This Is NPR

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/media/how-planet-money-american-life-and-npr-have-become-key-players-bankers-propaganda-war-whats



Planet Money, This American Life and NPR Have Become Key Players in the Bankers’ Propaganda War on What's Left of Our Social Contract


Just over a week ago, my Twitter feed started getting bombarded with links to the latest — and quite possibly the scummiest — Planet Money/This American Life propaganda piece on NPR for the financial industry, disguised as highbrow progressive journalism.

The piece was called "Unfit For Work: The Startling Rise of Disability in America" and it essentially argued — using wildly flawed research and straight-up lies — that our Social Security program is burdened by a glut of freeloader disability queens, faking their disabilities in order to live high on the Social Security disability insurance hog.

Why would NPR run such a flawed, biased story? The answer takes us right to the heart of Wall Street’s plans to privatize government benefits, which Wall Street bond holders want to slash for their own profits. This battle pits powerful Wall Street interests and their media and political lackeys on the one side, versus an overwhelming majority of Americans — Republicans and Democrats both — on the other. In the middle stands a radio piece from a trusted source, NPR/This American Life/Planet Money, telling its progressive, educated audience that there is in fact a problem with Social Security, and that problem is a bunch of human parasites faking disability to suckle from the Social Security teat.

It’s the sort of rancid old 1930s anti-New Deal propaganda that the American Liberty League or NAM or the Chamber of Commerce used to puke out on a regular basis. But this is 2013, meaning this time around, the battleground is on the putative left, pitting the Democratic Party leaders including Obama against the people who voted for him, and who have nowhere else to turn. On the Democratic Party’s side: their funders on Wall Street, and their neoliberal propagandists in pundit-land and in universities. The key isn’t winning over right-wing conservatives, but rather affluent progressives — i.e., Planet Money's and NPR’s audience. If they can flip that demographic, Social Security is privatized toast.

[Recursion]

1. That's not what the TAL piece argued at all

Did you listen to it? That's the opposite of what they reported. They said it's being used as a stopgap because the rest of the safety net is being gutted (which you pretty much can't deny) and that it's badly designed for that.

That was the whole point of the piece: there aren't jobs for Thelma and her husband to do that they can do with their back and hand pains, even though people with desk jobs could do desk jobs with that same back and hand pain.

[Sherman A1]

2. I recall hearing part of the piece

and what I gathered, was that it had become a very nice little "industry" for lawyers and for the states to move people from their roles to the Federal System. While one could perhaps take away criticism of the "Welfare Queen/King" stereotype so to speak if you did not listen to the show, it was in my opinion more about state governments cooking the books, with help from the legal community.

Perhaps I missed something in it as I only listened during my commute and not the entire show.

[Recursion]

3. That was the third act, about the consultants who do that for states

That was pretty disturbing.

[mahina]

4. I listen to the podcast every week, and heard this one very differently than the author of this OP.

This American Life has the single most cogent explanation of the 2008 financial crisis that I've ever heard. They kept it up so everyone can hear it for free.http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/355/the-giant-pool-of-money

I think the OP is way, way off base. I am as cynical about power and money in this country as the best of them, but the OP is barking up the wrong tree here.

[DeSwiss]

5. ''...Social Security is privatized toast.''

- Yes, I believe I've heard this before:

K&R

[TreasonousBastard]

6. Yet another hit piece on NPR without the assistance of facts...

more'n likely because yet again NPR isn't "liberal enough". There's a lot of that going on with NPR and PBS being slammed for being rightwing shills no matter how hard they try to be neutral. Most times I see one of these slams I increase my monthly contribution to WSHU by a buck, but it's costing me a lot lately.

Alternet, btw, is on my personal list of dubious "journalism"-- the Left's version of Townhall. An agenda, lousy sourcing, opinion dressed up as fact, and a shit list of things to complain about on a daily basis whether the complaints are valid or not.

[Smarmie Doofus]

8. Doesn't it take $$$ from sources w. an agenda?

Example: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Doesn't it then provide ostensibly "objective" reporting on issues ( example: school privatization/"reform"/corporatization/ "accountability" .... whatever one wishes to call it) in which funders are hugely invested --- both emotionally and financially?

If not... I'll send 'em money too.

