Posted on 09/24/2004 2:30:06 PM PDT by timbuck2
Email to NPR Ombudsman Dvorkin 9/24/2004
Dear Mr. Dvorkin, I must say I was stunned that NPR has decided to go ahead with this series of "swing voter" interviews. I listened to Morning Edition's latest installment today and was dumbfounded that the rationale advanced for Ridley's donations to Clarke and Kerry was that Bush was raising more money and Ridley simply acted to level the playing field. This is absurd and is insulting to NPR's listeners. Ridley is presented as a swing voter in THIS year's presidential election. He is purportedly undecided, yet these are the facts: He has given $500 to Kerry, a Democrat. He has given $500 to Clarke, a Democrat. He has given $0 to the RNC, $0 to Bush.
Do you buy Ridley's story? It sounds to me like Ridley got caught in a lie, invented an excuse and now continues to enjoy free publicity (and payment?) from NPR. Obviously, it is not in Ridley interest to declare that he has made a decision because his appearances on NPR will cease.
Mr. Dvorkin, NPR has made a terrible decision to keep airing these segments. One would think the producers would be sensitive to appearances of journalistic fraud given the meltdown at CBS.
You have been terrific in your role as Ombudsman and I hope you will continue to pass along listeners' concerns about the Ridley interviews.
Regards,
This story has been lost due to the incredible attention given to improprieties at CBS. I trust today's airing of yet another segment of this farce will motivate people to hold NPR producers accountable.
Please let me know if any of you have given a thousand dollars to a candidate whom you may or may not vote for in the desire to level the playing field of political fundraising.
When was the last time Ridley voted for a Republican presidential candidate? 1992. Swing voter? Yeah, right. Who are they fooling?
Thoughts?
cAN YTOU POST THE oMBUDSMAN eMAIL ADDY?
He can't decide between Kerry and Nader.
oops
NPR has about as much interest in truth and reality as the Kerry campaign.
That is to say, NONE WHATSOEVER.
One thing I have NOT heard NPR talk about is CBSgate. Not a damn word.
Just ask yourself why you should care what the person thinks in the first place. The idea that Undecideds or "Swing Voters" deserve some sort of emblematic, lionized status is actually rather silly. This is one guy you're talking about.
If the Pubbies wanted to teach NPR a lesson, some bright pol would sponsor a bill thagt made public funding totally voluntary, that would allow folks to check a box on their income taxes to make a donation. Or not. And all of NPR's public funding would come only from that source. Then NPR would have to be responsive to its customers. Or find another source of funding. George Soros maybe.
One other thing, which I noted in another thread to this. Ridley said he had donated to the RNC, and had the membership card to prove it. That "membership card" proves nothing. I've never donated to the RNC in my life, but I've got at least a half-dozen of those personalized cards by getting direct mail donation requests. They don't give you the card *after* you donate; they send you the card in an attempt to get you to donate! And at any rate, RNC donations would show up in the FEC reports, and this clown hasn't donated a dime to Republicans.
OOps - I must have swung a little left.
Sorry
The Ombudsman is responsive and a good guy. I would encourage polite, short emails that detail people's objections. Legislation should be passed to make funding voluntary. I pay enough taxes and I certianly do not appreciate my tax dollars making their way to NPR to push a leftist agenda.
-T
When is the fraudulent claim of NPR's "political neutrality" going to finally be exposed and made an issue by the GOP??
Mewzilla,
Is it in fact possible to prove whether Ridley gave to the RNC in 2002 or 2003 when he was living in California and supposedly supporting McClintock over Arnold in the special race for governor? Where would this info be posted?
-T
It has not been lost.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1219157/posts?q=1&&page=1#1
The problem is not so much that this Ridley guy (who is he, anyway? why should we care again?) was mis-labeled a "swing voter" when he's clearly not. Ok that's bad, but the deeper issue is that a news feature "Interview With A Swing-Voter" is a fundamentally stupid idea, inevitably susceptible to bias, in the first place.
The subtext of such a story after all is "What This Person Thinks Is Important, And Centrist, And You Should Listen, And Care". The temptation to laden such a news story with one's own biases is just too great. And no matter how conscientiously it's done, such a story is going to be propaganda, almost by default.
For a state race, CA's Board Of Elections would probably have the info on donations. You should check to see if it's on-line. I'd google Ridley, too. If the guy's politically active, he's probably been mentioned in the local news, for instance. Or written letters to the editor, that sort of thing.
To NPR, an "undecided" voter is one who hasn't yet made up his/her mind if they are voting for Kerry four times, or only three.
All Things Considered:
Phone: 202-513-2110
Email: atc@npr.org
Morning Edition:
Phone: 202-513-2150, Fax: 202-513-3329
Email: morning@npr.org
Public Broadcasting PBS
PBS: 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 703-739-5000, Fax: 703-739-8689, www.pbs.org
PO BOX 50880, Washington, DC 20091
Phone: 800-356-2626
The News Hour with Jim Lehrer: 3620 South 27th St.
Arlington, VA 22206
Phone: 703-998-2150, Email: newshour@pbs.org
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.