|
|
June 14, 2002/Tamuz 4 5762, Vol. 54, No. 39
NPR reaching out to Jews, Arabs
SHARON SAMBER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - National Public Radio has mounted a public relations campaign among Jews and Arabs in an effort to avoid being known as National Protest Radio.
At the same moment that the president of NPR was addressing Jewish newspaper editors in Chicago about coverage of the Middle East, the ombudsman for NPR was talking about the very same thing to an Arab group in Washington.
The speeches June 7 were part of an outreach effort by the nonprofit radio organization to convince its listeners that its reporting of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis is both fair and unbiased.
NPR, along with other major media outlets, has been accused by both Jewish and Arab audiences of unfair coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The outreach comes after Jews boycotted some major newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post because of a perceived anti-Israel bias.
Arabs have complained bitterly as well, citing what they see as a pro-Israel slant to many stories in the Times and Post, among other media.
Kevin Klose, president and CEO of NPR, acknowledged the complaints against his organization.
"We're not immune to that," he said in a telephone interview. "We pay a great deal of attention to criticism."
Last month, the NPR Web site started posting full transcripts of its reports from the Middle East so people could see the full text, officials said.
|
