This is why I HATE NPR

[ellenrr]

Because with the dropping of one word they turned the protests against police brutality -
into -
"protests against police."

which they keep repeating in every news headline

It makes me so angry!

Npr is more dangerous that "right-wing" media, bec. so many tone-deaf liberals (including many of my friends) think that npr is Moderate or Liberal.

GRR

[unrepentant progress]

1. It all goes back to the deal with the devil they made in 1983 to keep the network alive

NPR was hated by Nixon and most of Washington from its inception. They really were anti-war. By 1983 though Frank Mankiewicz brought NPR to the brink of bankruptcy after attempting a disastrous aggressive expansion plan. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting loaned NPR $7 million but with the stipulation that the network undergo a dramatic reorganization. NPR would no longer be funded directly, and the money given to the member stations instead, who would then pay subscription fees. This resulted in the member stations having much more control over NPR than before. As we all know, the member stations' boards tend to be dominated by wealthy right wingers. And so NPR began its rightward drift. Through the 1980s it was still pretty good, but the drift accelerated in the 1990s, and by the time the 21st century rolled around NPR was well used to being a right wing punching bag whose only recourse was to make its programming ever more tame, and its news ever more propagandistic. There are many other problems with public radio in this country, of course.

[ellenrr]

4. thank you. yes I know this, I never except better from NPR

than a right-wing slant and gov't propaganda

or "National Propaganda Radio".

I noticed this particular offense, and it enraged me, bec. it is somewhat "subtle" - at least from one point of view -
making it seem like the protests which were legitimately against police brutality, suddenly,
the protests are "against police"
which is a totally different thing.

and which feeds into the fascist mongering that Police Union Patrick Lynch and others have been frothing at the mouth.

I could write NPR, but does that do any good.....

Not like it's an accident.

[KingCharlemagne]

8. You could tell by how National Pentagon Radio beat the drums of war

for the Iraq War debacle in 2003. It was positively shameful, not that they will ever admit any culpability or missteps.

[unrepentant progress]

19. Or their refusal to call torture what it is.

[Dale Neiburg]

2. Can you give an exact time?

I've just been checking an off-air logger of NPR newscasts and can't find the dropped-word headline you're talking about.

[ellenrr]

3. twice so far this morning in the news headlines, which

would have been at 9 am, and not sure of the time of the first one - sometime between 8 am and 9 am - when they repeat the news headlines.

[Dale Neiburg]

15. I'm still not able to locate this.

My suspicion is that it was something produced by your local station, not by NPR.

[unrepentant progress]

21. Dale!

They've got you working at the NPR NOC on Christmas day!? The scrooges.

[ellenrr]

33. oh that cd be, I listen to WNYC. nt

[doc03]

5. I quit listening to NPR, Fox, CNN and MSNBC? I watch the local 6 O'Clock news and

NBC or CBS news. I just decided I don't need to be depressed over things I can
do nothing about. I watch these people that have Fox on their monitors in the gym, they
just look bitter and sad all the time.

[ellenrr]

7. for news I listen only to Democracy Now, and other shows on Pacifica,

I try to avoid the news on NPR - cuz it makes me mad,
but sometimes I don't get shut of it fast enough.

There are a lot of depressing things going on all over the world, and I no longer think I'm going to change the world, but I think I can contribute a little on the good side of the balance.

Mostly I listen bec it lifts my spirits to hear about resistance, here, and everywhere.
Otherwise, I'd be really depressed!

[Cirque du So-What]

9. As I noted in a post below

I have serious misgivings over NPR's coverage & commentary, but it's been the only viable choice during my daily commute. With satellite radio, I'd like to give NPR its walking papers.

[ellenrr]

11. PS I'd be interested to know if Pacifica is available via Sirus. nt

[Cirque du So-What]

17. My preliminary search wasn't promising

I found a list of suggestions for SiriusXM programming, and Pacifica was in the 'denied' category. Figures.

[ellenrr]

34. yeah!

[Cirque du So-What]

6. I began referring to NPR as National Petroleum Radio several years ago

when I perceived a decidedly pro-Big Oil bias creeping into their coverage and commentary. I received a gift of Sirius XM radio for Christmas, so I hope I find something worth listening to during my 2 hours on the road every workday.

[ellenrr]

10. Are you familiar with Pacifica radio? I don't know

if they are on Sirius, but if they are, definitely a lot worth listening to.
http://www.pacifica.org/

[Cirque du So-What]

16. Yes, I've been a fan of Pacifica for years

I hope it's available on satellite radio. If not, I may look into streaming it from my phone into my car's sound system. Thanks for the suggestion and reminder of what a tremendous resource that Pacifica is.

[kimbutgar]

23. Progressive talk 127 on Sirrus

Has some great left talkers, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartman. Signarollie and Mark Thompson.

