Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 17, 1994                   TAG: 9405170115
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PHILADELPHIA                                LENGTH: Short

NPR WON'T AIR KILLER'S COMMENTS

The commentaries by Mumia Abu-Jamal had been scheduled to begin Monday night on NPR's ``All Things Considered'' news program.

Managing Editor Bruce Drake said the network had ``serious misgivings about the appropriateness of using as a commentator a convicted murderer seeking a new trial.''

In addition, the network had not arranged for other commentaries providing context or contrasting points of view, he said.

``After reviewing the commentaries, I did not find them of such a compelling nature as to overcome these misgivings about using Abu-Jamal as a commentator,'' Drake said in a statement. ``In the past few days, there has been a great deal of public attention to this issue, but the important factor in this decision was to do the right thing editorially.''

Abu-Jamal was convicted in the slaying of police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981 and sentenced to death. Faulkner had made a routine traffic stop of Abu-Jamal's brother. Abu-Jamal, working as a cab driver at the time, said he happened upon the scene where his brother was stopped but denied shooting Faulkner.

Abu-Jamal is a former radio news reporter and a former member of the Black Panthers and supporter of the radical group MOVE.

Abu-Jamal was to be paid the standard NPR fee of $150 per spot. Executive Producer Ellen Weiss said last week it was a way for NPR to broaden its coverage of crime and punishment.