“National Public Radio has every right to operate as a left-wing propaganda outlet masquerading as a legitimate news organization. But it is not entitled to pursue this goal with taxpayer money. The latest revelations about the ideological rot at NPR have only made this case stronger.” — National Review editors, April 18, 2024
“Last year, on a long car trip, I was listening to Rush Limbaugh shout. I usually agree with Rush Limbaugh; therefore I usually don’t listen to him. I listen to NPR: ‘World to end − poor and minorities hardest hit.’ I like to argue with the radio.” — Humorist P.J. O’Rourke, 1947-2022
What is the main difference between the late syndicated conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh and always progressive NPR? The government supports the latter with hard-earned taxpayer dollars.
In the past week in an open essay by resigned/suspended NPR senior editor Uri Berliner, we learned there are 87 registered Democrats and zero Republicans serving as journalists at NPR. Almost DailyBrett didn’t realize the number of NPR conservative reporters was that high.
The WhatAboutism Crowd will instantly bring up Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, NBC News, New York Times, Washington Post, correctly asserting they all demonstrate their obvious political bias, so why shouldn’t NPR be permitted to do the same?
The easy Almost DailyBrett response is that only NPR is publicly funded. The network deliberately does not serve one-half of the nation, even though it takes tax dollars from every corner across the fruited plain.
The others previously mentioned are publicly traded corporations, receiving their seed money in open markets. They also Buy Low Sell High.
The very same progressives, who called for defunding the police in the summer of 2020, are rejecting any and all calls to withhold public funding of sacred cow, NPR.
Whether it was his intent or not, deposed whistle blower 25-year NPR senior editor Uri Berliner exposed the unprecedented depths of illiberal bias at the non-profit media outlet.
Spending Taxpayer Dollars on Woefully Biased Media?
“We don’t think that it is the role of the federal government to fund public broadcasting. But if the government is going to be subsidizing a news organization, that organization should at least be balanced with a mix of perspectives more representative of the country. When it fails to do this, any justification for continuing to support it out of the common treasury falls apart.” — National Review, Defund NPR, April 18, 2024
“If NPR wants to run a journalist enterprise that is dedicated to advancing progressive ideology, it should do so with income from sponsorships, donations, subscriptions, or other avenues — just like every other media organization. It should not benefit from subsidies from U.S. taxpayers.” — National Review, April 18, 2024
Almost DailyBrett remembers vividly his boss California Governor George Deukmejian vetoing all the funding for California Public Radio in 1983. The action stunned the entire Sacramento Press Corps, but the governor’s decision was sound from a public policy standpoint. The government should not be funding media that covers that very same government.
Your author recently noted the unusual advertising campaign by The Economist, stating the nearly two-centuries old publication is a respected source of “Independent Journalism for Independent Thinking.” Can journalism based upon professionalism, objectivity, fairness and a search for both sides of the story be a meaningful differentiator in our divisive society?
If NPR continues to accept public dollars (don’t bet on anything meaningly changing) , maybe the arrogant network should consider embracing a similar concept: Instead of Indoctrination Journalism, public radio could actually enlighten the body politic with facts and information, making for more intelligent choices.
Would NPR lose some of its entrenched ideological listeners? Certainly. Could it gain new generations of fans, desperate for real journalism? Could this new/old approach bring back respect to a profession that has hit the depths of despair and a near total loss of public trust?
Maybe NPR could actually hire a Republican or two? Better yet, maybe the inmates of the asylum could actually listen to what they have to say.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/04/17/uri-berliner-npr-free-press-bari-weiss
(Almost) DailyBrett 