I had brought a satellite radio years ago when Howard Stern went over there. I had to stop listening in the AM because the content got too raunchy for my young age school son whn we were getting ready in th morning. We got a new car in 2011 with Sirrus and found 127. You can also listen with an app on phone, tablet and computer.

[Cirque du So-What]

30. Hey, thanks!

I'll check it out for sure.

[G_j]

12. NPR's Boss: Financial Industry Lobbyist, GOP Donor, Right-Wing Think Tank Booster

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023706519

http://www.fair.org/blog/2013/09/17/nprs-new-boss-financial-industry-lobbyist-gop-donor-right-wing-think-tank-booster/

Posted by Peter Hart
9/17/13

Last month NPR CEO Gary Knell left to take a job at National Geographic, making him the latest in a string of CEOs who left after a short stint running the public radio outlet. On September 13, NPR named a new acting president and CEO: board member Paul G. Haaga.

The NPR press release (9/13/13) states that Haaga's "accomplished career" included a stint as "chairman of the Investment Company Institute"–the powerful lobbying group of the mutual fund industry. As the Los Angeles Times (11/29/03) once reported, "Mutual funds have been mostly shielded from the reforms forced on the financial world–thanks in large part to the efforts of the Investment Company Institute."

NPR also adds that Haaga has ties to right-wing think tanks–he is "a member of the National Council of the American Enterprise Institute" and he sits on "the Board of Overseers of Hoover Institution at Stanford University."

Haaga is also a fairly regular contributor to Republican politicians. According to OpenSecrets.org, this year he made a $32,400 donation to the Republican National Committee; in the previous two years, he made contributions of around $30,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee. He's also given four-figure checks to a large number of mostly Republican candidates, including Rep. Paul Ryan, George Allen and Mitch McConnell.

So the new boss–for now–at NPR is a former financial industry lobbyist who is a regular donor to Republican politicians, with ties to two prominent conservative think tanks. When NPR finds a new boss, he'll continue to be a member of NPR's board.

According to right-wing mythology, NPR is a decidedly left-wing media outlet, living off government subsidies and pushing a liberal agenda. That's not at all true when it comes to what's on the air–or who's on the board.[/div

[Dale Neiburg]

13. Haaga is no longer acting CEO

He was replaced as CEO in 2014 by Jarl Mohn.

[a kennedy]

14. I still listen to NPR but am so skeptical

Hate the conservative tone they have taken on......don't give to the national cause, but do give to our local station, Wisconsin Public radio.

[Jackpine Radical]

22. WPR has a number of saving graces.

Kathleen Dunn still does some great interviews, for example. And for (mostly) non-political stuff, Larry Mieller often has great guests.

[a kennedy]

40. Yup, Kathleen IS my favorite.....

Joy is NOT my favorite either.....wish she'd retire. Ugh......

[RiverLover]

18. "wait, wait don't tell me" is the only thing worth listening to anymore.

Huge disappointment.

[Cirque du So-What]

31. I still listen to Diane Rehm occasionally

and I like This American Life & On the Media, but their everyday commentary has definitely gone to the dogs.

[ellenrr]

36. I LOVE "Wait, Wait". one thing about it irks me tho

some things - like torture - are not subject to comedy imo.

[heaven05]

20. I finally quit listening

for good in 2003. Amerika is already a fascist police state with National Propaganda Radio posing as liberal radio as so many elsewhere are posing as liberals and progressives.

[marble falls]

24. It used to be liberal and progressive until W and the Teabillies started cutting funds, now .....

Charles Kochand his ilk are the big bankrollers of public broadcasting and it shows in the broadcasting of the news.

[aikoaiko]

25. NPR is great. I'm sure it was a conspiracy.

I think it's more accurate to say police violence, but protests against the police is fair.

Protesters are protesting standard police policies as much as the violations.

[Cha]

47. No, it isn't fair.. that lumps all the police together.. which is not fair.

[aikoaiko]

49. Maybe they should say "some police"

[pintobean]

26. I don't listen to NPR

but I don't have a problem with that characterization.

[Enthusiast]

27. K&R! I agree, ellenrr. I will not turn on NPR.

I used to be an avid listener.

As if the Far Right® didn't have enough control over the media.

[Triana]

28. NPR sucks as bad as any other corprat-controlled propaganda outlet

They have me fuming every time I listen (which isn't very often anymore).

[SoapBox]

29. I quit NPR too!

But...my partner has not.

If I bring up something I read here, he usually "corrects" the story with details from...NPR.

[cprise]

32. Like dropping "Energy" from "Iran's Nuclear Energy Program"

...always next to mention of "weapons".

[Hoppy]

35. Diane Rehm last week....

Guy call in to complain about continuing guests from Cato and Americans for Prosperity.

