Two More Public Radio Stations Drop The New York Times' 'The Daily' While Host Michael Barbaro Apologizes For 'Caliphate' Response

More Post-'Caliphate' Fallout

Two more public radio stations have dropped THE NEW YORK TIMES' "THE DAILY" in the wake of the controversy over the show and host MICHAEL BARBARO's handling of the reporting errors that marred the TIMES' podcast "CALIPHATE" (NET NEWS 1/13).

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS News-Talk KUT/AUSTIN said that its decision to drop the show was prompted by BARBARO's contacting other journalists, allegedly to try and influence their reporting of the "CALIPHATE" issues, and his failure to disclose that his fiancee (LISA TOBIN) was Executive Producer of "CALIPHATE." KUT, the station said in a statement issued late last week, "remains concerned about the lapses in judgment that occurred."

Another TEXAS public radio operation, MARFA PUBLIC RADIO, likewise dropped "THE DAILY" in favor of moving "MARKETPLACE" to 6p (CT) and adding a half hour of BBC news at 6:30p. The move, according to a statement from Exec, Dir. ELISE PEPPLE, followed concerns about THE TIMES' handling of the "CALIPHATE" reporting and the paper's acknowledgement that it failed to hold the podcast to the same standards it uses for its print journalism. "In order to maintain our journalistic standards," PEPPLE concluded, the station "has decided to discontinue the program."

Over the weekend, BARBARO issued his own apology statement, saying that he had "impulsively" direct-messaged people and blocked others on TWITTER for raising "concerns about a CALIPHATE producer," although he did not mention TOBIN by name. "Both of these actions delivered the wrong message: that questions and criticism weren't welcome," he wrote. "I should not have done either (the DMs or blocking)," BARBARO added. "At a moment when I should have been open to examining our shortcomings and hearing out those who had concerns, I failed. I am sorry."

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