KQED's Perspectives series leads to an embarrassing and humbling experience for KQED and Marketplace.
As a PD and GM I put a lot of trust in our News Director and reporters to check sources...to get it right. There were always listeners contacting us to question the validity of stories. Not getting it right is embarrassing. Listeners depend on us. They trust us.
Here's a quick sketch of what happened. More detail is available through Poynter with a link below.
Marketplace and KQED are trying to bring a diversity of voices to the air through KQED's Perspectives and Marketplace's commentary. The piece aired is by Leo Webb. In the piece he says he is a former Army sniper with 17 kills, and a former minor league pitcher.
Neither KQED nor Marketplace were able to confirm those details after suspicion was raised by comments on both of their sites and by at least two blogs. Both KQED and Marketplace admit they did not do a good job checking Webb's story. Marketplace Executive Producer Deborah Clark and KQED's Scott Walton told Poynter.org's Craig Silverman that they should have done a better job of vetting Leo Webb.
Both organizations are doing the right thing by owning up to their mistake and moving on.
The story was retracted by Marketplace.
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