Letter: NPR official disputes 'blacklisting' column

For the record, the incident he refers to was an error on the part of the producer of our program, "Talk of the Nation." She misspoke herself to a lobby group and now understands that she was in error.

The guest in question, Steven Emerson, did appear on "Talk of the Nation." He has never been "banned" from NPR and never will be. Emerson is one of many commentators available to NPR on events involving his area of expertise (terrorism and counterterrorism). No doubt, there will be other opportunities for him to appear again.

National Public Radio makes choices based on the journalistic requirements of the story -- not because of pressure from lobby groups. The needs of our listeners and our editorial integrity and independence are our most important concerns.

NPR has a reputation for fair and balanced journalism. We intend to keep it.

Jeffrey Dvorkin, Vice President -- News & Information, National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.

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