Does National Public Radio have a nose for news? Or a nose that's offended by the scent of President Bush? NPR news boss Ellen Weiss has snubbed an exclusive interview opportunity with President Bush. Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz reported Wednesday that the White House offered NPR’s Juan Williams an interview on race relations, but NPR didn’t want it on its airwaves. So it aired instead on the Fox News Channel.
Williams told Kurtz he was "stunned" by NPR's decision. "It makes no sense to me. President Bush has never given an interview in which he focused on race. . . . I was stunned by the decision to turn their backs on him and to turn their backs on me." Fox was even sharper. "NPR's lack of news judgment is astonishing, and their treatment of a respected journalist like Juan Williams is appalling," said Fox spokeswoman Irena Briganti.
Kurtz added:
Ellen Weiss, NPR's vice president for news, said she "felt strongly" that "the White House shouldn't be selecting the person."She said NPR told Bush's press secretary, Dana Perino, that "we're grateful for the opportunity to talk to the president but we wanted to determine who did the interview." When the White House said the offer could not be transferred to one of NPR's program hosts, Weiss took a pass...
While it is not unusual for the White House to offer a presidential sitdown to a particular anchor or correspondent, Weiss noted that ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox have all had their anchors interview Bush and that NPR has been requesting such a session for seven years. When Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign last week offered an interview to NPR's health reporter, Weiss said, the network obtained permission to have it done instead by "All Things Considered" host Melissa Block.
Weiss is not entirely correct: Bush never sat down with Dan Rather, for reasons that aren’t hard to figure out.
Hillary Clinton is also choosy in hostile media outlets: her only Fox News Channel interviews are with her liberal friend Greta van Susteren. (That doesn’t include "Fox News Sunday," which airs on FNC, but is a Fox show.) Fox wouldn’t demand that Hillary has to be interviewed by Brit Hume or nobody.
It makes you wonder if NPR’s liberal brass is appalled that Williams has a relationship with Fox News, including his defense of Bill O’Reilly in the current news cycle. "I had worked at NPR's direction to develop a relationship with the White House," he told Kurtz. "I have an expertise on race relations. . . . I thought the listeners of NPR lost a tremendous opportunity to hear the president in a rare interview on a very important subject."
Or maybe Ellen Weiss liked the last White House better? After all, she attended state dinners at the Clinton White House with her leftist husband, Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism.
UPDATE: Captain's Quarters has more, including the transcript.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
NPR
September 26, 2007 - 06:29 ET by philhoeyThis does not susprise me. After NPR stands for National Propaganda Radio. There is nothing Public about it other than they are suckling on the US Treasury.
Sanctimonious ....
September 26, 2007 - 06:40 ET by HelenSSeveral words came to mind to continue the thought after "Sanctimonious..." in my subject line but all of them would have left a bad taste in my mouth and I want to enjoy the rest of my double shot espresso macchiato.
I will say, though, that I hope I live long enough to watch the delicious and long awaited final implosion of this band (libs, dems, etc.) of destructive (to the USA) parasites.
"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" - Shakespeare
Well it just goes to show
September 26, 2007 - 06:48 ET by motherbeltWell it just goes to show ya..... These elite liberal snobs have decided that THEY will be the ones to deline, thank you, if they choose. But if President Bush had declined an invitation to do an interview on NPR, there would be hell to pay.
It makes you wonder if NPR’s liberal brass is appalled that Williams
has a relationship with Fox News, including his defense of Bill
O’Reilly in the current news cycle. -Tim Graham
We'll watch and see if they start calling him a "house slave" (or worse) in the near future.
Worst Person
September 26, 2007 - 08:52 ET by ThisnThatAnd, get the Worst Person of the week award from ItsOver-man.
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
}}---> NPR's racist agenda
September 26, 2007 - 06:47 ET by Cool ArrowThey couldn't stand the thought of a Black American having a thoughtful conversation with this President. Doesn't fit the stereotype at all.
NPR wants Blacks to be "NPR's" kind of Black.
As I've said before, I think Blacks are starting to get the real picture of the race pandering, condescending, patronizing Liberal bosses.
~LYDSEXICS UNTIE!~
Well, of course NPR wouldn't allow Juan Williams to interview
September 26, 2007 - 09:36 ET by RJPresident Bush!
Even worse than a "black American discussing race on NPR with President Bush" is an uppity black American with Williams' views. His recent book ridicules the liberal plantation stereotype and their lackeys who help them perpetuate it:
"ENOUGH: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements and Culture Of Failure That Are Undermining Black America -- And What We Can Do About It."
True Colors
September 26, 2007 - 07:25 ET by kdoliverAs long was this type stuff keeps up AND gets out to the people, it doesn't help the Left. The Left is starting to publicly show their true colors and the average American is starting to see it. A lady I work with in the DC area honestly thought that ANSWER and Code Pink types just wanted to bring the soldiers home. She was commenting on something about the march a couple of weeks ago and I asked her if she actually knew that these groups stood for? She did not. After some education she was shocked. And immediately did an about face. But since she doesn't believe in the war, but now that we are they thinks we should win as quickly as possible, and get the folks home. Yesterday, she commented to me on Bush interview with Williams (she had seen Hume do a piece on the Grapevine) and she asked me what I thought about it. I explained I thought that NPR did not want a "Foxie" to be involved with the interview, regardless of expertise in the area. She is starting to come around.... All we have do is show one person at a time the light.
http://thelazytriathlete.blogspot.com/
What do you think are the
September 26, 2007 - 07:42 ET by motherbeltWhat do you think are the odds that when this airs, certain "talking heads", (ignorant of, or ignoring the reality) will be noting that the interview is on Fox, with the implication that Bush is avoiding other networks and favors Fox, because they give him "favorable" coverage?
