Why is NPR/PBS liberally biased?

[Burgold]

Just curious, is that your only example?

And question for NPR fans: is Prarie Home Companion really worth listening to? I always flip stations when I hear it on but I don't think I've ever really given it a chance.

It's a sweet, nostalgic kind of show. It can offer you a chuckle and make you feel at peace, but for me it's like going to Maybery. It's not a reality, but a gently satiric idealized world. Not a bad escape.

---------- Post added February-19th-2011 at 06:11 AM ----------

Doesn't NPR's program also tend to fluctuate a lot depending on where you live? They have a few national shows that everyone gets, but then also a portion are local shows concentrating on local matters and issues and lifestyle and all that?

Yup, NPR is kind of a misnomer. Morning Edition and All Things Considered are flagship shows and national, but most of the programming is local and comes from local stations. Some are syndicated across the board, but NPR is actually more of a middleman, a distributer than an actual producer. In reality, I've produced a few things for NPR, but most of my work has been for public radio shows and local stations. Even several of the national ones that I have worked on, like the Health Show, are technically not NPR shows, but carried on NPR.

[AsburySkinsFan]

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." - Anais Nin

Yes, which also means that those on the Right are quite possibly projecting their bias onto everyone else.

[IHOPSkins]

With Wisconsin Senate minority leader saying Democrats are hiding "in a place that is hard for them to find" in order to postpone a vote on slashing union rights,

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wisconsin-state-workers-protest-governor-scott-walkers-proposed-budget-cuts/story?id=12932013

NYT.....MADISON, Wis. — The fight over a bill to slash collective bargaining

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/us/19wisconsin.html

NPR......Wis. Bill Slashes Collective Bargaining Rights

http://www.npr.org/2011/02/17/133831821/Business-News

So why is NPR using such SLASH tactics in their headline? (taking their cue from a Democratic Minority Leader and the NY Slimes?)

Slash goes neutrality

Here are some more NEUTRAL words to use NPR....if you weren't so motivated to bias your reporting

Cut, Curb, Curtail...and thats just using C words

Slash sounds so .....Evil....... Doesn't it?

NPR again.....

The bill would slash collective bargaining rights for public workers. It would require state employees to pay half the cost of their pensions and more of their health care premiums, more than double than what they pay now.

Really STEVE INSKEEP of NPR....Really?

Its no Wonder the Dems are Fleeing the state....sounds like Republicans are on a murder rampage

Heres hoping we can SLASH the NPR Budget!

[Bang]

Don't be such a ninny.

It's a word that's always been used, especially in regards to spending.

That's a reach and a half.

~Bang

[IHOPSkins]

......It's a word that's always been used, especially in regards to spending......

It Appears to be used by One Side of the argument........and the "Neutral" media and its use is not just $$$$ related....its about Union Rights.....remember?

Slashing Rights

Addionally the NPR use was NOT a quote....so I guess they are Alinged with the Dems on this issue......as usual

So in your world........ Dems Cutting Budgets/Rights but Republicans Slashing them is OK?

Got it

Heres the Same guy from NPR using CUT instead

Republicans are demanding big spending cuts as the price for keeping the government open. Democrats are resisting.

http://www.npr.org/2011/02/18/133860411/Budget-Battle-Revolves-Around-What-To-Cut

Republicans DEMAND...Democrats resist---------Seems like its the DEMS that are Demanding outside the capital

Maybe Steve should Slash the word Slash from his vocabulary....I Demand it

[Bang]

It Appears to be used by One Side of the argument........and the "Neutral" media

Addionally the NPR use was NOT a quote....so I guess they are Alinged with the Dems on this issue......as usual

So in your world........ Dems Cutting budgets but Republicans Slashing them is OK?

Got it

My world is the same as your world. I guess i just walk in a section of it that doesn't have Insta-Bunch panties. Saves me from going all screaming-meme over nothing.

It's a word that's been used in these discussions since I can remember. Forever. Same as you've seen. Over and over, year after year, budget battle after budget battle, it's used in business, politics, all over the language for the exact same meaning.

This is just ****ing for the sake of ****ing. Ninnying and whining over nothing.

You poor victim. Try and make it through the day, OK?

