;)
We have to stand for something or we'll fall for anything, why I support Public Radio and Public Television in the United States
Friday, October 22, 2010 at 1:51PM We interrupt our regularly scheduled books, snark, and Sonars for a teensy rant about the importance of NPR.
National Public Radio is an important resource in American Media.
NPR is fighting to uphold a Code of Ethics. NPR is not loud, it is not flashy. Journalism is not what it once was, and many might think that NPR is fighting a losing battle. Nevertheless, they are there.
Each of you stands for something. Every, gloriously different one of you. In spite of our differences, we can surely respect the crucial importance in a democracy of a news outlet that is not driven by commercials or profit, but by individuals, adhering to a code of conduct, driven by a desire to report ideas and incidents for us to assess. An organization that delivers news in such a way that we can come to our own conclusions and make the best decisions we can make. That is why I support Public Radio and Public Television in the United States.
Where do you get most of your news and information? Take a good, objective look at that resource. How does it serve you? What is its Code of Ethics? Does it have one that you can find? What does that outlet stand for and how does it demonstrate that stance to you? Who pays the bills?
In the Harry Potter books, J.K. Rowling, through the character of Mr. Weasley, cautioned us not to trust anything if you couldn’t find its brain.
Where is the brain in that media outlet? Does your major news source deliver both news and commentary? Can you clearly distinguish between the two? Are the answers to these questions consistent with your personal values and the importance of reliable information in a democracy?
Tell me what you find below. I don’t bite. I really want to know what you find. Let’s share our ideas here and learn something from one another.
National Bureau of Random Exclamations in People, Words, World 
Reader Comments (2)
I love and support NPR for all the reasons you've stated. I don't watch network news; I don't even watch TV - for all the reasons you've stated.
I am a fan of NPR, but I also have to say that it is not really objective - I believe Warren Olney himself said as much after Walter Cronkite died during his memorial on air. There is no longer any objectivity - all of the "news" outlets post stories and articles in such a way that it supports their target audiences belief system.
I find it harrowing that a commentator on an opinion show states an opinion that is not offensive and he is punished for it. Free speech and free press are lynch pins of our society and actions like this only suppress future free speech.
If people don't face the fact that they have these fears, they they never get resolved and they fester in a dark closet in the soul.
Just as an aside, what about the other stories and commentators - I know this is on foxnews but I am really too lazy to do more than google quickly for a list of things I know I have heard on there. Just think of all the horrible things that were said about Bush (granted, he may have deserved many of them, but still - if we are pretending to be objective, then we should be objective for both sides).
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/10/21/brief-history-nprs-intolerance-imbalance/
Here is a fun new game I play. I swap Obama and Bush anytime I hear comments on the president and do the same with Christian / Muslim. It is really remarkable how much one can feign outrage when one wishes ;-)
As always Dani, thanks for sharing! One of the first things I am doing since I got back out of the hospital is catching up on your blog.