NPR: ‘Violent Street Clashes In Bangladesh Leave Dozens Dead’ published on March 01, 2013
This is a short report from a highly influential media which contains a seriously flawed statement. Some quick info about the report:
Source: http://m.npr.org/news/World/173241756
Title: Violent Street Clashes In Bangladesh Leave Dozens Dead
Authors: Julie McCarthy
Date of publication: March 01, 2013
I would like to invite you to read the second sentence.
Demonstrators for and against the convicted leader clashed with security forces, leaving dozens of people dead, including police.
If you have been following the ICT and the Shahbag protest for a while I bet you already had goosebump. If you have heard of the ICT, Bangladesh or the Shahbag protest for the first time, please check with both the most circulated local Bangla and English dailies, specifically, the editions which came out on the same day as the NPR piece did. Were you able to find a single piece of news where the demonstrators against the convicted leader (i.e. the Shahbag protesters) clashed with the security forces? I understand that you weren’t.
Apart from this extremely incorrect information, the article reflects the reality in general. I sincerely appreciate the reporter and NPR for that.
It is not always possible for a reporter to estimate the impact of the article s/he is writing. So, trying to remain as accurate as possible might be the best practice just like we always try to write a computer program free of bugs. I thank Julie McCarthy for taking interest in Bangladesh.
As I have said this is a live commentary on the press covering the ICT of Bangladesh, I am going to send my issues to the authors of this article. I will keep you posted in the comment section whether they agreed with me or not.
Watching International Crimes Tribunal Watchers 
I was not able to retrieve Julie McCarthy’s contact hence I sent my query through the contact page of NPR.
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Hi,
I am writing this email in reference to the news published at http://m.npr.org/news/World/173241756. I would like to draw your attention to the second sentence of the report which says demonstrators against the convicted leader also clashed with the security forces. I would like to know the name of the places where the demonstrators against the convicted leader clashed. Do you have any specific information?
Thanks!
My conversation with NPR:
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Response to Message #616628:
Dear Omar,
Thank you for contacting NPR.
We are grateful for your comments to NPR News. Your feedback is important to us, and your thoughts have been noted. What was the particular story? Was this All Things Considered, Morning Edition? We are unable to locate the story with the link you provided.
NPR is always delighted to hear from listeners.
Thank you for listening, and for your continued support of public broadcasting. For the latest news and information, visit NPR.org.
Sincerely,
Andrea
NPR Audience Partnership
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Response to Message #616628:
Dear Omar,
Thank you for contacting NPR.
We regret if our programming has not met your expectations.
We make every attempt to ensure that the segments and stories you hear on NPR programming, and the attention devoted to them, are valid and appropriate.
We welcome both criticism and praise, and your thoughts will be taken into consideration.
Additionally, NPR has an Office of the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is the public’s representative to NPR, serving as an independent source of information, explanation, amplification and analysis for the public regarding NPR’s programming. For more information about the role of the NPR Ombudsman, please visit http://www.npr.org/2012/08/02/6407004/mission-and-mandate-the-ombudsman-at-npr.
Sincerely,
Andrea
NPR Audience Partnership
I am going to contact the ombudsman.