Monthly Archives: May 2012

Presto change-o! – NPR corrections

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NPR corrected (see May 8) the error of a guest in one story, but merely changed the headline and online page copy of another.  Presto change-o!  It’s like magic.

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@pagea2.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 8:04 AM
To: Gary Knell, president and CEO, NPR
Cc: Michel Martin, host, Tell Me More, NPR; Edward Schumacher-Matos, ombudsman, NPR; Edward Schumacher-Matos, ombudsman, NPR; Ombudsman, NPR; NPR Corrections; Portia Robertson Migas, supervising senior editor, NPR; Alicia Montgomery, senior editor, Tell Me More, NPR
Subject: RE: credit score, employers, NPR, and poof! It disappeared

You changed the 2009 headline from “Low Credit Scores Affect Job Applicants” to “Bad Credit Reports Affect Job Applicants.”

Someone commenting wrote, “Using credit scores as part of Job Selection[SIC] is Wrong, Wrong, Wrong[SIC].”

Sorting the comments by the most recommend puts the catch-22 meme at the top: “Of course one reason to have a low credit score is unemployment or simply being a recent college graduate. It’s a bit of a catch-22.”

The NPR Ethics Handbook states: “We have a simple standard: Errors of fact do not stand uncorrected. If we get it wrong, we’ll admit it.”

Where do you admit it?

[previous correspondence]

 

FICO 8 credit score distribution, 25 percent, misinformation

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From: Greg Fisher
Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 11:02 AM
To: Rob Berger, Dough Roller
Subject: credit score distribution, Dough Roller

You wrote, “According to Fair Isaac, the creator of the FICO credit score, more than 25 percent of consumers who have active credit files (about 43 million people) have FICO scores of 599 and below.”

The chart you included indicates that less than 25 percent have scores of 599 or below.

However, there is a greater problem.

—
Greg Fisher
Page A2
pagea2.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio  45409-0342

Comcast/Microsoft errors, corrections and clarifications

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From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@pagea2.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 10:52 AM
To: Brian L. Roberts, chairman and CEO, Comcast Corporation (via Adam Miller, EVP, Corporate Affairs, NBCUniversal, Comcast); Bill Gates, chairman, Microsoft (via Waggener Edstrom Worldwide)
Cc: Herb Weisbaum, The ConsumerMan, MSNBC.com (MSNBC Interactive News LLC), NBCUniversal, Comcast; Jim Bell, executive producer, TODAY, NBC News, Comcast; Charlie Tillinghast, president and publisher, MSNBC.com, Comcast / Microsoft
Subject: The ConsumerMan, MSNBC.com, errors, corrections and clarifications

You published: “Your credit score, which is based on your credit history, can have an enormous effect – positive or negative – on your life. That score is used by employers, lenders, landlords and insurance companies. A good score could save you thousands of dollars a year in interest. A bad score could cost you a job or a loan.”

Employers do not use credit scores.  Consumer reporting agency Experian states: “Experian’s Employment Insight report includes similar information about loans and credit cards that is listed in the credit report. It does not include year of birth, spouse reference, account number or credit score, which are irrelevant to hiring decisions.”

Where do your corrections appear?

—
Greg Fisher
Page A2
pagea2.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio  45409-0342

New York Times, errors, corrections and clarifications

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From: Greg Fisher, Page A2
Sent: Friday, May 04, 2012 12:28 AM
To: Ann Carrns, Bucks, New York Times
Cc: Anthony Sprauve, US Consumer / FICO Score Public Relations, Fair Isaac
Subject: credit score, FICO, distribution

You wrote, “The report found, though, that just 15.5 percent of consumers had scores in the 700 to 799 range — the lowest that FICO has recorded since it began tracking such data in 2005.”

The number is 749, not 799.

However, there is a greater problem.