~Bang

[Burgold]

It Appears to be used by One Side of the argument........and the "Neutral" media

Addionally the NPR use was NOT a quote....so I guess they are Alinged with the Dems on this issue......as usual

So in your world........ Dems Cutting budgets but Republicans Slashing them is OK?

Got it

I see what you're doing.

---------- Post added February-19th-2011 at 12:51 PM ----------

Choose the sentence you would use.

NPR-- The fight over a bill to slash collective bargaining

The fight over a bill to curtail collective bargaining (Holy Elitism, Batman!)

The fight over a bill to cut collective bargaining (They're completely eliminating all collective bargaining. To cut is to remove completely. Is this precise and accurate?)

The fight over a bill to curb collective bargaining (Ummm... what would that exactly mean?)

Slash is a commonly used word in these types of stories. And honestly, if you have a problem with slashing someone, you ought to have a problem with cutting them. Both are violent images.

Besides, let's face it if the situations were reversed the FOX headline wouldn't read slashed it would read

Democrats fight to send union workers to economic concentration camps.

or

Socialist Governor seeks to strip rights of citizens. Experts Predict Mass Rise in Homelessness.

or

Unconstitutional Governor Targets Liberty. Governor proposals rape Teachers.

[oisn1]

The bill would slash collective bargaining rights for public workers. It would require state employees to pay half the cost of their pensions and more of their health care premiums, more than double than what they pay now.

Yes, you are correct. Slash is a harsh word, yet it is appropriate for the context so let's go through the sentence shall we. Using Merriam Webster's definition of slash, "to reduce sharply", The bill would slash becomes,, "The bill would sharply reduce collective bargaining rights for public workers. Unions can be substituted for public workers so the sentence now becomes, "The bill would sharply reduce collective bargaining rights for unions." In addition to the cuts mentioned above, the bill will also negate union dues, force the unions to re-certify every year, and bar unions from negiotiated for raises above the CPI.

Now, whether or not you agree with the cuts, it is easy to see that the bill will severely curtail union rights, especially in regards to collective bargaining rights. Again, whether or not you think that should be done is irrelevant, that is what the bill proposes. So tell me how that sentence is incorrect or biased? Try again.

[mardi gras skin]

Burg, I'm curious about something. I'm sure you would admit to being more liberal than conservative. Most times your sympathies align with the left.

Do you have a good enough sense of your fellow employees at NPR to know if you are more liberal than the rest of them? Or have you found that most of them share a more or less similar spot on the right-left continuum?

Speaking from the position of an avid NPR listener, you are about exactly what I would expect of an NPR journalist. A liberal with high ethical standards who does their best to be fair.

[IHOPSkins]

......It's a word that's been used in these discussions since I can remember. Forever. Same as you've seen. Over and over, year after year, budget battle

And again I will draw a distintion you made

Slashing BUDGETS and SLASHING RIGHTS are two different things....that NPR seems to be mixing up

[Thiebear]

People congregate to sameness.

Burgold wouldn't last at Fox as the editors would drive him crazy.

NavyDave would be fired Day one at PBS.

I gave up on cable news and just watch channel 4/5/9 in the mornings to catch up.

[Bang]

And again I will draw a distintion you made

Slashing BUDGETS and SLASHING RIGHTS are two different things....that NPR seems to be mixing up

Tilt away, Donny.

~Bang

[IHOPSkins]

Using Merriam Webster's definition of slash,......

And using their examples

Cut

cutting a piece of string

He uses the ax to cut wood.

The meat is so tender you can cut it with a fork.

Cut along the dotted line.

The saw easily cuts through metal.

She cut into the melon with a knife.

I cut myself while shaving.

I had a cut finger.

We were fighting, and he tried to cut me with his knife.

Pieces of broken glass cut her face and arms.

Limit

He has reached the limit of his endurance.

In training, she pushed her body to its physical limits.

He tries to be creative within the limits of conventional journalism.

There are limits to what I can put up with from him!

Slash

Someone slashed his car's tires.

He threatened to slash the man's throat.

She slashed a path through the underbrush.

They slashed their way through the jungle.

The company has slashed prices to increase sales.

Funding for the program was slashed.

Now then....when the Dems use Slash...and the Republicans use Cut and Limit....why does NPR in this instance side with the Dems?

