Diane Rehm And A Bungled Interview With Senator Bernie Sanders

[rhett o rick]

Listeners are mad, and rightly so, about Diane Rehm's Wednesday interview with the Vermont senator, who is running for the Democratic nomination for president. (For the record, Rehm is employed by WAMU-FM, which produces her show; NPR distributes the show to stations across the country and it is clear from the mail I have received that listeners consider the program to be an NPR show.)

Charges immediately flew that Rehm was engaging in anti-Semitism; Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said Rehm's statements "play into classic anti-Semitic charges of dual loyalty." As Politifact documented, the lists have circulated for nearly a decade.

Rehm's apology later in the day contained the jaw-dropping admission that she got the erroneous information from "a comment on Facebook."

One of our listeners suggested by Facebook that I ask Senator Sanders about Internet speculation that he has dual citizenship with Israel. But instead of asking it as a question I stated it as fact and that was wrong. He does not have dual citizenship.

Senator Sanders immediately corrected me. I should have explained to him and to you why I thought this was a relevant question and something he might like to address. I do apologize to Senator Sanders and to you for having made an erroneous statement.

However I am glad to play a role in putting this rumor to rest.

More at: http://www.npr.org/sections/ombudsman/2015/06/12/413981429/diane-rehm-and-a-bungled-interview-with-senator-bernie-sanders

It's hard to judge her intent, but her approach was extremely bad journalism. And her apology was weak.

[angryvet]

1. The thing is

she didn't apologize. According to the recording I heard she just went on to justify asking the question. I don't listen to her...now I know I will never. Anyone who takes their "facts" from facebook is either an idiot or a moran.

[NCjack]

2. Her explanation of her mistake and her apology are acceptable to me. Unlike most in the

commentary business, she appears to me to be truly embarrassed.

[rhett o rick]

3. At best her interview question was extremely bad journalism. At worst it was anti-Semitic.

After she made the false statement (emphasize statement and not question) and he categorically denied it, she doubled down with one of the worse things a journalist can say. She read it on someone's list. Apparently she still didn't recognize her gross error and didn't apologize.

It wasn't until the shit hit the fan that she scrambled to give a very weak apology that included the ridiculous statement "However I am glad to play a role in putting this rumor to rest." A rumor that millions of Americans hadn't heard. They have now.

Let's look at it this way. "Senator Sanders, you beat your wife. I read it on FaceBook." After the denial. "I am proud to play a role in putting this rumor that I helped to promulgate, to rest."

Sorry if my bias is showing but I expect the Swiftboating of Sen Sanders to come soon and come hard.

[cali]

7. she said she should have phrased her accuation as a question. that is still wrong

Without evidence that a Jew, and particularly a Jewish politician is an Israeli citizen, it's still an antismitic canard of the well known dual loyalty type.

[djean111]

4. Oh, that interview was not bungled - it had the exact effect it was supposed to have. n/t

[rhett o rick]

5. Yes, either that or she has lost her facilties.

I like your signature a lot but suggest a small change, "Austerity will be inflicted on the 99% by the 1% until our wealth has sufficiently trickled UPWARDS......

[djean111]

6. Good point on the signature. Thanks! I will change it, unless I just go ahead and

put in an Eddie Izzard quote of some sort, because I think the US could now be pretty much like one of his most excellent routines.