I've posted my letter to NPR's ombudsman about their new linking policy. If you're thinking of writing a letter to NPR, here's a model you can follow if you want:
However, NPR is a respected news-agency. When it takes the position that
permission to link can be extended and revoked, it creates a climate of
uncertainty among NPR's audience who use the Web. NPR is failing its
commitment to journalistic ethics in promoting this harmful myth. It is
misleading its stakeholders and betraying their trust in NPR's integrity.Those audience members who understand the true facts of linking lose
respect daily for NPR. Those who do not are led farther and farther astray
by a trusted source of information.You owe your listeners and readers better than this. NPR should immediately
withdraw this policy in its entirety and formally retract any statements
that implied the necessity of permission before linking, and so serve its
journalistic mission.