And again....SLASHING RIGHTS like NPR put it and SLASHING BUDGETS are two different things...I have often seen the term slashing budgets...on both sides....slashing RIGHTS is a bit different

When was the last time you saw Rights being Slashed?....and who was doing the Slashing?

Slashing Rights sounds more like NOW ****ing about Choice

[Burgold]

Burg, I'm curious about something. I'm sure you would admit to being more liberal than conservative. Most times your sympathies align with the left.

Do you have a good enough sense of your fellow employees at NPR to know if you are more liberal than the rest of them? Or have you found that most of them share a more or less similar spot on the right-left continuum?

Speaking from the position of an avid NPR listener, you are about exactly what I would expect of an NPR journalist. A liberal with high ethical standards who does their best to be fair.

There's actually somewhat of a mix although I think the average NPR employee does tend to lean more to the left personally. Personally, I don't like the left/right dynamic. I think most of us are scatterplots with conservative and liberal beliefs. The labeling stuff gets in the way. That said, when I do label me I call myself a liberal. I try to be honest about that because I think or hope that if I am it will help me to avoid pits and blindspots. The more self aware you are the easier it is to counter your weaknesses.

The way newsrooms try to reduce bias is through the filtering. The story usually goes through at least three sets of eyes. The reporter, the editor, and the producer. If it's a controversial bit it's usually sent off to the news director to be signed off on and I've had a few stories that were actually sent out to outside agencies to fact check and appropriateness. There really is a tremendous effort on every story to be accurate and to try to get the story right. Although I won't claim that anyone gets a 1.00 batting average on that.

The biggest danger is the one IHOP indirectly just brought up. Where IHOP sees malice in the word "slash" it would pass under my radar and I wouldn't even think to see it as a problem. It's a normal, precise, fitting and accurate word. It wouldn't occur to me that someone would think it's being used as a "gotcha"

I love telling the true story of once getting a five page piece of hate male because I had chosen to use the word "a" instead of the word "the" The listener was sure that I was trying to minimize and belittle the subject by my choice of article. It was a truly fantastic and eye opening rant.

Strangely, I think that the reason NPR is a little more liberal is simply because they don't pay as well. I think the work NPR does is attractive to everyone. Republicans and Conservatives are also attracted to truth. They are attracted to depth and meaningful analysis. They do hunger for positive stories and idiosycratic little moments, but like a number of conservatives who turn away from teaching because of the pay scale, I think some conservatives choose not to work with NPR simply because of its not for profit model. I think it was O'Reilly who famously derided Jim Lehrer as someone who couldn't possibly be any good because he only made six figures.

Now, there are thousands of NPR employees spread across all 50 states and stationed in many countries around the world so I can't speak personally about the ideologic breakdown of everyone, but I think that the common traits seem to be a sense of dedication and duty to the story and a love of telling the story. I think truth, justice, and the American Ideal runs very high in it too... I think all of us Clark Kents like to pretend we're Superman after all.

---------- Post added February-19th-2011 at 01:47 PM ----------

People congregate to sameness.

Burgold wouldn't last at Fox as the editors would drive him crazy.

NavyDave would be fired Day one at PBS.

I gave up on cable news and just watch channel 4/5/9 in the mornings to catch up.

that's true. Thought the money would be nice. Ah... TV money.

[mardi gras skin]

like a number of conservatives who turn away from teaching because of the pay scale, I think some conservatives choose not to work with NPR simply because of its not for profit model.

There are an army of conservatives who work diligently within the non-profit world to bring about truth, justice, and the American way.

We work in churches.

[Burgold]

There are an army of conservatives who work diligently within the non-profit world to bring about truth, justice, and the American way.

We work in churches.

Case in point, unintentional bias. Sorry about that.

Although, many of those conservatives who "work" in churches do so as volunteers which is even nobler, but would not necsessarily work there as employees because of the pay. 'course it's obligatory to point out that you are overgeneraling also. There are tons of liberals in the Church. After all, Jesus was a liberal.

[mardi gras skin]

'course it's obligatory to point out that you are overgeneraling also. There are tons of liberals in the Church.

Definitely. But in most minister circles, I'm considered pretty liberal so that tells you something.

[Burgold]

Definitely. But in most minister circles, I'm considered pretty liberal so that tells you something.

