In The Argument Culture, Tannen frequently quotes the Diane Rehm Show, a news talk program on National Public Radio. In the course of a six-page analysis of one edition of the show, Tannen attests that NPR is "uniquely thoughtful." Earlier this month, as part of Tannen's publicity tour, the Diane Rehm Show featured a single guest: Tannen. She was lavishly praised and treated to softball questions by substitute host Steve Roberts. When the lone dissenter, a contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration, called in to warn that the FAA's discouragement of internal disputes was covering up failures and endangering public safety, Tannen likened the situation to a domestic dispute: "I always see the parallel to our private relationships. You have to have ways to express disagreement with the person that you love. But you also want to make sure that you don't end up throwing pots and pans and beating each other up." Lest anyone infer that Tannen had left the caller unsatisfied, Roberts gently moved on: "Thank you, Catherine, for your phone call. A very interesting perspective. Appreciate it."