ProPublica, Journalism in the Public Interest

Breaking on the Web: June 30, P.M. Edition

• Ground Zero Rebuilding Faces Big Setback - Alex Frangos, The Wall Street Journal
• Bush’s Top General Quashed Torture Dissent - Mark Benjamin, Salon
• Scope of DoJ’s Price-Fixing Air Cargo Probe Expands - Adrian Schofield, Aviation Daily
• GOP Reps Call For Mortgage Probe – But Keep Their Countrywide Donations - Jennifer Yachnin, Roll Call
• GAO Report: U.S.-Trained Peacekeepers Not Vetted for Human Rights Violations - Marcus Baram, ABC News
• Panel: Calif.’s Death Penalty Process is ‘Dysfunctional’ - Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times
• Calif. Hospitals Disclose Serious Patient Errors - Jordan Rau, Los Angeles Times
• Increasing Use of CT Scanners Raises Concerns - Alex Berenson and Reed Abelson, The New York Times
• FDA: Flaws in Medical Coding Can Kill - Jonathan D. Rockoff, The Baltimore Sun
• Lawmakers Seek Probe of Possible Retaliation against FBI Whistleblower - Jerry Seper, The Washington Times
• Subprime Credit Cards Come Under Greater Scrutiny - Tony Pugh, McClatchy
• Study: Subprime Loans Target Minority Neighborhoods - Washington Post
• ACLU Sues Denver for DNC Security Details - Democracy Now!
• Political Maneuvers Delay Bill After Bill in Senate - Lori Montgomery and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, Washington Post
• ‘Diploma Mills’ Often Evade Federal Oversight - Diana Jean Schemo, The New York Times
• Some Doctors Feel Forced into Generics by Insurance Companies - Ray Finger, The Star-Gazette (June 15)

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BBG Responds to ProPublica’s Alhurra Investigation—And We Have Some Questions for Them

July 22: This post has been corrected.

Broadcasting Board of Governors member Joaquin Blaya has responded to ProPublica's Alhurra investigation.

We're pleased that Joaquin Blaya, the member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors who principally oversees Alhurra, has now joined the discussion about the network.

Since Mr. Blaya is now willing to answer questions, here are some for which we are still seeking answers:

• How can you reconcile your congressional testimony of May 16, 2007 on the report from the Holocaust deniers conference, quoted here:

  Congressman Pence: "Am I clear to understand that the people directly involved as producers and reporters in these two incidents, and I refer specifically to the Holocaust conference reporting and then the decision to broadcast the unedited speech by the Hezbollah leader; those individuals are no longer in the employ of the network?"
  
  Mr. Blaya: "That is correct."

  and here:

  Congressman Ackerman: "How did it work?"
  
  Mr. Blaya: "Reporter, producer, and on the air."
  
  Congressman Ackerman: "Who are these—I do not mean the specific——"
  
  Mr. Blaya: "First of all, they are no longer there, the people that made these egregious mistakes are no longer there."

  with the fact that the reporter in question remained an employee of Radio Sawa, Alhurra’s sister radio station, which you also oversee? Did you know, at the time of your testimony, that the reporter remained at Sawa?
• Your letter makes reference to Alhurra transcripts in English. We understand you do not speak Arabic. How do you personally keep track of Alhurra’s content? Do you read these or other transcripts? How many and how often?
• How frequently do you visit Alhurra’s studios in Virginia? When were you there most recently before our story was broadcast?
• What is your reaction to the March 24, 2008 Sawa broadcast of an anonymous militant’s call for the death of more U.S. troops?
• Your letter compares Alhurra’s viewership with non-Arab broadcasters and you say that Alhurra was not created, in the words of our story, to “counter a wave of global criticism that had been building against the Bush Administration.” Your colleague, Governor Jeffrey Hirschberg, testified that “Alhurra was created as an alternative to existing Arab-speaking media, which had in common a number of things, including hate-speak, disinformation, incitement to violence, government censorship and journalistic self-censorship.” Do you share his view?

Read Joaquin Blaya's full response and his testimony before Congress.

Correction: This post originally stated that Alhurra had not received a "clean" financial audit. It has received such audits.

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Breaking on the Web: June 30, Second A.M. Edition

• White House Blocks EPA Emissions Draft - Ian Talley and Siobhan Hughes, The Wall Street Journal
• Deal to Save Everglades Raises Concerns - Curtis Morgan and Scott Hiaasen, Miami Herald
• Security Checks on Washington Ferries Roil Islanders - Stuart Glascock, Los Angeles Times
• Immigration Raids Often Spare Employers - Stewart M. Powell, Houston Chronicle
• Bill to Settle With Black Farmers Falls Short By Billions - AP
• Food Safety Inspectors Struggle with Swelling Volume of Imports - Laurence Illif and Alfredo Corchado, Dallas Morning News
• U.S. ‘Mentored’ Iraqi Ministry on Oil Deals - Andrew E. Kramer, The New York Times
• Anti-AQ Program in Iraq Sputtering - Hamza Hendawi, AP
• Drug Makers: FDA Safety Focus Slows New-Medicine Pipeline - Avery Johnson and Ron Winslow, The Wall Street Journal
• Cindy McCain Pays Back Taxes on San Diego Condo - Newsweek
• Law School Pays The Price For Protesting ‘Don’t Ask’ Policy - Katie Zezima, The New York Times

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Breaking on the Web: June 30, A.M. Edition

• Pentagon Fights EPA on Pollution Cleanup - Lyndsey Layton, Washington Post
• Analysts: Housing Bill May Help Only a Fraction of Those in Need - Vikas Bajaj, The New York Times
• Policy Disputes Stymie Anti-Terrorism Efforts in Pakistan - Mark Mazzetti and David Rohde, The New York Times
• Bush Admin. Steps Up Secret Moves Against Iran - Seymour M. Hersh, The New Yorker
• Iraq’s Anticorruption Efforts Hit Roadblocks - Gina Chon, The Wall Street Journal
• Leaks, Focus on Single Suspect Undercut FBI Anthrax Probe - David Willman, Los Angeles Times
• Some Mennonites, Amish Who Shun Insurance Rack Up Big Hospital Bills - Geeta Anand, The Wall Street Journal
• Army Report: 2003 Occupation Plan for Iraq Flawed - Michael R. Gordon, The New York Times
• Inside The Collapse of Bear Stearns - Bryan Burrough, Vanity Fair
• Prosecutors Held Back on Obama References in Chicago Corruption Trial - Natasha Korecki, Chicago Sun-Times

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