ACTION ALERT FROM FAIR: NPR's "Extremists"

[Douglas Carpenter]

ACTION ALERT FROM FAIR

FAIR-L
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and activism

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2668

ACTION ALERT:
NPR's "Extremists"
Do only "extremist groups" connect war and terror?

September 21, 2005

In a story about a U.N. Security Council resolution on terrorism and
incitement (Morning Edition, 9/14/05), NPR reporter Cory Flintoff
attributed to "extremist groups" the view that there was a link between the July 7 subway bombings in London and Britain's participation in the Iraq War.

In his report Flintoff noted, "Some extremist groups say those bombings were a response to the U.S. and British military presence in Iraq." He added that British Prime Minister Tony Blair "regarded that reasoning as obscene."

Flintoff's framing of the issue suggested that only terrorists or their sympathizers perceived such a connection--but in fact the belief in a link between the bombings and Britain's participation in the war was widely held. Indeed, the British government's own Joint Terrorist Analysis Center released a report in mid-June noting: "Events in Iraq are continuing to act as motivation and a focus of a range of terrorist related activity in the U.K." (New York Times, 7/19/05).

The New York Times also reported that this view was shared by other
respected institutions:

"On Monday, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, an influential private research organization commonly known as Chatham House, concluded that Britain's participation in the war in Iraq and as 'pillion passenger' of American foreign policy had made it vulnerable to terrorist attack. A pillion is the second seat on a motorcycle."

In fact, if there is a marginal position in the debate, it's the one
held by Blair. A poll by the Guardian newspaper found (7/19/05):
"Two-thirds of Britons believe there is a link between Tony Blair's decision to invade Iraq and the London bombings despite government claims to the contrary.... According to the poll, 33 percent of Britons think the prime minister bears 'a lot' of responsibility for the London bombings and a further 31 percent 'a little.' Only 28 percent of voters agree with the government that Iraq and the London bombings are not connected."

In the U.S., as well, a majority of the public sees a link. When asked "Do you think the terrorists attacked London today mostly because Great Britain supports the United States in the war in Iraq?" 56 percent of Americans agreed (CNN/Gallup, 7/7/05). Fifty-four percent said "the war with Iraq has made the U.S....less safe from terrorism."


ACTION:
Ask NPR's ombudsman if he thinks only an "extremist" could acknowledge a connection between acts of terrorism and foreign policy. Encourage NPR to air a clarification of Flintoff's remarks.

CONTACT:
National Public Radio
Jeffrey Dvorkin, Ombudsman
Phone: [phone]
mailto:[e-mail]

Or use NPR's online form:

http://www.npr.org/templates/contact/index.php?personId=2781801&columnId=2781901

Listen to the NPR report:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4848390

[glitch]

1. Poor NPR (and PBS) - such a squandering of a valuable resource.

So what else is bush. W = WASTE