She responds by complaining about his ad hominem attack.

[AngryOldDem]

37. That is a longstanding complaint about the show.

Read the comments on her website sometime. I don't know if she takes questions during the show from the website (I can't listen to her show during the day, and can't keep up with the podcasts, if I download them) but some of what people ask would really add a lot to the discussions.

But yes, her shows do have a slant, and I think she's well aware of that.

[SoapBox]

41. Lots of slant...

I got so over Steve Inskeep and Michelle Norris...there was a nasty tone and "snark" in many reports when President Obama was running. That was when I stopped listening as it became so obvious to me.

[Tom Ripley]

53. Steve Inskeep has a voice and tone made for slapping

[bhikkhu]

38. Good distinction - good people protest against behaviors, not people themselves

unless they're wingers who are convinced that problems are the people themselves, and deny that there choice and change can change behaviors and lives.

I got into that with the kids fairly often when they were younger, where they'd done something wrong and, being called on it, they would say "you think I'm a terrible person now" or "now you just hate me". It would always be an explanation of how you can love a person but hate the behavior, and that any person can chose to behave in a good or bad way. People's responses are to behavior, and there's nothing better than seeing someone change and decide to behave well. Any 5 year old is capable of that; I don't think its unreasonable to ask our police to think a bit and do the same.

And, yes, NPR does disappoint fairly often, in very aggravating ways where they really should know better.

[abelenkpe]

39. NPR sucks

They've sucked for a long time now. They've been leaning right since the run up to the Iraq war.

[Sunlei]

42. not as much as republicanTV fox lie$$ sucks or the several republican 'radio' shows suck

[JEFF9K]

43. However, ...

It seems that "liberals" at THIS site are against police, period!

In every case, they give the benefit of the doubt to the criminal/victim.

[RiverLover]

44. Please don't mistake some posts as being all liberals.

And unlike rethugs, we actually WANT to pay taxes that pay police salaries. A large number of us anyways. It's possible to support police while being against blatant police brutality.

[JEFF9K]

45. It's pretty close to "ALL."

And I'm talking only about the subset of liberals that use THIS site.

I would guess about 90%, judging by the threads and comments I've seen.

[Indydem]

48. Only 90%?

You are being exceptionally generous. If I had a nickel for every time I've heard the word "pig" used to describe all police officers on this site...

[ellenrr]

50. I've never seen the word "pig" used here to describe police.

I object to police being so characterized.

Pigs are quite nice animals and intelligent.
they get a bad rep.

[blue sky at night]

46. NPR

National Publican Radio...stopped listening to their news years ago...now I just stopped listening to any news, except for DU.

[Locrian]

51. national propaganda radio

Sad to see it has reached so low.

I occasionally turn it on and hear some freemarket leg humping story. Always told in the same breathless awe by young reporters waxing poetic about the genius of the market.

Sickening.

[Tom Ripley]

54. ^^^THIS^^^

There are many on there who want to be another loathsome Kai Ryssdal.
One is already one too many.

[Locrian]

57. Kai Ryssdal

Yeah, that guy drives me nuts - I hear he has his own little Ayn Rand fan club. Ewwww.

[Capt. Obvious]

52. All things considered

it's still a breath of fresh air in the here and now.

[MerryBlooms]

55. We listen to a lot of NPR and we are local contributors to WBEZ Chicago.

These are the shows we listen to pretty regularly

Morning Edition
All Things Considered
Fresh Air
Here & Now
The Diane Rehm Show
On The Media
On Point
Weekend Edition Saturday
Weekend Edition Sunday

Storytelling & Humor

Ask Me Another
The Best Of Car Talk
Bullseye
Radiolab
Snap Judgment
StoryCorps
TED Radio Hour
Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Music

All Songs Considered
First Listen
From The Top
Jazz Night In America
Metropolis
Microphone Check
Mountain Stage
Piano Jazz
Song Travels
The Thistle & Shamrock
World Cafe

Science Friday
This American Life (PRX)

Oh, and The Moth is also excellent.

[LWolf]

56. If that's the case,

then you probably hate all media outside of "fringe" that few people hear.

I agree that it's more aggravating when it comes from a supposedly "public" network.

Not that it's really "public," as we know if we've ever listened to their long list of sponsors.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

58. I listen only to their classical music services

In 1988, I heard a talk by a former NPR reporter who explained how corporate underwriters controlled what went on the air. She had once prepared a report on the people who were being harmed by Reaganomics, but one of the underwriters, an investment firm, got wind of this report and demanded that it be cancelled, or they would pull their considerable funding.

[Basic LA]

59. Mara & Cokie

And for the "liberal" view we'll now hear from Fox News's Mara Liason & Uber Republican Cokie Roberts.