Lisa Simeone, reports the Huffington Post
a freelance content provider for a pair of radio shows that are broadcast by National Public Radio, is under fire today for her tangential participation in the OccupyDC movement. Simeone, who has worked in radio for over two decades, is the host of a WDAV radio show called “World Of Opera,” and a freelancer for a program called “Soundprint”. She also participates in an activist organization called “Stop The Machine,” which is part of the broader Occupy movement.
She has since been fired. Seems that whenever reporters for the government-subsidized network express political opinions, said opinions tend to be left of center.
Tell me again, why is a federal government currently running annual deficits of more than one trillion dollars funding NPR?
CPB got $0.5 billion in 2010 the federal budget was $2.1 trillion. That is something like 0.001%. NPR extracts about 10% of their funding from CPR, down from much higher percentages over the decades showing a slow decline. While the people working for NPR are decidedly liberal, the economic reporting is decidedly down the political middle (I.e. Kai risdall), especially when compared to other news outlets whether leftist Pacifica radio or right wing AM talk radio. The reporter was fired.
So if that’s only 10% of their funding, they’ll do fine if that’s cut. And FoxNews gets 0% of their funding from Uncle Sam, so let’s even it out.
Maybe the bit that goes to NPR is only a small percentage of the federal budget, but with a deficit like the one we have those little things add up. It’s one — of many — things that need be cut.
I call attention to the inconguency in your post where you call for defunding of an organization which provides unbiased information on the economy by first highlighting the political affiliation of a reporter who was fired for their outside activities.
I can for defunding of NPR because we don’t have the money. Its liberalism is just part of the problem. The federal government should not be financing media, esp. when it is in deficit.
Again, as I’ve alluded to in the first two comments, I am NOT criticizing your hope for complete defunding of CPR (more specifically during tough economical times). I am calling attention to your unwillingness to separate far-left leaning NPR figures from the actual reporting that makes it on the air. I drive in my car every day visiting customer after customer. I listen to Marketplace with Kai Risdall, among other programs and I can assure you that that the journalism is middle-of-the-road. If you want liberalism in the media, Pacifica Radio would be an appropriate example. Ironically, it receives no government funding.
Perhaps, there is middle-of-the-road journalism on NPR. All that said, whenever we hear stories of the political leanings of NPR reporters, hosts, etc., it’s always left-leaning.
What did that one woman say on Journolist?
And the stories exposed on BigGovernment . . .
Many of the journalists on NPR are apparently talented and professional enough to give multiple views on stories. Honestly, Dan, there is huge difference in politics between NPR and, say, Pacifica. If we are talking “left-leaning JOURNALISTS and left-leaning JOURNALISM,” then we are talking about Pacifica Radio. All one has to do is use their listening skills and read between the wide lines.
Totally different, but, hey, there are gay actors who can convincingly play straight. There are medically-trained doctors who are also trained naturopaths and practice only holistic medicine. There are religious political figures who pass themselves off as straight family men, who actually have sex with other men.
There are all kinds of people whose professional and personal lives run in contrast of each other and are not completely in concert with who they are.
And, when you say, “Perhaps, there is middle-of-the-road journalism on NPR,” it only leaves me wondering: how often have you listened to NPR? (I’m sure “enough.”) But, I find it very frustrating when people lump it into “liberalism,” when it’s clearly so far from the truth. I hope you can understand how confusing it is for someone like myself who listens to it often (as well as periodically tuning into Pacifica, Fox News, CNN, Broadcast News) to hear it being labeled something that it’s really not.
I’m unfamiliar with the references you’re making about Journolist and Big Government.
Do you really wonder, Dan? 🙂
NPR’s left-wing bias is extremely well-documented. And, as Dan says, when was the last time an NPR reporter was caught expressing a conservative opinion?
My guess is that if you listen to NPR and don’t detect a left-wing bias, it’s probably because you’re already pretty far to the left and agree with them. One of the ways I’ve noted the bias on NPR was the way that every issue in society was presented in the context of requiring another Government program or more Government spending as the solution; which is exactly the position you would expect people who receive a taxpayer-funded paycheck to take. Except for the Defense Department, Government agencies are never criticized except for “not doing enough.”
NPR is a place that would rather give a microphone to a convicted cop-killer (Mumia Jamal) than to a conservative.
Oh, I just went on a rant last night on NPR’s Facebook page when they had this topic; their moral relativism & blindness to their own liberal bias made me go off. I called them on their bullshit.
Of course they don’t see their bias. How many conservatives do you think are in the social circle of your typical NPR propagandist?
Dear me, we are going to argue that a fly speck of money in a sea of debt is to be overlooked as trifling?
To argue how many NPR programs offset the liberal garbage on NPR is to praise the efficacy of the leech if used effectively.
If NPR only needs 10% of its funding from the Feds, then I would submit that it is darn close to being free of continual criticism and unleashed to go its merry way and be as balanced or biased as it wishes. Sort of the MSNBC model, as it were. Perhaps it could get the 10% from Soros or the Koch brothers. Perhaps it could become market oriented. Perhaps it could follow the lead of Glenn Beck. Who knows?
Here’s a question. Will this unbiased and completely balance NPR so lauded by Cinesnatch produce a “How to Talk Occupier” cartoon, like their famous, How to Talk Tea Bag cartoon?
Ask me how fair and unbiased NPR is.
Exactly. Media is just one of many things that the government funds that it shouldn’t. How much it spends to fund NPR, or whether or not the NPR is biased, is irrelevant, in my opinion.
Well, NPR seems to be the only source for legitimate news at the local and states levels. Where does everyone else know what’s going on in their communities when it comes to schools, government, courts, etc?
Say what? We’re supposed to depend on a DC-Based, Federally-financed entity for local news? Umm…. OK.
It may be hard for you to believe this, but most places in flyover country, do, in fact, have their own local broadcast and print media as well as access to that internet thing all the hipsters are talking about.
I should have worded #20 as such … sorry VTK …
NPR seems to be the only “radio” source. I drive around in my car all day. They deal with several aspects of our society (social, economic, arts, health, etc.), current issues and offer several points of view. There isn’t anything on the AM or FM dial that deals with what’s going on at the city, county and state levels like NPR does.
And how would you know that if NPR is all you ever listen to. There are several private radio stations in the small city where I live that cover a wide range of local issues. And they certainly cover them better than Diane Riehm croaking out some barely intelligible leftist garbage, Tavis Smiley’s taxpayer-funded Republican bashing, or Terry Gross giving an inane tongue-bath to Stephen Colbert.
NPR is basically MSNBC with a taxpayer subsidy. Oh, wait… GE paid no taxes last year and got billions in green energy kickbacks. I guess they are the same.
LOL VTK, I do flip around the dial from time to time. As far as indepth coverage of local issues, no I don’t find anything accept NPR-programing in the high FM 80’s and low 90’s, as well as the leftist Pacifica Radio. Do you ever listen to Kai Ryssdal on Marketplace? Or Talk of the Nation? The World with Marco Werman? Those are all pretty middle of the road politically.