That, of course, is a lie.

Your reporter, David Kestenbaum, offered no facts to support his "story."

Mr. Kestenbaum contacted our Washington office to inquire whether the

FBI had contacted us "yet." Of course, we advised him that under

no circumstances should NPR disseminate such false inferences and information.

It is the sort of "guilty until proven innocent" tactic which

National Public Radio deplores regularly when covering foreign governments

on its news programs, but then hypocritically turns around and commits

to further its own agenda.

your accusation concerning us is an outrage. Without a single fact to

support your accusation and without a single person to even speculate

that your accusation is true, you have accused the Traditional Values

Coalition of a heinous crime against our fellow Americans and one of our

nation's most cherished institutions, the Congress.

Is this a standard reporting

practice for National Public Radio? Why was the Traditional Values Coalition

singled out for this scurrilous attack? Who made the decision to single

out the Traditional Values Coalition and, without any basis in fact, accuse

us of a terrible crime? How often does National Public Radio engage in

such dishonest reporting? What will the management of National Public

Radio do, in the future, to safeguard against such a deliberate abuse

of the First Amendment protections for the press?

National Public Radio has a

longstanding reputation for liberal bias, but this incident exceeds simple

bias. It is a malicious act designed to destroy the good reputation of

the Traditional Values Coalition and the more than 43,000 churches that

are members of the Coalition.

We and our lawyers are exploring

our available legal remedies regarding the damage that NPR has done to

our organization. We are determined that NPR be forced to adhere to the

same journalistic standards that other media organizations are required

to follow.

Your report has done serious

harm to our reputation and to the truth, and we will expect your immediate

and unqualified retraction and public apologies. Absent that, we will

not hesitate to take the necessary steps to address this deplorable situation.

Please contact me if you have

any questions.

Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, Chairman

[The Traditional Values

Coalition is an interdenominational public policy organization comprising

more than 43,000 churches across the continental United States and Puerto

Rico. For more information, contact Sharone Carmona at 202-547-8570. TVC's

Web site is www.traditionalvalues.org.]