From the moment that U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald announced the arrest of Gov. Rod Blagojevich last month, the news media began reporting the story in a way that seemed to paint Blagojevich guilty. It was easy. The Illinois Democrat speaks in bleeps and exudes arrogance. And there are tapes with salacious snippets.

But is there a crime?

Is talking about selling a Senate seat a crime? Or just poor judgment?

What do you think of NPR and other news media coverage of Blagojevich?

Does he deserve to be treated fairly by the media?

Was Fitzgerald grandstanding when he said that Lincoln would be rolling over in his grave?

Join me for a live chat on the Blagojevich coverage on Monday, Jan. 12 @ 1 p.m. EST.

Feel free to submit questions ahead of time in the comments section below. Or try us through the Contact Us feature on NPR.org. But we will stick to the topic of Blagojevich for 30 minutes. If there are other topics you'd like covered in a future live chat, please send them in.

Alicia C. Shepard
NPR Ombudsman

5:20 PM ET | 01- 8-2009 | permalink

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