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NPR Journalists Send Open Letter Stating They’re ‘Appalled’ By Sting Video Content

» 29 comments

The NPR sting video which led to the departure of CEO Vivian Schiller as well as the resignation of the man in the video, former executive Ron Schiller. It has also, according to 22 journalists from NPR News, “done real damage” to the entire organization. In an open letter, they write that they were “appalled” by Ron Schiller’s comments caught on tape.

Here is the full text of the letter:

“An Open Letter from Journalists at NPR News…..

Dear Listeners and Supporters,

We, and our colleagues at NPR News, strive every day to bring you the highest quality news programs possible. So, like you, we were appalled by the offensive comments made recently by NPR’s now former Senior Vice President for Development. His words violated the basic principles by which we live and work: accuracy and open-mindedness, fairness and respect.

Those comments have done real damage to NPR. But we’re confident that the culture of professionalism we have built, and the journalistic values we have upheld for the past four decades, will prevail. We are determined to continue bringing you the daily journalism that you’ve come to expect and rely upon: fair, fact-based, in-depth reporting from at home and around the world.

With your support we have no doubt NPR will come out of this difficult period stronger than ever.

Thank you,

Robert Siegel

Michele Norris

Melissa Block

Renee Montagne

Scott Simon

Liane Hansen

Guy Raz

Michel Martin

Neal Conan

Susan Stamberg

Nina Totenberg

Linda Wertheimer

Daniel Zwerdling

John Ydstie

Richard Harris

Tom Gjelten

Howard Berkes

Mike Shuster

Laura Sullivan

Lynn Neary

Jacki Lyden

Mara Liasson”

(h/t Poynter)

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  • Judge Mental

    Can we assume that those who didn’t sign the letter are not appalled?

  • tatboy

    Nina Totenberg??? The Same Nina that wished AIDS on Helms’s grandkids… .THAT Nina Totenberg is ‘Appalled’???

  • Grammie

    I’m sure that Nina Totenberg was by far the very most appalled!!!!!!!!!

  • Grammie

    Turk put this link up at another thread:

    turk281 said:
    Haha. New NPR video is even more outrageous than the first.
    http://dailycaller.com/2011/03/10/new-video-npr-was-going-to-accept-muslim-education-action-center-donation-and-hide-it-from-the-government/

  • delta777

    “So, like you, we were appalled by the offensive comments made recently by NPR’s now former Senior Vice President for Development. His words violated the basic principles by which we live and work: accuracy and open-mindedness, fairness and respect.”

    What a crock. I’d bet good money your all Obama Abominates.

  • turk281

    Jon, you should put up a story on the 2nd NPR video.

    I find it more shocking that NPR’s upper management were willing to hide a Muslim Brotherhood front groups 5 million dollar donation from the Federal Government’s audits.

    I also find it funny that NPR’s bogus claim that they had refused the money is completely debunked.

  • TfT

    The hits against NPR just keep on coming. Too bad Mediaite can’t congratulate O’Keefe for his great journalist under cover work, instead they call him names….yawn.

    Nina adds her name to the list? too funny. Where is Cokie and her hubby on that list?

    Big time damage control..

    The new video is worse than the old video…..headline coming soon on Mediaite…..NPR DOOMED BY THEIR OWN UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR (well, that won’t be the headline, but it should be).

  • The Lantern of Truth

    They’re appalled Schiller got caught on video .

  • The Donger

    turk281 said:
    Jon, you should put up a story on the 2nd NPR video.

    I find it more shocking that NPR’s upper management were willing to hide a Muslim Brotherhood front groups 5 million dollar donation from the Federal Government’s audits.

    I also find it funny that NPR’s bogus claim that they had refused the money is completely debunked.

    I agree, the only reason it was refused is because it didn’t actually exist.

  • felixw

    These journalists are shocked — SHOCKED! — to find partisan bias at NPR.

    (Obviously they must never listen to programming on NPR…)

  • Sean68

    Appalled. LOL. This is the mentality that animated all of the mainstream media coverage of the tea party rallies.

  • OxyCon

    His words violated the basic principles by which we live and work: accuracy and open-mindedness, fairness and respect…well…except for that whole Juan Williams thing.

  • Liberty_Hound

    Apology not excepted!

  • david r

    What bullshit cultural elitists. Not one penny of tax money for them. Make Soros pick up the slack.

  • Davo

    tatboy said:
    Nina Totenberg??? The Same Nina that wished AIDS on Helms’s grandkids… .THAT Nina Totenberg is ‘Appalled’???

    There a LOT of names on that list who have never missed a chance to stab Americans with traditional American values in the back.

  • WHarropson

    Getting caught RED handed can be difficult as you well know, but with your support we can again tamp down the truth and therefore resume with public funds to produce the content you have all learned to expect of us here at NPR.

  • lonestar77

    “Dear Listeners & Supporters”….”So, like you, we were appalled by the offensive comments made recently by NPR’s now former Senior Vice President for Development.”

