Have you listed to the recent ads at the end of every show on NPR, brought to you by DHS. Sure sounds like a partnership between public radio and the goverment. NPR spokeswoman Anna Christopher says they are not endorsing E-verify, the new verification program for employers to verify the legal status of workers.
This isn’t obvious to some listeners, who have criticized NPR for accepting funding to advertise the controversial program since the ads began running last month. NPR’s Ombudsman Alicia Shepard said she received more than 60 letters in response to the spots – a considerable sum on a single topic – primarily in protest. Shepard wrote a column on the topic and hosted a live online forum to answer listener questions. Critics questioned the relationship between DHS and NPR and took particular issue with E-Verify.