"He said/she said" allegations are proving to be enormously frustrating for many NPR listeners when it comes to the claims and counter-claims around Sen. John Kerry.
Most of NPR's reporting on this story is to repeat what others (notably print journalists) have found: that Kerry's claims about his wartime experiences are solidly based on the records of the Defense Department and by the predominant recollections of the majority of the veterans who were there.
Even so, some listeners say that they still have doubts and that NPR should do more on this story to investigate Kerry's bona fides.
Most listeners who have written on this subject say that the anti-Kerry forces are dubious at best and politically motivated by conservative money at worst.
When Being Even-Handed Is Poor Journalism
By far, the largest number of e-mails castigate NPR for reporting this story in an even-handed way. Listener Linda Englehard speaks for many others:
I think if I hear one more story debating the fine details of John Kerry's war service, I might just decide to throw myself in a river. How can the media fall for this bait and obsess about something that happened decades ago instead of focusing on a failed health care system, a burgeoning national debt, and the fact that the U.S. is now viewed as an invasion threat by other countries? How disappointing that professional journalists are willingly rolling in the mud.
And from listener Maureen O'Leary:
All Things Considered does its listeners a great disservice by not challenging George Bush's attempts to equate all 527's [political action groups, named for the section of the U.S. tax code that gives them tax-exempt status]. Comparing MoveOn.org and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth is like comparing apples and rotten apples. MoveOn.org has brought to public prominence many issues that were not covered by the press (such as NPR). Swift Boat Veterans are promoting lies and distracting the American people from the disaster of Bush's policies on Iraq, the economy and the environment. Look at the facts -- there are no parallels.
NPR's Ron Elving (senior Washington editor) agrees that this story is one where it is hard to be definitive:
"We have tried to reflect the best research that has been done and we have reported that. There is no way that journalism can satisfy those who think that Kerry is a liar or that (the anti-Kerry group) Swift Boat Veterans For Truth are liars."
NPR reporting has come close to endorsing the Kerry view. As early as June, NPR's Peter Overby reported that the money for the Swift Boat Veterans campaign had come from three conservative Texans: John O'Neill, Harlan Crow and Bob J. Perry. Overby reported that all three have longtime connections to the Bushes –-- both père et fils, as well as to President Bush's political advisor, Karl Rove.
'Dancing the Innuendo'
Other reports from senior correspondent Juan Williams and commentator Cokie Roberts stressed that no matter how spurious or politically motivated, the damage to Kerry's credibility as a war hero was starting to show up in the polls.
"These are the facts," says Elving, "as best as we can determine. But talk radio and the cable TV shows have been dining off this story and making more of it than it deserves, especially in August when the news is slow and the campaign hasn't even officially started."
I agree with Elving. At the same time, the media in general and NPR in particular should be aware that they are particularly vulnerable to manipulation. Journalists pride themselves on being even-handed. That value allows the more unscrupulous political operatives to drive their messages right into the lead stories and onto the front pages, knowing full well that false impressions may be more lasting than thoughtful dissections and analyses.
'Charge First. Proof Later'
A recent editorial in the Los Angeles Times points out that U.S. electoral politics have a history of media manipulation:
Bring a charge, however bogus. Make the charge simple: Dukakis "vetoed the Pledge of Allegiance"; Bill Clinton "raised taxes 128 times;" "there are [pick a number] communists in the State Department." But make sure the supporting details are complicated and blurry enough to prevent easy refutation. (See story link in Web Resources, below.)
Joe Strupp, writing in the trade magazine Editor & Publisher raises the same issue:
"Editors," he says, "face a dilemma of how to report on the attacks against the Democratic nominee without giving them undue credibility or blowing the issue out of proportion." (See Web Resources.)
NPR recently stepped into that particular trap when Vietnam veteran Gene Hall said in a report on Morning Edition on Aug. 19: "I can't get the picture out of my mind, him (Kerry) and Jane Fonda. I can't."
The next day, Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep read the following correction:
Well, listeners like Eric Malone of Grass Valley, Calif., point out that the photo Mr. Hall speaks of is a fake. It was shown to be a superimposed image of John Kerry sitting next to Jane Fonda at a protest rally. There is, however, a legitimate photo that shows Kerry and Fonda in the audience at a 1970 protest rally, though they are seated several rows apart.
Thanks to Malone and the many others who pointed this out. NPR journalists need to make sure their "innuendo detectors" are on high alert in the months ahead.
Listeners can contact me at 202-513-3245 or at ombudsman@npr.org.
Jeffrey Dvorkin
NPR Ombudsman
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