    Does NPR not know who their audience is? This letter will do more damage than the actual video tape did. Their supporters don’t want to hear an apology for anything other than getting caught.

  • Dem4Ever

    If NPR thinks we are buying their BS apology they are more delusional than Charley Sheen.

  • Alz

    They’re not really appalled because most (if not all) of the signers are liberals.

    As they are good liberals, they will now find a way to unshackle themselves from the thin foundation of morals and ethics that allowed them to feel being appalled. In other words, they will quickly see a “new normal” and many things exposed in the videos will be ingrained in their heads.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Joseph-Glackin/100000892011713 Joseph Glackin

    Davo said:
    There a LOT of names on that list who have never missed a chance to stab Americans with traditional American values in the back.

    Eh, Davo? Love those values ! like that guy who loved his country he just had to commit adultery. While his wife was being treated for cancer. While he was hounding a Pres. about a bj. While he was nailing anything that squatted to pee. Those are the GOP family values! Like Sen. Ensign! Like Sen. Vitter! Like Rev. Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggert!
    Excuse me while I go throw up.

  • eingriff

    Dissolve NPR and join Oprah’s network.

  • chicgoods10
  • Davo

    Joseph Glackin said:
    Eh, Davo? Love those values ! like that guy who loved his country he just had to commit adultery. While his wife was being treated for cancer. While he was hounding a Pres. about a bj. While he was nailing anything that squatted to pee. Those are the GOP family values! Like Sen. Ensign! Like Sen. Vitter! Like Rev. Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggert!
    Excuse me while I go throw up.

    You don’t have to shoot at Newt, Joseph, he isn’t a threat to your ‘messiah’s’ Presidency. Save your ammo for the next shadow you think you see moving, but keep spinning in a circle………………ya’ just never know where another Rep will pop up.

  • BatBoy

    Nice letter, but you people still don’t get it.

    We do not believe you anymore.

    You get no more $$ from us…the US Taxpayer.

    Do it on your own….produce what ever you think you can sell and your listeners will buy…see how well it works in the market place where you have to earn real your paycheck based on what you produce.

    Good luck!

  • Harry Flashman

    We used to love it when Mike Wallace and the 60 Minutes cameras would ambush someone and expose them to the public for something illegal, unethical, immoral, etc.

    Now, when this happens to the left, most of which is considered a sacred cow to anything or anyone that will tell the truth about them, we’re seeing the reporters villified. We saw it with the ACORN videos, too, and if it hadn’t been for the issue would have been ignored.

    The latest NPR video is “appalling”. A top NPR exec is telling those who posed as the Muslim Brotherhood that, hey, no problem, we’ll take your 5 mil and list it as an anonymous donation.

    My God.

    This should initiate a corruption investigation into that rotten organization. If they’ll lie about taking a major contribution from known terror supporters…what else have they lied about?

    That, dear reporters from NPR, is truly “appalling>”

  • Harry Flashman

    “If it hadn’t been for the INTERNET the issue would have been ignored.”

    Sorry, left out “internet”.

    And while we’re on the subject, once again I thank God for the new internet media. Without them the left would see us well and truly screwed.

  • http://bit.ly/bKGa13 dandmb50

    @dandmb50 – Nice try, I didn’t know what NPR was until all this started, and thought well, it’s government funded, but then you have commercials, sort of, “brought to you by Mecleellan Brothers, brought to you by Jackson-Watson Group etc,” hello, that’s commercials.
    We have the same problem here in Canada, with CBC, they get Millions $$ of handouts from taxpayers and then they actually run full length commercials too, it’s disgraceful but at least CBC isn’t a political arm of any group like NPR are flag waving Liberals. They even buy high priced US shows like Jeopardy and use our tax dollars to do it. You wanna do that, stop stealing the money from the taxpayers and run your own network.

    Daniel .. Toronto, CANADA
    http://bit.ly/Daniel2010

  • BOMBSHELL

    Daddy told me that because Nina Totenberg wished that Jesse Helms would get AIDS, he wished that Glenn Beck would, too. Sometimes my daddy is overzealous about Glenn Beck…I guess that’s most of the time.

    Will you buy me a kitten?

  • KhyberPass2

    What a waste of time and a ridiculous move, too. And NPR folks are supposed to be so intellectual and elite…..
    It’s so nice, btw, to hear that I’m an intellectual elite because I listen to NPR. And find them way more factual and reasonable than the rest of the guys and gals littering the airways with their lies and propaganda.

    But this bunch at NPR obviously doesn’t understand that no amount of apologizing or making nice will have any affect on the people they must be appealing to. The rightwingers don’t care. They are brainwashed to hate NPR. Period. Full stop. The rest of us know the folks who wrote this whiny mea culpa have nothing to apologize for, since Schiller was talking straight. Too bad they fold whenever the rightwingers get into a hissy fit…..
    Maybe one day they will learn. Bullies do not have to be placated…..and won’t be.

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