Dr. Spock Kids
September 26, 2007 - 07:42 ET by dwillmoreThese people need a good spanking. No, not in an arguement, but a good ol' over my knee spanking. The petulance of the left is nothing more than the tantrums and thoughts of a five year old not getting their way. They can't see the harm that would be done if their wishes would come true and feel slighted by being protected from their own folly.
Media doesn't want you to know the truth
September 26, 2007 - 07:47 ET by Blogger Guy00001The mission of the media is to keep the truth from the public, and to give the public a fictional account of the world as the media imagines it to be.
Sometimes the media has to do some fancy footwork to hide the truth and to present fiction.
Double Standard
September 26, 2007 - 07:53 ET by HypocriteHaterI love how they throw in the Hillary comparison just to cover their asses. I'm sure there are plenty of behind the scenes stories of Dems manipulating the media to suit their needs. It's just more fun for the MSM when the GOP does it.
What a difference 24 hours make
September 26, 2007 - 07:55 ET by ding7777NPR will have access to Bush only if a Bush approved interviewer designated.
This is so, so, so, different than Clinton granting access to GQ for Clinton approved articles.
Or it's exactly the same...
September 26, 2007 - 08:12 ET by sarcasmoBut can you imagine the host of "Fresh Air" giving Bush anything like an honest interview rather than a pile of biased questions? I sure as hell can't -- that's probably the most-biased show my taxes pay-for on that network, bar none. At least Juan's a halfway-sensible lefty, so it's not like NPR dusted the cobwebs off William F. Buckley or something -- as if doing that would result in an easy interview for Bush, come to think of it...
JMR
Rally online with fans of Dr. Ron Paul.
interview
September 26, 2007 - 08:18 ET by AgnosticI don't think Bush would grant Buckley an interview. Too much $$$ down the DC crapper.
apples to oranges
September 26, 2007 - 08:15 ET by AgnosticKilling an existing story. vs.
Preventing an interview because PBS can not control the circumstances 100%.
I don't see a direct comparison here but perhaps I am missing something. IMO, to be a direct comparison the interview would have to occur and gone badly for the president and then have him threaten PBS that nobody from his administration would ever appear on PBS again (not that they would care) in order to prevent them from airing the negative interview.
The interview could have gone badly for the president. Afterall, PBS still had control of the setting, the questions, the tone and the ever important pre/post debate about the interview. But turned all that down simply because they couldn't have absolute control.
I bet you Mahmoud
September 26, 2007 - 08:15 ET by MAZZOI bet you Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would be welcomed with open arms.
Ahmadinejad - probably not
September 26, 2007 - 08:50 ET by ThisnThatI don't know. NPR would have to come up with tougher questions than iPod preferences, and I don't think NPR is up to that. IMO.
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
So, the GOP candidates
September 26, 2007 - 08:19 ET by mattmSo, the GOP candidates should go to PBS and debate on race issues?
Amazing how stations that
September 26, 2007 - 08:41 ET byAmazing how stations that are so in depth such as BBC and NPR are called by the Fox Pravda and its loyal brainwashed followers as propaganda!
This site is always great for a good laugh to get going in the morning!
Sad that so many in this country don't know any better and will never have any clue!
A free press is one of the first things to go in a totalitarian government. Montana Lyons
You see yourself so clearly
September 26, 2007 - 08:48 ET by general companySad that so many in this country don't know any better and will never have any clue!
Aint that the truth.
In deep and out of touch...
September 26, 2007 - 08:51 ET by Karma...would be my description of BBC and NPR. I thought Pravda was a communist read more in line with BBC and NPR? Fox has gone to the left?
A free press is one of the first things to go in a Montana Lyons government.
NPR is just towing the DNC
September 26, 2007 - 08:46 ET by general companyNPR is just towing the DNC line, by doing everything possable to embarrass the President and his Admin. Nothing more, nothing less. Now they are spinning it to try and further embarrass them. Their game is both childish and boring. These people simply do not want the President on (their) air waves, regardless of who does the interview
Somehow, I see this as
September 26, 2007 - 08:53 ET by drillanwrSomehow, I see this as lefty desperation.
If Chavez, Castro, Kim Il, or that monkey's-arse A-jad would say, Sure, I'll give an interview to NPR, but this is who I want to interview me ... there would NOT be this sordid spectacle of un-professionalism.
Pull their funding.
September 26, 2007 - 09:08 ET by CrashThat's National PUBLIC Radio.
I am one cosevative who doesn't ask why it is perceived that we are loosing in Iraq or why we lost the Congress. We stay off offense when we need to be relentless.
Come on RINO's make some noise!!!!
<DELETED because of burp in
September 26, 2007 - 09:19 ET by drillanwr<DELETED because of burp in computer/internet posted on wrong thread>
drill,
September 26, 2007 - 09:25 ET by Dave RLOL-Sure it wasn't a burp in the operator?
Little early for that, wouldn't you say? :-)
When I'm president, privatization is off the table because it's not the answer to anything.-Hillary Rodham, September 3, 2007 AARP Legislative Conference.
But they'll bend
September 26, 2007 - 19:21 ET by GregEBut they'll bend over....forwards.......to get Bill Clinton. Yea I'm so glad my tax money, seized from me by force, is being re-distributed to that crap organization. What country do I live in that allows this seizure of my money? What planet am I on?
Not Entirely Correct...
September 26, 2007 - 20:07 ET by Howard_BealeWeiss noted that ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox have all had their anchors interview Bush...
Weiss is not entirely correct: Bush never sat down with Dan Rather
While it may be true that Bush never sat down with Rather, he did grant an exclusive interview to CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric last year.