Ombuds: NPR Practices 'Sluggish Journalism' By Not IDing Source as Activist

iMediaEthics publishes international media ethics news stories and investigations into journalism ethics lapses.

Menu

Home » Conflict of Interest»

(Credit: NPR , screenshot)

NPR’s ombudsman Edward Schumacher-Matos wrote that the broadcaster practiced “sluggish journalism” by not identifying a source’s advocacy group membership in two stories.

The reports, June 29’s “Business Owners Mixed on Health Care Ruling,” and July 8’s “Raising Minimum Wage: A Help or Harm?,” both quoted Joe Olivo.  Olivo owns a New Jersey printing company and is a member of small business advocacy group, the National Federation of Independent Business, but his NFIB role wasn’t disclosed to readers.

According to Schumacher-Matos, the accuracy and fairness of the reports featuring Olivo aren’t in question, but that the reporters failed to note Olivo’s position.

As MSNBC’s Maddow blog reported, Olivo is quoted in stories “pushing a political line from the National Federation of Independent Business, which favors a conservative political agenda.”  And, while Schumacher-Matos observed it’s tricky to determine “how Olivo should be identified,” he called for his relationship to NFIB to be disclosed in NPR reports, noting:

“This is a gray area that is a judgment call. Olivo is an active member and a favorite recommendation of the NFIB for interviews, but he is neither an official nor a spokesperson of the organization.”

Plus, Schumacher-Matos noted that Olivo “is quoted so often and has had such a public role that  he has ceased to be an ordinary small businessperson—at least in terms of public debate.”

Ultimately, Schumacher-Matos wrote:

“What we have here is not an ombudsman issue of ethics or standards, but a journalism school issue of good practices and competitive originality. Olivo shouldn’t have been interviewed at all.”

The reporter for one of the two articles, Yuki Noguchi, “declined to be interviewed” by Schumacher-Matos; Guy Raz, the host of the NPR program that aired the second report, said it was “human error” to interview the same source and that “had we known, we would have searched for another small-businessman.”  Schumacher-Matos published Raz’s “full letter” in response to Schumacher-Matos’ inquiry here.

Raz added:

“I believe we made a mistake in including his voice in this piece — not because of his affiliation with NFIB, but because we always work to offer up voices we hope our listeners will not find elsewhere.”

Moving forward, Schumacher-Matos called for journalists to “search harder for new and diverse voices.”

We’ve written to the NFIB for comment and will update with any response.

Hat Tip: Media Matters

Submit a tip / Report a problem

Ombuds: NPR Practices ‘Sluggish Journalism’ By Not IDing Source as Activist

Share this article:

คาสิโน
สล็อต
sa gaming
tkb365
https://tkb399.com/login
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
ทำความรู้จักกับ
PG
สล็อต
tkb138
sa gaming
https://www.hotelplayagolf.com/es/instalaciones/piscinas
tkb365
บาคาร่า
สล็อตเว็บตรง
บาคาร่า
ทดลองเล่นสล็อตฟรี
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต pg
สล็อตเว็บตรง
สล็อตเว็บตรง
tkb138
ซุปเปอร์สล็อต
tkb138
tkb365
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
changbet789
สูตรสล็อต pg ทดลองเล่นฟรี
สล็อต ดาวน์โหลด รับเครดิตฟรี
สล็อต
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
tkb138
https://www.hotelalbora.com/
https://tkb108.co/register
tkb696
สล็อตเว็บตรง
changbet789
สล็อตทดลอง
pg
betflix
pg slot
สล็อต
pg slot
สล็อตเว็บจริง100%
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
sbobet
บาคาร่า
tkb138
https://titanium-hotel.com/
สล็อต
tkb138
taokaebet
tkb777
อันดับแรก
คาสิโน
changbet789
แจกเครดิตฟรี 100%
ทดลองเล่นสล็อตทุกค่ายฟรี
สล็อต
changbet789
tkb365
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
changbet789
finfinbet
คาสิโน
changbet789
tkb108
tkbneko
สล็อตเว็บตรง
สล็อต
สล็อต
สล็อต
https://www.gday96.com/
สล็อต888
สล็อต
PG
บาคาร่าเว็บตรง
changbet789
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต pg
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
ทดลองเล่นสล็อตฟรี
tkb365
tkb365
tkb365
tkb555
tkb555
tkb555
tkb555
tkb555
tkb555
tkb555
tkbking
tkbking
tkbking
tkbking
tkbking
tkbking
thb889
thb889
thb889
thb889
thb889
thb889
thb889
tkb4
tkb4
tkb4
tkb4
tkb4
tkb4
tkb4
tkb9
tkb9
tkb9
tkb9
tkb9
tkb9
tkb9
tkb33
tkb33
tkb33
tkb33
tkb33
tkb33
tkb33
finfinbet
finfinbet
finfinbet
finfinbet
finfinbet
finfinbet
finfinbet
TKB96
tkb96
tkb96
tkb96
tkb96
tkb96
tkb96
tkbfun
tkbfun
tkbfun
tkbfun
tkbfun
tkbfun
tkbfun
tkbpg
tkbpg
tkbpg
tkbpg
tkbpg
tkbpg
tkbpg
tkbpussy
tkbpussy
tkbpussy
tkbpussy
tkbpussy
tkbpussy
tkbpussy
tkbrich
tkbrich
tkbrich
tkbrich
tkbrich
tkbrich
tkbrich
tkbsexy
tkbsexy
tkbsexy
tkbsexy
tkbsexy
tkbsexy
tkb777
tkb777
tkb777
tkb777
tkb777
tkb777
tkb777
taokaebet
taokaebet
taokaebet
taokaebet
taokaebet
taokaebet
taokaebet
tkbsexy
tkbrich
tkbpussy
tkbpg
tkbfun
tkb96
tkb33
tkb9
tkb4
thb889
tkbking
tkb555
tkb365
changbet789
บาคาร่า
คาสิโนออนไลน์
sa gaming
คาสิโนออนไลน์สด
สล็อต
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต pg ซื้อฟรีสปิน
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
บาคาร่า
สล็อต เว็บตรงไม่ผ่านเอเย่นต์ไม่มีขั้นต่ำ
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
สล็อต
สล็อต
บาคาร่า
สล็อต
สล็อต
สล็อต
คาสิโน