Subject: Re: FW: blogger inquiry -- 2ND REQUEST, PLS ADVISE

From: Peter Heimlich <peter.heimlich@gmail.com>

Date: 1/8/2015 1:08 PM
To: Jan McNamara <jmcnamara@pbs.org>
CC: "Jennifer R. Byrne" <jrbyrne@pbs.org>, Don.Baer@bm.com, "Paula A. Kerger" <pakerger@pbs.org>,
"Corbett, Derick" <Derick.Corbett@mail.house.gov>, Seth Abramovitch <seth.abramovitch@thr.com>
Jan McNamara
Sr. Director & Sr. Strategist
Corporate Communications
PBS
Dear Jan,
Per the e-mails below my signature, I appreciate your interest in helping to answer my question: Are PBS's
published Editorial Standards and Policies voluntary or compulsory for PBS employees?
In response to your request yesterday that I provide you with context for my question, I'd be glad to. This is the
latest round in a seven-month saga, but I'll do my best to keep it short.
Last June 16, the PBS NewsHour published an article by Howard Markel MD, a University of Michigan medical
historian, about the Heimlich maneuver, my father's career, and my research into my father's unusual career.
The article was reasonably thorough, but I caught two date errors and what appeared to be two claims based on
nonexistent articles.
I assumed that a prominent historian and a news outlet with the NewsHour's reputation would wish to promptly
correct wrong dates and other possible errors, so I submitted a thoroughly-documented same-day corrections
request to Dr. Markel, who forwarded my request to his NewsHour editor, Margaret Myers. She refused to
correct the errors and provided no indication that she attempted to verify the accuracy of any of the disputed
information. (I've never received any communications from Dr. Markel.)
Under the circumstances, PBS ombudsman Michael Getler appeared to be the go-to guy. According to his bio:
http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/about/
As ombudsman, Michael Getler serves as an independent internal critic within PBS. He reviews
commentary and criticism from viewers and seeks to ensure that PBS upholds its own standards of
editorial integrity.
The "standards of editorial integrity" link leads to PBS's published Editorial Standards and Policies:
http://www.pbs.org/about/editorial-standards/
So on June 30 I sent Mr. Getler a letter describing the facts along with thorough supporting documentation. To
my surprise, without contacting me or asking my permission to make public my letter, Mr. Getler blogged a July
2 column about my inquiry.
If you read his article, you'll learn that his fact-finding supported all of the corrections I requested. Dr. Markel
did get the two dates wrong. Re: the two dubious factual claims I caught, one was based on a nonexistent New
York Times article and Dr. Markel failed to provide any evidence to support his other claim.
Nevertheless, only a minor correction was appended to Dr. Markel's article -- the other errors remained.
In his article, Mr. Getler also took this unprovoked dig at me:
(Peter) Heimlich seems not only a relentless deconstructionist of his famous fathers work but apparently
wants to make sure that anything anyone else writes, even if partially critical, is correct in the eyes of the
son. light of my attempt to correcting the errors.
I don't know where he came up with that baloney, but if he'd contacted me beforehand, I would have informed
Mr. Getler that I consider publishing false and baseless assumptions to be substandard journalism.
What I can't fathom is why PBS's ombudsman would take me (or anyone else) to task for attempting to address
factual errors in a NewsHour story. Assuming PBS's objective is to provide your audience with accurate
information, why take a swipe at someone for asking reasonable questions about questionable information
reported as fact?

