[Newspoetry] NPR and Kuwait

[Peter Miller]

You're right, it's neither an apology nor a retraction.  I think I heard the Kuwait announcement yesterday.

And, incidentally, NPR disconnected the phone line for their ombudsperson.  When NPR created the ombuds position, they advertised the office's phone number on-air, so I wrote it down.  I tried using it for the Kuwait incident, but the line wasn't functioning.

If we want public broadcasting that we *can* trust, I think we'll need to work for it.  The Center for Independent Public Broadcasting is taking steps in that direction:  http://www.cipbonline.org/

-Peter

At 2/16/01 11:45 AM -0600, you wrote:
>I went to NPR's website and discovered that lots of people are
>complaining about the Kuwait endorsement.  The ombudsman at NPR has
>admitted that NPR made an "error" in accepting that endorsement, but
>AFAIK this does not constitute an official apology from the
>organization.
>
>See http://www.npr.org/inside/ombudsman/010215.html
>
>Pls send any newspoetry about this to ombudsman at npr.org; cc
>newspoetry at lists.groogroo.com
>
>On Fri, Feb 16, 2001 at 11:13:04AM -0600, Peter Miller wrote:
>> I noticed that, too.  I was outraged, but I decided not to pursue it.  
>> 
>> Anyway, here's a snippet of what the US State Department said about Kuwait in 1997:
>> 
>> The Government's human rights record improved somewhat, although serious problems remain in certain areas. Citizens cannot change their head of state. Police abuse detainees during interrogation. The Government bans formal political parties and women do not have the right to vote or seek election to the National Assembly. The Government restricts freedom of assembly and association, and places some limits on freedom of religion. Journalists practice self-censorship, and the Government uses informal censorship. The Government prevents the return to Kuwait of stateless persons who have strong ties to the country. Deportation orders may be issued by administrative order, and hundreds of people are being held in detention facilities pending deportation. Many have been held for up to 6 years. Discrimination and violence against women are problems. Domestic servants are not protected by labor law, and unskilled foreign workers suffer from a lack of a minimum wage in the private sector, and from failures to enforce labor law. 
>> 
>> http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1997_hrp_report/kuwait.html
>> 
>> Now that sounds like our kind of emirate.
>> 
>> www.thankYOUkuwait.us
>> 
>> Maybe someone should call Dan Simeone (or the station manager of your local NPR station) and inquire about the appropriateness of such an endorsement from NPR.  333-0850.
>> 
>> -Peter
>> 
>> At 2/16/01 09:35 AM -0600, Joe Futrelle wrote:
>> >re NPR: I don't know how many people heard this, but I noticed that
>> >NPR news is being underwritten by the state of Kuwait now as part of
>> >their "thank you USA" campaign or something like that, I shit you not.
>> >There's some sort of poem in that, I'm sure ...
>> 
>> 
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>Newspoetry dot calm
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