I am very dismayed by NPR's position about links to their site. As a part-time producer for an NPR affiliate, these are not the sort of open, public-minded attitudes with which I choose to be associated. The current corporate (read: closed-minded) structures that reign in public broadcasting today had their fundations (sic) lain during the Reagan era. The company line reeled out by Dvorkin is just simply disengenuous. With pledge drives across the nation impressing upon listeners that their contributions constitute the majority of public radio financing, there is no ice thick enough to support such simple notions of identity ownership, nor journalistic sanctity.

The saw goes that no matter what people say about you, at least they're talking about you, falls through here. Npr commodified is not public radio. If the purpose of radio having a visual web presence is to please suits and docents, then don't bother. If it is to join in in the greater community at work and play while away from their radios then drop your stipulations; you have everything to gain.

I, for one, am letting my opinion be known to NPR in the way that will garner the most attention: I am withholding my pledge money, and I've written the Ombudsman to let him know. I suggest that others who are upset about this draconian, ill-informed policy do the same. Something tells me that if enough contributors announce their intent to withdraw support, the Ombudsman and legal dept. will change their tune.

Has anybody else gotten a nothing-talk response from the helpdesk at NPR when attempting to complete a link request? I went through their process requesting a link and then got a reply that didn't even acknowledge my request. And to think I listen to these people religiously...

As a left-handed, socialist diabetic (okay, I'm really ambidextrous), I'm amused to find that I'm suddenly the bizarro example of choice.

But it's a stupid policy, and probably more destructive to NPR than anyone there realizes -- especially if people take it seriously.