[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 19 (Thursday, February 28, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       UNETHICAL REPORTING BY NPR

  (Mr. TIAHRT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, today the Corporation for Public 
Broadcasting will testify before the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and 
Human Services and Education of the Committee on Appropriations. The 
Corporation for Public Broadcasting oversees National Public Radio. As 
we review National Public Radio's budget, I must express my outrage at 
their unethical report on the anthrax mailings.
  On January 22, NPR broadcast a story linking the Traditional Values 
Coalition to the anthrax mailings here on Capitol Hill. There are no 
facts and no sources to support this charge of the NPR broadcast. 
Though they have since issued a correction of the story, there was no 
apology. I am very concerned that their previously liberal bias has 
transformed into an all-out attack on conservative and Christian 
organizations. Four people died from the anthrax mailings, and it is 
very serious to accuse people of that crime without any supporting 
facts.
  Andrea Lafferty and Reverend Shelton of the Tradition Values 
Coalition are good friends and loving people. It is shocking that 
anybody could consider them capable of such a horrific act. NPR 
receives Federal funds, and therefore we in Congress have a 
responsibility to make sure that our constituents' taxpayer dollars are 
not misused for such malicious and unethical reporting.

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