NPR biz reporter taken to woodshed

National Public Radio ombudsman Alicia Shepard writes Wednesday about the unprofessional behavior of Planet Money reporter Adam Davidson during a podcast with the TARP watchdog.

Shepard writes, “Yet when he and Planet Money’s Alex Blumberg edited down the 74-minute interview into a 13-minute podcast segment, they kept only the pyrotechnics: Davidson and Warren raising their voices, Davidson badgering and interrupting Warren.

“‘Frankly, I didn’t think I was coming across well, but it was the most dynamic tape,’ Davidson said later. ‘I liked the idea of revealing myself in a less than flattering light. Planet Money tries to be transparent and I liked the transparency of that. I could have easily cut the interview to make myself look better.’

“Davidson apologized to podcast listeners on May 11.

“‘The fight was over an incredibly nuanced issue,’ he told me. ‘I did an awful job of conveying what the issue was by losing my cool and failing to be precise. I opened myself up to people thinking I don’t care about the middle class. Of course I do. The argument wasn’t about that. But it sounded like it was because I used sloppy language.'”

Read more here. Talking Biz News is scheduled to interview Davidson on Thursday about the Planet Money blog and podcast.