Moving right along, about a month later, to my surprise yet another of Dr. Markel's statements of fact was
debunked. In his NewsHour article, he claimed Hollywood movie star Halle Berry was saved from choking by the
use of the Heimlich maneuver.
But in an August 14 Hollywood Reporter expose by staff reporter Seth Abramovitch, Ms. Berry denied the claim.
Needless to say, fact-checking doesn't get much more unequivocal than that. So on August 20, I submitted a
letter to PBS NewsHour managing editor Judy Woodruff. In addition to the requested corrections I'd submitted
to Dr. Merkel and Ms. Myers, I provided Ms. Woodruff with the Hollywood Reporter article and requested a
published correction to Dr. Markel's bogus claim about Ms. Berry. I also requested that Ms. Woodruff review the
reporting and editing of Dr. Markel's NewsHour article and let me know the results of her findings.*
Since then I've sent several courtesy follow-up e-mails to Ms. Woodruff and received confirmations of receipt
(copies on request). I've also left a couple of voice messages with Ms. Woodruff's assistant, Leah Nagy. However,
I've never received a response from Ms. Woodruff or any other PBS employees.
It seemed unlikely that Ms. Woodruff intended to respond, so in mid-November I again e-mailed Mr. Getler. I
sent him the Hollywood Reporter article and asked if on my behalf he would address Dr. Markel's false claim
about Ms. Berry. That's all I requested -- nothing more. Via e-mail, he promptly refused (copy on request).
I hope that information provides the context you requested.
Via page 6 of PBS's Editorial Standards and Policies, here's more context: http://www.pbs.org/about/editorialstandards/
B. Accuracy
The honesty and integrity of informational content depends heavily upon its factual accuracy. Every effort
must be made to assure that content is presented accurately and in context. Programs, Digital Content,
and other content containing editorials, analysis, commentary, and points of view must be held to the
same standards of factual accuracy as news reports. A commitment to accuracy and transparency
requires the correction of inaccuracies and errors in a public and visible manner. These principles also
require that PBS, Stations and Producers actively respond to feedback and questions from audiences.
PBS may undertake independent verification of the accuracy of content submitted to it. Producers of
informational content must exercise extreme care in verifying information, especially as it may relate to
accusations of wrongdoing, and be prepared to correct material errors. PBS will reject content that, in its
judgment, fails to meet PBS's standard of accuracy.
Here's what I'm hoping to learn:
Are the guidelines voluntary or compulsory for PBS employees? If they're compulsory, what's the name and job
title of the employee responsible for enforcing them? If they're voluntary, this is to request that PBS publish that
information in the guidelines and on the network's website.
As you may have gathered, I take this matter seriously. In addition to the problematic reporting, editing, and
oversight concerns I've described, your network's Editorial Standards and Guidelines appear to be providing
false and misleading information to the public, therefore I'm copying my congressman and PBS officials.
Thanks for your continued attention and I look forward to your reply, preferably by Tuesday, January 13. If you
need more time, please advise and I'll do my best to accommodate.
Sincerely,
Peter
Peter M. Heimlich
3630 River Hollow Run
Peachtree Corners, GA 30096
ph: (208)474-7283
website: http://medfraud.info
blog: http://the-sidebar.com
e-mail: peter.heimlich@gmail.com
* All of the above information is detailed/documented in this August 21 item I blogged: http://www.thesidebar.com/2014/08/what-do-prominent-medical.html

cc:
The Hon. Rob Woodall, U.S. House of Representatives (GA-7th District)
Donald A. Baer, Chair, PBS Board of Directors
Paula A. Kerger, PBS President and CEO
Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter

On 1/7/2015 3:34 PM, Jan McNamara wrote:

Dear Peter,
Can you provide some context for your question?
From: Peter Heimlich [mailto:peter.heimlich@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2015 9:12 AM
To: Jan McNamara
Cc: Jennifer R. Byrne
Subject: Re: FW: blogger inquiry -- 2ND REQUEST, PLS ADVISE
Dear Jan,
Thanks for getting in touch and I appreciated Jen's pass-along. I have one quick question, but may
have a follow-up
Re: PBS's Editorial Standards and Policies posted here: http://www.pbs.org/about/editorialstandards/
Is it voluntary or compulsory for PBS employees to comply with those?
Cheers, Peter
Peter M. Heimlich
Atlanta
ph: (208)474-7283
website: http://medfraud.info
blog: http://the-sidebar.com
e-mail: peter.heimlich@gmail.com

On 1/6/2015 6:18 PM, Jan McNamara wrote:

Dear Peter,
My colleague, Jen Byrne, passed your message along to me.
What questions can I help to answer?
- Jan
Jan McNamara
Sr. Director & Sr. Strategist
Corporate Communications
PBS
Begin forwarded message:
From: Peter Heimlich <peter.heimlich@gmail.com>
Date: January 6, 2015 at 7:11:47 AM EST
To: <pressroom@pbs.org>, <jrbyrne@pbs.org>
Subject: Re: blogger inquiry -- 2ND REQUEST, PLS ADVISE
Hello,

For my blog I'm reporting an item about PBS's Editorial Standards and
Policies posted here: http://www.pbs.org/about/editorial-standards/
Would you please put me in touch with the appropriate staffer in your
department who can answer my questions?
Cheers, Peter
Peter M. Heimlich
Atlanta
ph: (208)474-7283
website: http://medfraud.info
blog: http://the-sidebar.com
e-mail: peter.heimlich@gmail.com