NPR's
fielding a mountain of don't-force-her-off-Fox News support for Mara Liasson. NPR's omsbudsman reports
by 11:30 this morning, we had 142 emails, with the majority supporting her right to appear on Fox. Liasson, who joined NPR in 1985 and now is a national correspondent, began appearing on Fox as a "political contributor" in 1997.
The tempest in a teapot started last weekend when Politico ran a leaked story on how NPR brass "suggested" Fox News contributor Liasson stop contributing. As The Story Goes Mara was ordered to watch Fox for a month to see if the network was getting more "partisan." NPR denies White House thugs pressured the liberal radio network. I suspect it was the WH and the leak to Politico originated there...
NPR can't let it go without a snark:
It appears ironic that some folks are coming to Liasson's rescue and defending her right to appear on Fox when I have hundreds of previous emails suggesting she shouldn't. But really this is yet another indication of how polarizing Fox News can be. Fox remains a controversial topic for NPR listeners, and thus is one that NPR executives and reporters need to handle carefully -- which it appears they have done in this case.
In the PR Wars, it's Fox 2 (Mara & Juan Williams), NPR zip.
If Mara Liasson and Juan Williams were not on Fox News would they be known outside of NPR?
ReplyDeleteOne could suggest that by their appearances on Fox, the views of NPR get exposed to an audience that never listens to NPR.
Both NPR and Public TV should find their own private financing or go out of operation.
Nobody would know who they are, KJ.
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