‘Six months after the fact, the head of National Public Radio apologized for what some lawmakers called a “slanderous” report linking anthrax-laced letters to a Christian conservative organization, according to Fox news.

“We have made mistakes at NPR. One mistake was our report about TVC,” said Kevin Klose, the network’s president and CEO, referring to a story that suggested the Traditional Values Coalition was connected to the anthrax letter.

…Several Republican members implored NPR to apologize for a January news package that suggested that the conservative group, which represents 43,000 member churches, was connected to the anthrax letters sent last fall to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

The story suggested that TVC “fit the profile” of groups that might have been responsible for the letters linked to the death of five.

At the time of the broadcast, listeners complained and NPR issued an on-air statement calling the reporting “inappropriate,” but did apologize or issue a retraction.’