An Interview Invitation for P. Ahmadenijad and a Refusal for P. Bush
By John E. Posted in Miscellanea — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
The irony is palpable. On the same week that Columbia University -- in the service of free speech -- invites President Ahmadinejad to speak to students and faculty, NPR refuses to air an interview with President Bush by Morning Edition’s Senior Correspondent Juan Williams.
Why? Brit Hume, who works closely with Juan Williams – who is also a Fox News commentator – reports
The White House offered the interview to Juan, who is an authority on race relations, on the 50th anniversary of the historic integration of a high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. The White House often offers interviews to particular reporters and anchors.
But NPR declined the offer — saying its counterproposal to use one of its news show hosts or White House correspondents instead of Williams was turned down.
What is going on here? If a private news organization made this decision, such a question might be relevant in principle but not with regard to practice. However, this is National Public Radio, which is supported by tax dollars granted for a specific purpose: “programming that creates better informed citizens on the national and local level in an objective and balanced manner.” What could be more important to that informational goal on a national level than an interview with the President of the USA?
The NPR decision fails to satisfy this goal no matter how you analyze it.
Because...
If NPR regularly and as a matter of policy declines interviews with US presidents, presidential candidates, or other major political leaders for this – arguably trivial (after all, what’s wrong with Juan Williams) – reason, then they are not sufficiently valuing the purpose of informing citizens. On the other hand, if this type of decision making is limited to President Bush or even a particular class of politicians, then this is an imbalanced effect of bias.
In the interest of stewardship of public funding the CPB ought to conduct an investigation into this NPR editorial decision process. The President, the Congress and the public ought to demand it as well. I submit that it is warranted and necessary for, one way the other, there is a problem of public interest that needs correcting here.