Last week, NPR invited me to do an interview with On The Media co-host Brooke Gladstone, for what was supposed to be a five-minute segment. Brooke and I ended up sparring for thirty minutes in a spirited debate, which I think we both enjoyed. NPR had to cut it down to five minutes, and I believe they did a good job in capturing the essence of both perspectives:

Granted, a lot of the conversation from both of us got cut out. The only point I wish they would have left in the mix, but which took too long for the segment length, was my specific objection to using a single source for such explosive stories without even asking their clients in Iraq to confirm them. The burning mosque story only had the one source, Jamil Hussein, and the AP's other clients in Iraq never heard anything about this story. I also pointed out that the AP broke its own rules by not noting the use of a pseudonym for their source, and that the use of single-sourced material in a war zone is an open invitation to manipulation by propagandists.

All things considered (heh), NPR and Brooke did an excellent job in editing the conversation. I hope you enjoy it.

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NPR Interview On Media CredibilityEd Morrissey Last week, NPR invited me to do an interview with On The Media co-host Brooke Gladstone, for what was supposed to be a five-minute segment. Brooke and I ended up sparring for thirty minutes [Read More]

Tracked on January 15, 2007 1:44 PM