UPDATE: NPR spokesperson Anna Christopher Bross contacted us this afternoon to clarify that NPR did not have a direct role in any decision to remove Simeone from the hosting duties of Soundprint.

“Soundprint is an independent public radio program that is not produced by NPR. NPR had no contact with the management of the program prior to their decision,” said Bross in an email. Bross added that they had been in contact with Simeone’s employers at WDAV, who produces The World of Opera which Simeone still hosts, but that “the management of WDAV is solely responsible for the decision making around Lisa’s participation in Occupy DC and her freelance role with WDAV’s program.”

As we noted in our original post, Simeone was not an employee of NPR, though she did host shows which were distributed by the organization.

ORIGINAL POST: Lisa Simeone, the host of WAMU program Soundprint, has reportedly been fired from her freelance position as host of the National Public Radio program after the outlet discovered that she was involved with an ongoing D.C. protest.

Simeone, who also served as the host of the nationally syndicated The World of Opera program since 2002 and is a former host of All Things Considered, is involved in the October 2011 movement that is currently demonstrating in Freedom Plaza. Simeone told the Associated Press that she was fired during a phone call in which violations of NPR’s code of ethics were cited. WAMU news director Jim Asendio told Roll Call last night that all NPR — and by extension WAMU — journalists “may not engage in public relations work, paid or unpaid.” (It should be noted that Soundprint is not produced by WAMU, nor is Simeone a WAMU employee.)

NPR has struggled to handle political controversy among its ranks over the past year, though Simeone was not employed directly by the organization.