In "National News Council Appraised," Dr. Ralph L. Lowenstein declares that the "track record of the National News Council, after one year of operations, is rather lackluster" and that "[the council] has failed to attract the kind of significant cases that could prove the NNC's value to the media and to the public." This report, prepared by the staff of the National News Council, provides an appraisal of and rebuttal to Lowenstein's statements. After discussion of several topics raised by the author's critique (comparisons with other press councils, changes in the council's rules of procedure, specific cases in which the organization was involved, and so on), it is concluded that Lowenstein's analysis fails to meet the scholarly aspirations of his document. (KS)