Surprise: NPR host is a spokeswoman for Occupy D.C.

Simeone hosts NPR’s nationally syndicated “World of Opera” program and “SoundPrint,” a program that airs on NPR’s WAMU affiliate at American University in Washington, D.C.

When Roll Call asked Simeone about the conflict of interest and the apparent ethics violations, she replied, “Well, I work in radio still, but this is totally different” because she says she’s a “freelancer.”

NPR’s ethics policy for journalists forbids them from “engag[ing] in public relations work, paid or unpaid.”