—
Greg Fisher
Page A2
pagea2.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio  45409-0342

[5/21 UPDATE: Times follow-up]

NPR replies regarding headline error

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From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@pagea2.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 3:02 PM
To: Gary Knell, president and CEO, NPR
Cc: Michel Martin, host, Tell Me More, NPR; Edward Schumacher-Matos, ombudsman, NPR; Edward Schumacher-Matos, ombudsman, NPR; Ombudsman, NPR; NPR Corrections; Portia Robertson Migas, NPR; Alicia Montgomery, NPR; Vicki McIvor, Take 3 Management (representing Alvin Hall)
Subject: RE: credit score, employers, NPR, Tell Me More, the sooner the better, 2009-2012, CRA

Your host takes it incorrectly.  I don’t disagree with anybody about any alleged inappropriate use of credit scores by employers.  That is because employers do not use credit scores, inappropriately or otherwise; they cannot even obtain them.

According to national consumer reporting agency Experian: “Experian’s Employment Insight report includes similar information about loans and credit cards that is listed in the credit report. It does not include year of birth, spouse reference, account number or credit score, which are irrelevant to hiring decisions.”

The interview did not take place more than three years ago.

Consider the citizens.

 

From: Michel Martin, host, Tell Me More, NPR
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 1:40 PM
To: ‘Greg Fisher’; Edward Schumacher-Matos
Cc: Portia Robertson Migas; Alicia Montgomery
Subject: RE: credit score, employers, NPR, Tell Me More, the sooner the better, 2009-2012

Mr. Fisher I’m good but not that good. i don’t remember this interview that took place more than three years ago,  I do not remember your objection  and i do not remember any interaction i may have had with you. I take it you disagree with Alvin Hall’s point that credit scores are being used by employers for reasons that he considers inapproppriate. I’ll leave it toour management team to determine whether this warrants a correction. it seem to me this is Alvin Hall’s opinion and he is entitled to it. but we’ll look ino it. a decision won’t rest solely on my opinion if that helps.

[previous correspondence]

Errors, corrections and clarifications, NPR

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[next correspondence]

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@pagea2.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 1:29 PM
To: Gary Knell, president and CEO, NPR; NPR Corrections
Cc: Michel Martin, host, Tell Me More, NPR; Edward Schumacher-Matos, ombudsman, NPR; Ombudsman, NPR
Subject: RE: credit score, employers, NPR, Tell Me More, the sooner the better, 2009-2012

Despite our correspondence, you published an item dated yesterday in which Alvin Hall states, “In order to get through the first cut, you need to make sure that your credit report and credit score are good just in case your employer checks them.”

Further, your 2009 headline is still, “Low Credit Scores Affect Job Applicants.”

You told me that I could start with an article by the New York Times, however, before giving you a chance to tell me what to end with, I disproved that the survey to which the newspaper referred mentions credit scores.

Are you going to correct your headline, or not?

–
Greg Fisher
Page A2
pagea2.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio  45409-0342

From: Greg Fisher
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 5:19 PM
To: Michel Martin, NPR
Cc: Vivian Schiller, NPR; Brian Duffy, NPR; David Sweeney, NPR; Kinsey Wilson, NPR; Lisa Shepard, NPR; Corrections, NPR; Ombudsman, NPR; Cooperhall Press; Vicki McIvor, Take 3 Management; Valorie Burton; Melissa Sturgis, Random House; Leone Murray, valorieburton.com; Brakkton Booker; NPR; On the Media, WNYC; Bob Garfield, WNYC
Subject: RE: credit score, employers, NPR, Tell Me More

From: Hughes, Jennifer
Sent: Thursday, April 09, 2009 5:04 PM
To: creditscoring.com
Subject: RE: credit score, employers III

Hi Greg,

Neither survey discusses credit scores, only credit checks.

Sorry!
Thanks,
Jenny

Jennifer Hughes
Media Affairs Specialist
Society for Human Resource Management


From: Greg Fisher
Sent: Thursday, April 09, 2009 4:45 PM
To: Hughes, Jennifer
Subject: RE: credit score, employers III

Thank you.

What are the survey results regarding credit scores (a single number calculated from a person’s credit history), specifically?

Do any of the survey questions use the term “credit score”?

At 11:31 AM 4/9/2009, Hughes, Jennifer wrote:
Hi Greg,

According to SHRM’s 2006 Weapons in the Workplace Survey, 42% of surveyed employers run credit checks on potential employees as part of routine background checks. In SHRM’s 2004 Reference and Background Checking Survey, 19% of surveyed employers said they always used credit checks as a type of information in a background check, 24% sometimes used credit checks, and 18% rarely used credit checks.