Actually, my ES incarnation is probably my most liberal. In reality, I'm probably not nearly as lopsided as I seem here. It's just that there's such wonky stuff that's said here that it drives me that way. I'm considered relatively moderate in some respects. After all, would a true hippy have spent 4 years volunteering with a group arranging to support the families and recovering troops at our military hospitals. (Although, I have to admit it was sometimes disheartening being the only liberal in that group.)

[Jumbo]

There are an army of conservatives who work diligently within the non-profit world to bring about truth, justice, and the American way.

We work in churches.

As do many of those liberals at NPR.

Maybe Burg is theroizing that they may also be more prone to take such priortizing of principle and sacrifice to their professional choices as well as their off-work activities. Demographically, philosophically, and psychologically, I guess that could be a useful discussion, but I'm doubtful.

I'll say that both you and Burg tend to have a more benign overview on those who strongly identify as "left" or "right" (or Libertarian ) than I do.

I blame my jaded/cynical side mainly on:

A. The amazing popularity of an armada of idiotic talking heads (mainly "right" in reference to audience-size and widespread level of serious vitriol or ouright nutterism)

B. The disheartening public success of absolutely ridiculous, hypocritical, and primarily self-serving politicians--Palin and her defenders being one ginormous example

C. Moderating the tailgate the last 6 years :pfft: ---which means reading it every day whether I post in serious discussion very often the last couple years or not.

D. Getting crankier in my advancing years. (not true---last night I had a fantastic time partying to some great bands until 2a.m. and then to an after-hours party, getting home at 5 a.m. and up this morning at 9. :cool:)

I think Burg hit it right about the style of liberal leaning to the extent it exists on NPR. It's generally nuanced and thoughtful and well-mannered. The style is quite different than the hyperbolic nutball-attracting over-the-top carnival show favored by Beck, Savage, Olberman and much of Fox/MSNBC.

Of course, the last thing smart people should want to do is use consumer popularity as a solid indicator of quality product.

I hope we keep sending tax $ to NPR/PBS. I would also like to see more thoughtful and nuanced "conservative" leanings evident. Right now, a key and fundamentally important segment of the political landscape (the "right") is more and more spotlighted by the worst of their representatives, IMO, even if those figureheads are awarded their status by said masses' own choice.

[zoony]

NPR is intelligent. It's no surprise that knuckle draggers don't like it, and label them as libruls. Same way they do anyone with a college education not obtained at Bob Jones U. "librul elite".

Sarah Palin- now there's a real American.

....

[Burgold]

NPR is intelligent. It's no surprise that knuckle draggers don't like it, and label them as libruls. Same way they do anyone with a college education not obtained at Bob Jones U. "librul elite".

Sarah Palin- now there's a real American.

....

Well, I do have to agree that intelligence is exclusively a liberal characteristic

[Jumbo]

Well, I do have to agree that intelligence is exclusively a liberal characteristic

Knowledge is the fruit of evil.

[Burgold]

Knowledge is the fruit of evil.

Does that mean ignorance is Heaven?

[Jumbo]

Does that mean ignorance is Heaven?

Well, if you equate heaven with blissfulness...I think you see where I'm going. :pfft:

[Destino]

Knowledge is the fruit of evil.

You better hope that gentlemen isn't Jewish! (too easy to pass up)

---------- Post added February-19th-2011 at 10:12 PM ----------

Fair would be using Pro-Choice and Pro-Life...pretty simple really

According to the piece you posted that's not the case. That person argued for fairness and then said "pro-abortion" would qualify as fair.

Now THATS how you Torpedo someones argument....you use their own moronic sentence against them

Is it? I've always assumed the old grammar argument coupled with an obvious dodge of the point was a wuss move. I apologize for my 2am sentence structure while doing 10 other things. I should have known who I was dealing with and not given you an easy back door to run out of screaming "lalalalala I can't hear you"

Let me help you get back to the issue: The piece you posted argued that something was highlighted when it was a link to an article. They argued that it was a link to NARAL's site, when it was a link to an article. They argued that "pro-abortion" was a fair label.

torpedo that.

---------- Post added February-19th-2011 at 10:21 PM ----------

My world is the same as your world.

No. You're operating under definition 1 in post #4. He's operating under definition 2. It's not just wing nuts on the right that do that if you go to democratic underground you'll see the same thing going on. It makes it easy to be right about wild eyed claims of bias: If they aren't pushing your side then it's bias.