Letters: Interviewing Bush, and Rush Limbaugh

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MELISSA BLOCK, host:

On Thursdays, we read from your email.

ROBERT SIEGEL, host:

And we'll start with comments from the great number of listeners who wrote to complain about Juan Williams' interview with President Bush.

BLOCK: "I just turned off my radio."

SIEGEL: This comment is from Robin Tweary(ph) of Burlington, Vermont.

BLOCK: "You asked President Bush to respond to questions and then give him free reign to say whatever he wants, whether or not it actually answers the question, for as long as he wants to speak. It sounds more like a rehash of his speeches to friendly audiences than an interview."

SIEGEL: Paul Kirsch(ph) of Los Angeles said this. "I'm a daily listener of NPR and looked forward to Juan Williams's much hyped interview with President Bush. I admire Juan Williams' work and looked for an insightful, hard-hitting interview. Wow, was I disappointed."

Kirsch goes on to say, "While it did not need to be a hit piece, it did seem as if NPR and Juan Williams were so happy to have this time and interview with the president that it clouded Williams's ability to ask the tough questions."

BLOCK: "Juan Williams, NPR's best softball pitcher," scolds Thomas Herwitz(ph) of New York. He continues, "By now it is clear Williams gains his access to members of our government, including the president, by being one of the easiest interviewers on the air waves. Bush's advisers could be sure that he would ask questions with easy to spin answers. There would be no follow-up questions that might point out unpleasant contradictions with the facts."

SIEGEL: And Jack Nestor of Carrboro, North Carolina, writes that he was more than a little shocked by the interview when he touches on a comment that upset a number of other listeners. He writes, "At one point, Mr. Williams sputters, 'You know, people are praying for you. The American people want to be with you, Mr. President.'

"Such wheedling Pablum from a reporter with access to the president raises the question is this the type of public relations nonsense that passes for journalism at NPR these days?"

BLOCK: We have received more harsh words for another of our stories, this one about Rush Limbaugh, which was a part of our Crossing the Divide series. Ken Bauer(ph) for Longmont, Colorado, writes, "As an independent with conservative leanings, I value all honest points of view from liberal to conservatives. But the watchword here is honest. Mr. Limbaugh is not an honest commentator, but a provocateur, a propagandist and a performing clown. His real function is to rile them up. And in that he doesn't need your help."

SIEGEL: But Roger Powell(ph) of Pittsburgh writes, "Thank you for letting Rush Limbaugh speak for himself. In his own words, he said his real purpose is to attract the largest audience he can and hold it for as long as he can so he can charge confiscatory advertising rates. It's interesting that Mr. Limbaugh's followers will claim that they truly love America when in fact Mr. Limbaugh is willing to tear apart the country in order to make a buck."

BLOCK: Now there were some parts of the program that listeners actually enjoyed this past week, including this.

(Soundbite of song, "Beautiful Nebraska")

Unidentified Man: (Singing) Beautiful Nebraska, peaceful prairie land.

BLOCK: That's a modern rendition of Nebraska's 40-year-old state song. Some state legislators want to replace it.

SIEGEL: That version we're hearing was performed by the band Side Show. And we heard from the man who played drums in that band.

Paul Tisdale of Lincoln, Nebraska writes, "I was honored to hear our rendition of 'Beautiful Nebraska' on your show. It would certainly be a crime for our song to represent the state as a whole, but I am happy that it does not perpetuate the myth that all Nebraskans still ride horses on dirt roads. Thanks for your story. I prefer the original song."

BLOCK: If you have a preference you'd like to share, please write to us. Go to NPR.org and click on Contact Us at the top of the page.

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