Terence Shepherd, former news director of KPBS, said in a lawsuit he was fired in February in retaliation for flagging a potential Federal Communications Commission (FCC) violation to senior management.
An email to KPBS staff on Feb. 11 announced Shepherd was no longer news director, a position he had held since August 2022.
In the lawsuit filed in San Diego County Superior Court last month, Shepherd said his termination violated California’s whistleblower protection law.
Heather Milne, a KPBS spokesperson, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
The lawsuit stems from the Sept. 17, 2025 broadcast of KPBS' daily television news show Evening Edition.
KPBS reporter Alexander Nguyen went live on the air from a protest at the Encinitas City Hall. Behind Nguyen, a protester held a "FUCK ICE" sign.
"Federal law prohibits obscene, indecent and profane content from being broadcast on the radio or TV," according to the FCC website.
The next day, Shepherd reported the issue to Evening Edition’s senior producer, Nguyen’s editor and KPBS Chief Content Officer Nancy Worlie, according to the complaint.
In his complaint, Shepherd said Nguyen "had apparently staged a protest scene" that appeared on air. And after investigating the incident, Shepherd recommended Nguyen be terminated, according to the complaint.
Worlie, the complaint said, "vehemently disagreed" with Shepherd and made clear to him that she thought he was "grossly overreacting."
Worlie also refused Shepherd’s request to audit Nguyen’s past work, according to the complaint.
Both Worlie and Nguyen declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
The complaint said Shepherd’s performance reviews were positive — including one done on Nov. 13, 2025, two months after he reported the alleged FCC violation.
That review, the lawsuit said, included comments complimenting Shepherd’s ethics, values and newsroom stewardship.
Shepherd is represented in the case by Rancho Santa Fe attorney Michael Conger. Shepherd referred questions to Conger, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In an email to staff Monday, KPBS General Manager Deanna Mackey acknowledged media reports of the lawsuit, but said she could not comment further.
"Our commitment to providing San Diego with trusted local news is a priority," Mackey wrote. "KPBS’ newsroom has more than 60 people who work tirelessly each day, as a team, to provide the community with thoughtful local news."
The suit was filed against KPBS and the San Diego State University Research Foundation.
KPBS’ broadcast licenses are held by the California State University Board of Trustees for SDSU. KPBS News maintains strict editorial independence from management, SDSU and the SDSU Research Foundation.
Disclosure: This story was written by KPBS reporter Andrew Dyer, edited by Investigations Editor David Washburn and copy edited by Senior Producer of Audio News Brooke Ruth. Under KPBS' protocol for reporting on itself, no corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.
