2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumMy NPR peeve of the week.... Frank James is a troll
The last couple of evenings after the convention, there have been several blog comments by Frank James, a regular NPR columnist that are not only biased but twisted in a way that I felt compelled to comment about to the source...
NPR obama-times-have-changed-so-have-i
I wrote the following comments:
Somehow, I get the impression you weren't there. Or maybe you just read through the transcript and made your mark-up on the cuff, because if that is not the case, you have less integrity as a journalist than if you had actually been there.
post #2 immediately following:
The picture chosen by the NPR staff is as far from his actual demeanour as a picture can be cherry picked for negative influence.
NPR definitely has an agenda.
It is ridiculous that news sources are so far from journalistic integrity that ignorance and sociopathy has become a badge of honour.
NBachers
(17,080 posts)I guess I'm just pissed because I've lost my only sane over-the-air TV outlet. I refuse to support cable, and I can watch online but there's just more impact on the TV screen.
I've made other posts here about my rage at NPR's disgraceful right-wing pandering during the Democratic National Convention. I hate them. I absolutely hate what they've become. If I wanted Fascist Fox News, I'd tune in to Fascist Fox News.
I gotta shut up here- my blood pressure's going sky high with pissed-off rage at NPR.
a kennedy
(29,606 posts)programs anymore. Ugh.... I'm sure they've got orders to NOT be so partisan to keep what federal dollars they get, and they've been living up to that. Ugh.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)to make up for the others.
The truth is the truth when it comes to data, pure and simple.
What you are saying is that if they have orders to not be so partisan they need to be partisan. That is the crux of anti-journalism.
Good journalism is not balancing by contriving, it's found in breaking the circle of lies.
They are not breaking anything, they are pandering.
agtcovert
(238 posts)I have to agree; they seemed legitimately disappointed when the facts for the speeches given at the DNC check out. All the leading questions and tone of the people asking the questions make me shake my head.
I still listen; there aren't many other places I go for this type of news and they have a lot of other stuff I find interesting.
Xyzse
(8,217 posts)Sadly, due to all of this, I am beginning to think the only way I can get real objective news is to look for out of country publications.
Maybe even dare I say it... Al-Jazeera.
Craziness. When a news source which used to be demonized now seems to have more integrity in journalism, it shows a sad state of affairs.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)Al-Jazeera is really pretty good (most of the time) when it comes to applying reasonable journalism.
What bothers me about this "fact check" cliché is that good journalism is it's own fact checker. If news outlets were utilizing good journalism "fact checkers" would not be necessary.
Quite a shame.
Perhaps I should recommend a program for NPR that deals solely with fact checking.
I mean, interviews and so forth are important, but I have noted the lack of calling out of lies.
Then again, they may be in the same boat as me too, where the GOP has become so emboldened in their lies that sometimes it is just hard to believe what you're hearing that you can't say much.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)several other fact check groups and mostly AP, which itself is second hand and it's just a bunch of hearsay and loaded facts/non-facts.
The whole idea of fact checking right now is completely redundant... and NPR seems to be leading the pack in one sided redundancy.
Blue Idaho
(5,036 posts)Since Bush installed his right wing henchmen in that once great network it has marched steadily to the right. The time has come to end the public finding of "Fox Lite."
defacto7
(13,485 posts)If they are not purely public funded, they certainly won't serve public interest, that's for sure. It would be news for the highest bidder.
Either they are a public asset or they are entertainment for the ignorant like most other media outlets.
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)I was SO over the snarking Steve Inskeep, Michelle Norris, "Dopey" Roberts, Juan Williams and worst of all, Mara "I, like Juan Williams, work for FOX" Liasson.
The supposedly neutral/non-biased NPR was spewing off lots of digs at Dems and Obama.
SO, I marched with my feet...and my wallet. No more donations and I told them so.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)Diane Rehm and Science Friday.
Saturday non-news - Maybe Car Talk, and Who's Line Is It.
Other than Diane Rehm who has an occasional interesting guest discussion, that's it for news on NPR. Personally, I still find Diane rather left leaning. She gets defensive if someone pushes right wing policies and she'll call out a lie when she sees it.