Ombudsman's Report: July 2003

Highlights

• 17,185 e-mails received since March 2003 related to public radio and NPR issues.
• Criticism of NPR's Middle East coverage continues to decline but remains constant among many listeners.
• NPR's coverage of the war in Iraq was the dominant issue.
• Anti-war listener complaints outnumbered pro-war listener complaints at a ratio of more than 3:1.
• Comments about NPR's political coverage increased 600 percent from the previous report in March 2003, from 31 to 192.
• Complaints about NPR's political bias have increased 100 percent, from 482 to 847. Most of these accuse NPR of a liberal bias.
• Dramatic increase in comments about the programs and the hosts. These are not necessarily complaints.
• Decline in concerns and complaints about underwriting/funding and pledge drives.
• A local underwriting issue (see below "Rutherford") evoked a strong write-in campaign.

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Jeffrey Dvorkin
Office of the Ombudsman
July 2, 2003

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