[TreasonousBastard]

9. You mean the Gates Foundation that's...

spending millions fighting disease in Africa?

Or that evil Gates Foundation that claims to be working for better education but is beholden to the forces of charter schools and the destruction of public education? Like anyone can bribe Bill Gates...

Nobody's perfect, and Gates has been known to turn on a dime when an approach isn't working and the goal is better education, not how to get there. NPR and PBS have been known to dance quietly around their larger contributors just as newspapers, magazines, and TV have danced around major advertisers. And everyone makes mistakes and misjudgments-- even the lauded advertising-free Consumer Reports has blown it here and there.

Overall, I've found NPR to be generally bias-free and an excellent news source. Not perfect, but overall pretty damn good and damn near half the "latest breaking news" I see here on DU I heard the day before on NPR. And shows like Diane Riehm's can look deeply into things for an hour with actual experts.

So, I send them money and write my Congressman about restoring funding so they don't have to beg so much.

And I still trash garbage like Alternet which has a terrible signal to noise ratio.

[Smarmie Doofus]

10. So, the answer is "yes".

But I knew that already. ( So did you, apparently.)

I don't listen to NPR except for when I'm driving... so there's a lot that I don't hear.

But what I DO hear is a relentless regurgitation of corporate school "reform" cliches and essentially one ( almost ALWAYS wrong) side of an immensely complicated issue.

Which side? Well the side that Gates is on. That could be accidental, but it isn't.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/22/education/22gates.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all&amp&

And yes... Gates Foundation $$$ also goes to cure malaria in Africa. Rockefeller foundations do much the same thing and Carnegie's tax exempts built libraries. Ford..etc. etc.etc.

Doesn't mean robber barons aren't robber barons.

And I don't know about you but I like my information with no strings attached.

[TreasonousBastard]

14. Good luck finding that.

[librechik]

12. a decade ago NPR got a $150,000,000 lifetime endowment from the Croc family (McDonalds)

to produce "family radio". i.e, they took a sharp turn to the right. Way Way Right.

Keep in mind radio is THE CHEAPEST form of mass media, and PBS TELEVISION NEWS (expensive)
got nothing. They get practically nothing from the CPB, either.

They don't rely on a public financing and they follow the Croc (Koch) agenda.

[stlsaxman]

7. NPR has been horrific lately... but this has topped it off for me.

if they want to continue getting funding they simply must tow the Corporate Party line.

Ailes & Rupert are quite pleased with their "liberal bureau" of FOX.

Anymore- i'll tune in on Mondays to hear what Cokie The Clown has to say, on Saturdays there's some stupid game shows i still enjoy, but it's usually WCPT Chicago's Progressive Talk and WWRL New York City for me.

[MinM]

11. Adam Davidson’s Journalistic Corruption: NPR Host Shills for Wall Street, While Taking their Money

Adam Davidson’s Journalistic Corruption: NPR Host Shills for Wall Street, While Taking their Money

Unfortunately this has become Standard Operating Procedure at NPR.

From trashing Howard Zinn upon his death.

To hosts Steve Inskeep and Scott Simon cheerleading for Dubya's Wars.

Even my local affiliate (WKAR East Lansing MI) has a new local show hosted by a guy who uses that juvenile GOP term for 'Democratic lawmakers' -- 'Democrat lawmakers.'

[AngryOldDem]

13. That wasn't my take at all.

I listened to the "This American Life" episode -- "Trends With Benefits" -- on my way to work this morning after seeing this thread. I came away with the following:

1) There are many theories about why people are on disability. Freeloading is one among them.

2) People on disability want to work -- but what they are qualified to do most often involves some kind of physical activity that they cannot do. Hence, their employment opportunities are limited, both from an ability and educational standpoint.

3) Along with 2) some people are of the age where they are just unemployable -- like the injured man in his 50s who was interviewed.

4) There are many people -- lawyers mostly -- who will take advantage of people with disabilities to make a quick buck off of the government, and the government enables them.

5) People are forced to make a decision between working or losing their benefits, because they won't get benefits if they work, but the work they can do won't pay a living wage.

Instead of broad-brushing people on disability with some kind of elitist, rightist agenda, I heard just the opposite. If anything people on disability are caught in the middle between the system and those who want to "help" them.

Just my opinion from listening to it.