The University of Texas fired KUT General Manager Debbie Hiott on Monday over her planning of the station's inaugural community festival. UT leaders ordered KUT to scale back its plans over security concerns, prompting the station to move some events off campus. Hiott's public response has since brought questions about whether security concerns were a pretext to remove the festival from campus.
Austin Democrats and journalism advocates sounded the alarm over what the decision could mean for KUT's future. The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas said in a statement: "We are concerned that the firing of Debbie Hiott as general manager of KUT is contrary to both of these principles."
Hiott said in an interview with the station that UT is no longer an appropriate home for the public radio institution. KUT has operated at UT for its entire 68-year existence.Read more