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E-mails about Bob Edwards: 27,000 and Rising
April 6, 2004
By Jeffrey A. Dvorkin
Ombudsman
National Public Radio
The e-mails about Bob Edwards and his imminent departure from Morning Edition on April 30 remain the most e-mailed complaint I have ever received.
At last count -- more than 8,000 e-mails to my mailbox. NPR is trying to respond to upwards of 27,000. Almost all plead with NPR to reconsider this decision.
A few listeners admit that they would still listen to a post-Bob Morning Edition and say they trust NPR to make the right choice. Most do not.
Too Much Change in an Uncertain Time?
Interestingly, some listeners note that under other circumstances, they wouldn't mind the change. But they say that these times are so uncertain that removing Bob is just one more thing to raise their personal anxiety level. With so much to deal with -- terrorism, war in Iraq, the economy and the coming election -- Bob's departure takes on a unique cultural significance that seems to exacerbate rather than reassure.
Joan Kroc, Wal-Mart and Bob Edwards
Some listeners have linked Bob's reassignment with what they perceive to be a changing set of values at NPR. They cite the large donation from the late Joan Kroc. Others worry that the underwriting messages on NPR -- specifically from Wal-Mart -- are moving NPR away from its original public service mission:
My wife and I had a moment to read the official word on Bob's Edward's upcoming departure from Morning Edition and your comments on NPR's Web site this morning. We think the change by management of Bob's involvement with Morning Edition and the ads we heard for Wal-Mart last week on NPR were a low moment in the over 20 years we have listened and paid for NPR. While I doubt we will consider stopping payments or listening to NPR we may also never feel the same re: NPR management and what we thought were core values at NPR. We realize that you have many more people than ourselves to satisfy, but it's hard not to think the majority of NPR listeners wouldn't feel the same as we do re: last week's decisions. How many letters will it take for NPR management to decide they have made a poor choice in regards to Bob Edwards, and have the fortitude to admit and reverse their error?
Jack Lee
Sue Forker
Nothing about Bob on NPR
For NPR listeners, it is one of the most significant cultural stories in the country. Yet not a word about it on NPR, according to listener Douglas Raybeck:
There has actually been surprisingly little mention of Bob
Edwards' departure on NPR. It has been... endured but not
marked. I first encountered the news in my local paper, and I log
4-5 hours of NPR/day. Don't tell me you lack pride in this decision?
News: What Everyone Is Talking About
Bob Edwards' departure was front-page news on a lot of newspapers. Editorials were written and letters-to-the editor were published. Only NPR's On The Media has reported this story. The story has gone noticeably unreported on NPR's newsmagazines. The closest NPR has come are the messages from NPR management on the NPR Web site. This is in my opinion, an important story and a mistake for NPR not to report it.
Some inside NPR say we should not report on ourselves. The assumption is that any report would be seen as special pleading and would be inherently biased. I think this is wrong-headed because it invariably leads one to ask, "What other stories does NPR think it cannot or should not do?"
NPR, like other media organizations occasionally IS the news. The BBC was capable of some tough reporting on itself through the Hutton Inquiry. ABC has not done as good a job as it should have in reporting the financial problems with its parent company, Disney.
Which is the model worth emulating -- BBC or ABC?
The Role of the Ombudsman
A number of listeners wrote to call me to task for last week's column -- "An Open Letter to Bob Edwards."
"Just more corporate flak and spin," said one. Others wished that I would take a public position in support of Bob. A listener hoped that Bob would punch me in the teeth (he hasn't).
I'm not on one side or the other on this. From my perspective, I do see advantages and disadvantages to reassigning Bob.
I disagree with those listeners who feel I should be more of an advocate for Bob. As I have said before, my role cannot be to support listeners on each topic about which they feel deeply, even one as close to home as this. I can make sure that NPR is aware of the depth of feeling around the issues.
It's worth restating the role of the ombudsman.
It is to report on the range of listener opinion and complaints and to act as an advocate for better journalism by pointing out when NPR programming and journalism goes off the rails, in my opinion.
When it comes to Bob Edwards and Morning Edition, it is something I hope will be resolved for the benefit of all between Bob and NPR with a lot of listener, NPR staff and station input. That is how it should work at NPR.
Not Listening?
This week Jay Kernis addressed many of those concerns in an NPR online chat. The transcript of the questions from listeners and Jay's answers are available at:
http://www.npr.org/about/morningeditionchanges/transcript.html.
Listeners who wrote in -- post-chat -- said that many of the answers seemed to avoid the issue. They felt it was couched in "corporate-speak" that did a disservice to NPR.
The emotions on this topic are powerful and deep and many listeners say that NPR is just not listening to them.
Listeners can contact me at 202-513-3245 or at ombudsman@npr.org.
Jeffrey Dvorkin
NPR Ombudsman
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