If you have any other questions, let me know.

Thanks,
Jenny

Jennifer Hughes
Media Affairs Specialist
Society for Human Resource Management 

From: Greg Fisher
Sent: Thursday, April 09, 2009 10:39 AM
To: Malveaux, Julie; Harris, Jeanene; Hughes, Jennifer
Subject: RE: credit score, employers III

Do you claim that employers use credit scores?

From: Michel Martin, NPR
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 3:48 PM
To: Greg Fisher
Subject: RE: credit score, employers, NPR, Tell Me More

you can start with this. the survey cited is on our website now

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/07/business/07credit.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=credit%20scores%20job%20applicants&st=cse

From: Greg Fisher
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 3:30 PM
To: Michel Martin, NPR
Cc: Vivian Schiller, NPR; Brian Duffy, NPR; David Sweeney, NPR; Kinsey Wilson, NPR; Lisa Shepard, NPR; Corrections, NPR; Ombudsman, NPR; Cooperhall Press; Vicki McIvor, Take 3 Management; Valorie Burton; Melissa Sturgis, Random House; Leone Murray, valorieburton.com; Brakkton Booker; NPR; On the Media, WNYC; Bob Garfield, WNYC
Subject: RE: credit score, employers, NPR, Tell Me More, the sooner the better

Regardless of Mr. Hall’s credentials, please address your story before it spreads further.

The consumer reporting agencies all state that they do not provide credit scores for employment screening, and your item has developed a life of its own:

http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news;_ylt=A0geu.kNxIFKWk4ADCpXNyoA?ei=UTF-8&p=credit%20score&fr2=tab-web&fr=yfp-t-501
http://twitter.com/home#search?q=Low%20Credit%20Scores%20Affect%20Job%20Applicants
http://digg.com/business_finance/Low_Credit_Scores_Affect_Job_Applicants
http://www.wnyc.org/search/?q=%22low+credit+scores%22&cx=009801551925401469317%3Ak2kdlex-qi4&cof=FORID%3A11#1165
http://www.rocketnews.com/2009/08/low-credit-scores-affect-job-applicants-source-npr/
http://www.scpr.org/news/2009/08/11/low-credit-scores-affect-job-applicants/
http://theloop21.com/news/low-credit-scores-affect-job-applicants

(et al.)

From: Michel Martin, NPR
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 2:48 PM
To: Greg Fisher
Cc: Ombudsman
Subject: RE: credit score, employers, NPR, Tell Me More

Mr. Fisher–we are happy to answer this question in detail when we finish production for today’s program. But, as you pointed out, Alvin Hall is an author and independent consultant and thus is entitled to express his personal opinion about any such matters. He does not work for a credit reporting or scoring entity and is not beholden to  any outside entities.  All due diligence has been applied to his associations.

From: Greg Fisher, creditscoring.com
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 2:41 PM
To: Michel Martin, NPR
Cc: Vivian Schiller, NPR; Brian Duffy, NPR; David Sweeney, NPR; Kinsey Wilson, NPR; Lisa Shepard, NPR; Corrections, NPR; Ombudsman, NPR; Cooperhall Press; Vicki McIvor, Take 3 Management; Valorie Burton; Melissa Sturgis, Random House; Leone Murray, valorieburton.com; Brakkton Booker; NPR; On the Media, WNYC; bob Garfield, WNYC
Subject: credit score, employers, NPR, Tell Me More

A headline on your web site is, “Low Credit Scores Affect Job Applicants.”

The accompanying text includes, “Tell Me More financial contributor Alvin Hall and life coach Valorie Burton give advice on what to do in case you are looking for work with a less than stellar credit score.”

Your guest, independent financial expert Alvin Hall, said:

“If we are all subject to the blanket agreement – if somebody were able to go in and analyze who got the jobs based on their credit histories, then we’d be able to see if, indeed, there was a trend.  And I suspect there would be.  You find that racial minorities have a worse credit rating than whites.  So, therefore, automatically, we’re in a disporportionate area of the negative.  Therefore, I can also see that a person would look at that, and you find that more blacks or more hispanics were discriminated against in the job search.  But we’ll never know that because the information is not available.”

What is a credit rating?

Who is your source regarding how credit scores affect job applicants?