NPR - is it worth saving??

[Jo March]

I used to think that it was but after this morning, I wonder if they are worth saving. Morning Edition had a story that was billed as being about * and how he never hears protestors. This is how the story went:

• Opening at a * Social Security "town hall meeting" - nothing controversial here, folks.
  
• Glowing report of * from college kid #1
  
• Glowing report of * from college kid #2 as well as a few of his comments about how * 's approval ratings are because of the media reporting deaths from the war - whatever!
  
• Sound of a glowing introduction of Chimpy McCokespoon
  
• Sound of the pre-selected crowd cheering wildly but nothing about how the * Secret Service screens the crowds to ensure no "dissidents" get into the halls.
  
• Soundbite of said Chimp talking
  
• A reference to the protestors and how they were standing around "admiring each other's signs"
  
• More soundbites from people who got tickets and were kinda maybe sorta wavering on their support but still supported * .
  

Yes, that was a real hard-hitting piece by the "librul" media there. Reminds me of NPR's coverage of those who protested the election results from Ohio. They called us "conspiracy theorists."

The sad thing about NPR is that they are trying so hard not to be accused of liberal bias that they are leaning too far to the right. I don't want "fair and balanced." I want the news.

Sorry.

[AX10]

1. PBS is worth saving. NPR is not!

Let's save our tax dollars and close NPR.

[Jo March]

2. PBS is still tops in my book.

I agree. If NPR is going to be just another shill for Chimpy, then let's just close it down.

[orion9941]

6. NPR is worth saving.

I may find NPR as boring as watching paint dry at times, but their ability to objectively report the news is better than most other media outlets.

[AX10]

8. Their "news" reports are becoming Fox "News" lite.

Either they change or I will not fight to change them.

[Enraged_Ape]

22. I agree

Today's NPR is not the NPR of, say, ten years ago. It really has become an propaganda arm for the Republicans...obviously so.

[SmokingJacket]

3. I screamed and turned that story off at bullet #4.

Every morning my husband turns on NPR, just as if it was the old days and there might be some interesting news to listen to. Then, within ten minutes something atrocious comes on and we have to turn it off. Argh!

[Jo March]

13. Wasn't it frustrating?

I was so angry that I wanted to ram the nearest car with a * bumper sticker!

I just don't know about NPR anymore. They have been covering the funerals of the soliders who have died in Iraq and that's more than other media outlets have been doing.

I think that we need a concentrated effort to bring them back around to the land of the sane.

[luxpara]

4. yes NPR is worth saving -

Just imagine what you would feel like if they really try and close it. As much as we all hate *, they can't badmouth him the entire time.

[Kazak]

5. NPR is the closest thing to liberal radio in my state.

Not that that's saying much...

[GiovanniC]

9. Ditto

And even if I disagree with them at times, I appreciate the depth with which they go into stories.

[politicaholic]

7. As tired as I am of NPR boring up my radio, I still like it...

The fact that you find yourself nodding your head one moment and pumping your fist the next is a GOOD thing. They're just trying to be unbiased as possible. I heard that story and I too thought it was a crock of shit, but I didn't shut it off because of it.

What I hate is when they waste 10 minutes on some stupid Wyoming watershed issue or Wilford "personalityless" Smith trying to retain the tradition of some craft that should have died 100 years ago. They have 20 seconds of the sound of him whittling wood or something and it just makes me want to drive my car off of a bridge.

[TreasonousBastard]

10. Absolutely...

NPR isn't only about the news. And it's definitely not about what YOU think the news should be.

There's maybe four hours of "news" a day on my NPR station, but it's the rest of it, and the in-depth features that I really like.

And, if it goes down, where is the hope of revitalizing it in the future?

[etherealtruth]

12. I couldn't agree more ...

I would grieve the loss. There's a great deal of creative programming (non-news), there are news stories that won't get play anywhere else and I believe there is an effort to be balanced (one can debate how successful, but I believe that the effort is there).

[catmandu57]

11. No

I shut off national propaganda in nov 02 and cnn the next year, if i want liberal radio then there is air america, and if I want news there is the internet. Fuck npr may it die a mean horrible painful death.

[damntexdem]

14. Yes, save NPR! As bad as it is, it's better than anything other than ...

Air America Radio -- and it doesn't have the damn commercials that fill so much time on AAR.

[gizmonic]

15. I miss Bob Edwards :(

Morning Edition went downhill after he left.

I don't want to see NPR go away, but I get pissed when I hear the ass-kissing stories about BushCo, et al.
:dilemma:

[Jo March]

16. I really liked Bob Edwards as well

He was pretty classy. They screwed him royally.

I hate the pro-* stuff that has been coming out of NPR lately. It's so annoying.

[progressoid]

19. What happened?

how did they screw him? I miss him too.

[Jo March]

23. They replaced him with someone younger

to appeal to the younger listeners. They said that he'd be "on assignments" and such. He came out later and decried how they treated him.

He was basically swept out like the trash.

[progressoid]

25. Thats sad

[Dora]

17. Morning Edition makes me batshit crazy sometimes

so I stopped listening to it. I support our public radio station because our local programming is getting better and better.

As well, Morning Edition is but one show in a long roster of shows that NPR produces. Granted, it's become nothing but pukeworthy in the last several years, and All Things Considered is even worse. But there's a lot of good production being done by NPR and PRI outside of those examples.

My favorites are This American Life, The World, and Marketplace (but I just don't like it as much as I used to).

[lateo]

18. NPR needs to die.

[progressoid]

20. Yes,

It's true they have become more and more watered down in the last 10+ years. But rather than throwing in the towel, we should fight to restore it to its glory.

[Enraged_Ape]

21. I used to have an NPR "anger index"...

that I used when I had my alarm clock radio set to that station. The "anger index" was how long it took for me to become completely enraged after listening to their broadcast, at which point I would slam the radio off and get out of bed.

I never once made it past 15 minutes.

NPR's CEO is the former head of Radio Marti and Voice of America. Tell you anything? They have been co-opted by right-wing shills for quite some time.

[leeroysphitz]

24. I wouldn't know...

I had to stop listening altogether during the run up to the war in Iraq. I couldn't stand to listen to that asshole Neil Conan deliberately and relentless quash any REAL debate about the war or the administration or the administrations ties to big oil. If I'd wanted to hear the same old lies regurgitated at me I could have just turned on CNN... (I miss Ray Swarez)