I just heard NPR discussing all the "pork" and "payback" in the stimulus bill.

[garybeck]

I wanted to rip the stereo out of the car.

they had some economic "expert" on there saying that "most of the money in the stimulus package is payback to democratic organizations like Acorn and unions," and "wouldn't create any jobs" and is typical democratic porkbarrel spending. went on to say that investments in renewables are a waste because they are so expensive and never end up paying for themselves, even over their lifetime (a blatant lie).

NPR sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rurallib]

1. NPR has to be "balanced"

equal amount of lies and truth

[garybeck]

2. when they give someone like that a microphone, and then

just say "thanks for being on the show" at the end, without dissecting anything he said, they are part of the problem.

[rurallib]

13. they have been a part of the problem for quite a while in that regard

I always say I am old enough t remember the young, hungry NPR that exposed the Nixon lies and stood up to HW. The Repubs figured how to squeeze their balls and the Dems unzipped their pants.

[wryter2000]

3. If I have to hear "pork" one more time...

The Rs are calling everything pork. They don't see the difference between getting a useless bridge for your district and rebuilding failing bridges all over the country.

It's not "pork" to help people weatherstrip their houses.

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Which show? Which host? All NPR is not...

equal and some hosts and interviewers are better than others in digging things out.

(Besides, it's not the point of ANY interveiwer to argue with the guest)

[Beavker]

5. Unless you are CNBC

They invite someone on, and especially if it's someone going against CNBC's obvious agenda, and argue their asses off. Often double and triple teaming a person they brought on to give insight from another point of view. Why even bring them on? Oh, yeah, to rile up the troops. They do it all the time, especially Larry Kudlow. He has his own time slot on CNBC, "Kudlow and Company". Save it for that show. I understand doing it then. Don't do it during the normal process of 'reporting' on issues. So aggravating.

[garybeck]

7. i call bs, but i'll find out who it was

interviewers know exactly what they're doing when the choose their guests

and there is nothing wrong with pointing out inaccuracies after the guest is done (i've heard this many times, the say "in fairness we should state that actually no money goes to Acorn" or something like that)

[garybeck]

10. here it is. have a listen yourself

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100241769

you have to click on the "listen" link at the top

[TreasonousBastard]

14. That page wouldn't load-- what was the show? n/t

[garybeck]

15. try this

it works for me

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100241769

let me know if you still have problems w/it.

[TreasonousBastard]

16. Ohfershitssake-- I ain't lissening because I'm on dialup, but...

it's clearly labeled as the conservative viewpoint on the stimulus, and that there are arguments among economists so they're playing the rightwing one.

So, what's the problem with having an alternative viewpoint? Most of the NPR coverage I've heard has been balanced or for the package.

In fact, the article on the same page is, if anything, quite pro-stimulus.

[garybeck]

18. a lie is a lie is a lie and there is no excuse for giving a microphone to a liar

we are not talking about "conservative viewpoints."

we are talking about truth vs. lies.

if it doesn't bother you, that's fine with me.

I gave up on NPR 4 years ago when they did the same thing to George Bush during the election. They let him spew lies over the air and they never called him on it. Same bullshit. And they didn't air any of the stories about the election fraud in Ohio. My local NPR station here has many many times given our Secretary of State the microphone and she has LIED over their airwaves about our election system (Diebold) and even though we have asked many times to be given an opportunity to give the other side of the story, our Election Rights organization has NEVER been given one second on the air.

I'll say it again. NPR SUCKS.

[Peregrine Took]

6. Is NPR still run by Bush-ites? Did he put another rethug in charge here, too?

[garybeck]

12. yes, here's an article

Is ‘political stuff’ rising in CPB Board?
That’s the fear as White House appoints devoted partisans

Originally published in Current, Jan. 19, 2004
By Steve Behrens

Two newly appointed CPB Board members are big Republican campaign donors whose alliances or statements call into question their suitability for the role, Common Cause has warned.

Together, CPB directors Gay Hart Gaines and Cheryl Halpern and their families have given more than $816,000 to Republican causes over the past 14 years, the political reform lobby said in a little-noticed news release before Christmas .

But the big problem for Common Cause was not the appointees' generosity to campaigns. The group notes that Gaines was a key fundraiser for Newt Gingrich a decade ago when the House speaker was campaigning to defund CPB, where Gaines is now a board member. In November, Halpern alarmed Common Cause and some pubcasters by suggesting that CPB should be given authority to impose accountability and penalties for broadcasts it deems unbalanced.

Though the CPB Board has not stirred many political waves in recent years, the new board members may have the opportunity if Congress takes up the long-overdue reauthorization of the corporation in hearings this year. CPB's president and board have criticized PBS for strong liberal commentaries on Now with Bill Moyers, and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain reportedly agrees

.

[TreasonousBastard]

17. You find a five year old article as "evidence"? Here's...

the latest makeup of the board:

http://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/leadership/board/

Where's Halpern? Gaines is there for a few more months, but who else is an evil rightwinger? Oh, and what will the board look like after Obama picks the new board members?

And the people who run it:

http://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/leadership/

Who there is a rightwinger?

[Glorfindel]

8. I have become increasingly distressed with NPR

They seem to have no experts or politicians to interview lately except 'pukes. Very disappointing. I'd quit listening entirely, but all the other available alternatives here in Darkest Mississippi are much, much worse.

[garybeck]

9. the board of directors at PBS/NPR are almost all Bush appointees now.

i got so mad at their dismal coverage of the 2004 campaign I basically tuned them out. the scary thing is that still today many "liberals" think it's the best place to get the news while in reality they're being brainwashed systematically.

[garybeck]

11. HERE IS THE AUDIO of the broadcast referenced in the OP

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100241769

you have to click on the "listen" link at the top

to be fair, they did label him a "conservative" but then they just handed him the mic and let him spew lies with no response. is that journalism?