Readers and listeners write in about all sorts of things, but most often about things they believe we get right, things we got wrong, and sometimes about things they may think were wrong. This week: appreciation for our News and The State We're In – Spies, problems with reporting and the choice of maps, and a disagreement on some of our Demjanjuk coverage.

First up, a nice bit of praise for our hard working Newsline team, sent in by Valeria Rodriguez:

"I have been listening to RNW for a couple of months now and I just want you to know that I think it's the best radio by far for world information. Your commitment to news and information is greatly appreciated by many people, including myself. Recently, I've turned my husband (he is from Argentina) on to RNW Spanish. I hope you continue with your hard work because it truly is reflected in your programme."

Well, thank you Valeria, we appreciate the appreciation. Another bit of appreciation came in for The State We're In. They prepared and served a rather unusual Thanksgiving fare, by celebrating the 20 years since the end of the Cold War and offering up interivews with the men who say they’re responsible for keeping the world safe: spies.

Janet Pooley wrote:

"I thought the Thanksgiving program for The State We're In, celebrating the role of spies in the Cold War and beyond, was just wonderful. I love political stories that get at the human beings behind the politics. Well done." 

The following post was one of those things we got wrong. As mentioned several times in this column, we are human and things sadly do get through in the daily rush, and we value it that our readers and listeners care enough to tell us.

A news bulletin, Foreigners attacked in Aceh in Indonesia, had stated:

"On Monday, the European Union representative in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, British national John Perry, and his wife were fired upon outside their house. The home of two teachers from United States also came under fire in Banda Aceh. No one was hurt.
 
"Shots were fired at the German Red Cross office in Banda Aceh at the beginning of November. One member of staff was injured and is in hospital in Singapore..."

 
Guido van Hofwegen wrote:

"There have been more attacks on foreigners in Indonesia's Aceh province. Three errors need to be corrected The name of the EU official is Penny not Perry and his house was shot Monday 16-11, so not this Monday. This Monday, 23-11, the house of two Americans was shot. The red cross delegate was not shot in his office but in his car."

Theo Tamis, RNW web editor responds:

"Thank you very much for taking the time to write to us. I've double-checked your suggestions and you're absolutely right. I've made the corrections in the news item and will try to find out what caused these errors."

 
One of our regular readers/listeners was distressed by something she had discovered on one of our programmes Facebook pages.

Jasmin Nanda wrote:

"It's very well know that Radio Netherlands is a pro-Pakistan and pro-China site. However, I did not know that in your enthusiasm to appease your Pakistani and Chinese governments/ reporters/visitors, you would stoop so low as to severe Jammu & Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura from the map of India. What does RNW want to say about the sovereignity and integrity of India? How about severing states of Holland and gifting it your neighbouring countries? What kind of diplomatic relation does the Netherlands share with India, by siding with Pakistan and China? And so far, I have not got any response from the RNW!"

Once again, RNW web editor Theo Tamis responds:

“Thanks for taking the time to write to us. I'm sorry that we've published a map that misrepresents your country. We'll have the map changed or removed. Publishing maps is risky, as it can arouse political sensitivities. This particular one is a case in point.”

The next mail is another case of understandable sensitivies; indeed it is hard to be objective about such subjects, even as journalists. Unlike the two previous posts, which were about erros that could, and were, corrected, this post is more about differences in vision and perspective.

More from NRC International

Much has recently been written about the former concentration camp Sobibor, as a result of our coverage of the Denjanjuk trial. Some of those articles have been written by one of our partners in the Netherlands, NRC Handelsblad, by their journalists. Some have been written, or recorded by ours. The following post actually referred to an article by NRC Handelsblad (Telling the Story of Sobibor), but one of our producers, also covering the trial, felt moved to answer.

Richard Brooks wrote:
 

"I am very concerned at the apparent persuasion of this article towards the exclusion of nonJewish victims at Sobibor. I don't think anyone would deny that Jews were the biggest group to be murdered at the hands of the nazis, at Sobibor and in total, but many others were victims too, and they deserve history, and such articles as yours to reflect that.  Doesn't every life count?"

Producer Thijs Westerbeek, interviewer on the Demjanjuk video, responds:

"I fully agree that there were many more Nazi victims than just Jewish ones. But that was not really what this RNW video was about. Personally I think Bernard Hammelburg found a correct solution by referring to the Dutch Sobibor victims as "Dutch citizens" without stressing the point whether they were Jews, homosexuals, resistance fighters, Roma or Jehova's witnesses. If you feel differently I humbly apologise."

Whatever we do, and however we report, we try to be both factually correct and respectful and appreciate our readers and listeners who care enough to take the time to check.