FAIR - Contact NPR About Very Soft Cheney Interview

By failing to challenge Cheney's dubious claims, Williams may have been practicing the kind of journalism that he thought NPR expected. After NPR host Terry Gross interviewed Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly on the Fresh Air program (10/9/03), she was reprimanded in NPR ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin's online column (10/15/03): "I agree with the listeners who complained about the tone of the interview: Her questions were pointed from the beginning." Perhaps Williams took from that the lesson that asking "pointed" questions is something NPR's journalists should avoid.

ACTION: Please contact NPR ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin and ask him if he thinks NPR should have challenged Cheney's dubious claims about Iraq. You might also encourage Morning Edition to evaluate the accuracy of Cheney's statements in an upcoming broadcast.

CONTACT:
National Public Radio
Jeffrey Dvorkin, Ombudsman
Phone: 202-513-3245
ombudsman@npr.org
Morning Edition
Phone: 202-842-5044
morning@npr.org