist but that the NPR “current crew” is “vicious”. In round three of Juan Williams vs NPR’s media meltdown, Williams was back today talking to news, not on FOX but ABC. Williams Friday said that Vivian Schiller showed a lack of professionalism by suggesting he seeks a psychiatrist’s help.

At the Atlanta Press Club on Thursday, hours after firing Juan Williams, NPR CEO Vivian Schiller said Juan Williams needs to keep his feeling about Muslims between himself and “his psychiatrist or his publicist”. Schiller’s remarks came after she sent an email to NPR affiliates that Williams had taken a “personal public positions on controversial issues”. Schiller said Williams had lost credibility by taking a public position on news.

Williams tells ABC News that NPR’s argument that he violated a company policy on the subject is a “case” but “a very week case”. Williams tells George Stephanopoulos today that, yes, NPR didn’t like him on FOX News, but that Williams hasn’t been acting any differently, in his mind, than he has in many years of being on NPR.

But as Stephanopoulos notes, Williams still has a job this week. Williams gets $2 million deal for three years with Fox News. Others have called NPR’s decision in error. Joe Scarborough reacted to the news stating “This is disgraceful. NPR needs to hire Juan Williams back.” Schiller has apologized for her remark.

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VIDEO! Watch video of Juan Williams on Fox News tear up about Barack Obama. Juan Williams tears up about Barack Obama at the Inauguration.

Rev. Joseph E. Lowery brought Juan Williams to tears. Rev. Joseph E. Lowery gave the Inauguration benediction, a veteran civil rights activist.

CLICK HERE FOR JUAN WILLIAMS INAUGURATION VIDEO

“I just felt so emotional. There are other people who might say they were there with Dr. King and suffered the indignities. But Joe Lowery really did. And for Joe Lowery today to see that son, that black boy, become president of the United States, I can’t tell you. There are some times in your life when you just think, ‘What a country! How could it be?’ I never thought that would happen. But there it was. Just thank God that Joe Lowery was there in that moment to talk about the power of silent tears.”

Juan Williams also teared up on the night Barack Obama was elected.

CLICK HERE FOR JUAN WILLIAMS ELECTION NIGHT VIDEO

Williams teared up on election night saying “I don’t care how you feel about him politically, on some level you have to say this is America at its grandest.”

It’s a stunning sight. It’s incomprehensible. Even a year ago, I wouldn’t have thought this was possible. That an African American man could be elected President of the United States. When I think of it from a historical point of view, and you go back and think of people, that fact that black people didn’t have the right to vote in this country. There were only black men until 1870. In 1870, black men got the right to vote and of course it didn’t mean much until going forward until 1965 and the Voting Rights Act. And at that point, Linden Johnson said the Democrat Party lost the South forever and there was no possibility really of full enfranchisement that said black people could somehow be the leader of the United States of America. This is truly an incredible moment of American history. I can’t think of another country in the world where you could have a significant minority that was once so maligned and so oppressed finally have one of its sons rise to this level. This is ah… I don’t care how you feel about him politically, on some level you have to say this is America at its grandest, the potential, the possibility, and what it says for our children. Black and white, the image of Barack Obama and those little girls in the Rose Garden in these years to come. I think it’s just stunning.

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