When PBS' 'Need to Know' program offered a humorous news 'report' on Sarah Palin's impact on the English language, it apparently drew some angry responses from pro-Palin viewers.

Enough to prompt PBS Ombudsman Michael Getler to weigh in with a short, but stern, defense this week:

Lots of late-night comics and early-morning commentators had some fun earlier this month with Palin's creation of “refudiate” during a Fox News program. It's not really a new word, at least not yet. Palin seemed to take the follow-on pot-shots in stride, or made matters worse depending on your point of view, by pointing out that “Shakespeare liked to coin new words, too.”

But when Andy Borowitz, the regular comic that closes out “Need to Know” on Friday evenings, had some fun with "Palinese," several people wrote to say they took offense.

When I asked Shelley Lewis, NTK's executive producer, about this, she sent a copy of what she had posted on the program's website in response to early feedback: “Is a little joking about Ms. Palin's penchant for malaprops really such a big deal?

Getler later noted: I agree with Lewis on this one. Palin's new word was all over the media and fair game.

See the video below:

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.