Red Cross rebuts NPR probe, then stumbles again

The American Red Cross was pretty indignant when NPR and ProPublica released last fall’s investigation into the disaster relief services during Hurricane Sandy and other disasters, revealing that the Red Cross is often more concerned with public relations and images than actually helping people.

So the Red Cross sent a six-page response to the investigation and demanded that NPR and ProPublica issue corrections.

Last evening, ProPublica published the letter, accompanied by an annotated response that makes the Red Cross look even worse than the original investigation.

The lesson: Check your facts, and when a news organization gives you the original opportunity to respond to questions, take it.