Report: NPR Does An About-Face, Will Let Anchor Attend Pride Event.

One of National Public Radio’s most visible gay employees will be permitted to attend a corporate LGBTQ Pride event, a reversal from the public broadcaster’s initial decision to dissuade him from attending.

According to a report by Semafor, longtime anchor Ari Shapiro was first told of NPR’s decision in an email from Tony Cavin, the public broadcaster’s Managing Editor, Standards and Practices, on Wednesday.

“The guidance in our ethics handbook is to ‘avoid appearances at private industry or corporate functions,’” Cavin wrote to Shapiro in an email that, according to Semafor’s report, was sent accidentally and was seen by numerous other NPR journalists.

“Because this is a closed corporate event, I think it would be best to politely decline,” Cavin wrote, according to a copy of the email exchange, which Semafor said it viewed.

Shapiro, a host of “All Things Considered,” responded shortly thereafter and asked Cavin why his attendance at similar events had previously gained approval.

“Every year I’ve spoken at corporate pride events, and you’ve personally signed off on them,” he said. “It has never been an issue before. I’m curious what’s changed.”

But later Wednesday — after Semafor’s report on the email exchange between Cavin and Shapiro, an NPR spokesperson said Shapiro would be able to attend the event after all.

“This decision was made shortly after the original email thread,” the spokesperson said.

The news comes against the backdrop of growing pressure on NPR, including an FCC request for information on the underwriting practices of 13 of its member stations and Republican threats over its funding.

Last month, NPR CEO Katherine Maher said she’s “confident” the public broadcaster is in compliance with FCC guidelines as it relates to its sponsorship and advertising practices.

“We feel really confident that we have worked throughout the years to comply with FCC guidelines,” she said. “We have a robust process, and we’ll look to see what happens with the inquiry,” Maher said.