[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 19 (Thursday, February 28, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H635]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               DEFENDING THE TRADITIONAL VALUES COALITION

  (Mr. DeLAY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, last month we saw a clear example of 
irresponsible journalism. In January, National Public Radio aired a 
story that inappropriately linked the Traditional Values Coalition to 
the anthrax terror attacks against the Senate, but the NPR story did 
not present any credible evidence to support the awful association they 
suggested.
  NPR's conduct is outrageous and ignores their basic responsibilities 
as journalists: presenting the facts to the public accurately and 
without bias. There was no legitimate justification for including TVC 
in the story describing the anthrax investigation. The only plausible 
explanation is an attempt by NPR to practice guilt by association.
  I have worked with the Traditional Values Coalition for many years. 
They are a principled, compassionate, Christian organization which 
speaks for 43,000 member churches from across the United States. The 
Traditional Values Coalition is dedicated to defending the sanctity of 
life and upholding the dignity of every individual.
  NPR needs to hold itself to far higher standards. By inserting a 
group without any possible connection to the anthrax attack into its 
report, NPR raised serious questions about their presentation of the 
news. NPR should be cautious about the damage that can be done to a 
group's reputation by similar association.
  The public should expect responsible reporting from NPR, and they 
ought to demand it of themselves.

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