Former NPR CEO Actually Spends Time With Evangelicals, Republicans; Discovers Media Bias

Christian Post ^ | 10/23/2017 | Anugrah Kumar

[SeekAndFind]

Ken Stern, the former CEO of National Public Radio, spent a year venturing "out from my overwhelmingly Democratic neighborhood" by meeting Republicans and attending evangelical church services, which led him to his discovery of "an America far different from the one depicted in the press."

"This may seem like an unusual admission from someone who once ran NPR, but it is borne of recent experience," wrote Stern, now president of Palisades Media Ventures, in an article published in New York Post.

"When you are liberal, and everyone else around you is as well, it is easy to fall into groupthink on what stories are important, what sources are legitimate and what the narrative of the day will be," he explained, noting that most reporters and editors are liberal.

With red and blue America "drifting irrevocably apart," he decided to immerse himself in conservative culture. "I embedded myself with the other side" for an entire year, "standing in pit row at a NASCAR race, hanging out at Tea Party meetings and sitting in on Steve Bannon's radio show," he wrote.

Stern spent many Sundays in evangelical churches and even "hung out with 15,000 evangelical youth at the Urbana conference," which is one of the largest student missions conferences in the world.

"At Urbana, I met dozens of people who were dedicating their lives to the mission, spreading the good news of Jesus, of course, but doing so through a life of charity and compassion for others: staffing remote hospitals, building homes for the homeless ..."

Stern also tried his hand at pig hunting with a family from Georgia. "None of my new hunting partners fit the lazy caricature of the angry NRA member. Rather, they saw guns as both a shared sport and as a necessary means to protect their families during uncertain times," he stated, and admitted that "media is obsessed with the gun-control side and gives only scant, mostly negative, recognition to the gun-rights sides."

The author expressed concern over the fact that "more than 65 percent of voters think there is a lot of fake news in the mainstream media and that our major media institutions are seen as creating, not combatting, our growing partisan divide."

"Some of this loss of reputation stems from effective demagoguery from the right and the left, as well as from our demagogue-in-chief, but the attacks wouldn't be so successful if our media institutions hadn't failed us as well," he said.

Stern suggested that media can't cover America "from the Acela corridor," and should, therefore, "get out and be part of the conversations that take place in churches and community centers and town halls."

He concluded that the current situation "in an odd way works for Trump, who gets to rile his base," and for the media, "which has grown an audience on the back of Washington dysfunction."

But in the end, "they are both short-term winners," he warned. "It is the public that is the long-term loser."

[Lurkinanloomin]

A member of the Ministry of Propaganda discovers there is a real America, not just the one they portray in their coverage.

[Flick Lives]

"When you are liberal, and everyone else around you is as well, it is easy to fall into groupthink on what stories are important, what sources are legitimate and what the narrative of the day will be," he explained, noting that most reporters and editors are liberal.

That sort of arrogant thinking was reflected in the Clinton campaign and explains why she didn't even bother visiting states like Wisconsin.

[Da Coyote]

As usual, liberal “leaders” display an amazing degree of naivety, stupidity, and proof that a lib arts “education” just might not be worth as much as it once was. At least this guy shows some learning capability.

[Red Badger]

It is difficult to see America from the ivory towers of academia or the concrete and steel towers of NYC...................

[Savage Beast]

Do you mean to tell me there is an honest man in the news media?????

AMAZING!

[Slyfox]

Gotta give this guy credit. He will probably receive holy heck from all his old pals.

[2banana]

Get this runway slave back on the plantation!!!!

[PGR88]

This guy is some kind of metrosexual, urban leftist, who finally leaves his bubble in middle-age, and discovers the real world. Its a rather pathetic story, actually.

[longtermmemmory]

former ceo, iow now that it is “safe” for him to have a real opinion he can be “shocked shocked I say” to find good conservatives.

His opinion is meaningless.

[Steely Tom]

"Some of this loss of reputation stems from effective demagoguery from the right and the left, as well as from our demagogue-in-chief, but the attacks wouldn't be so successful if our media institutions hadn't failed us as well," he said.

Obama would never have been president if "our media institutions hadn't failed us."

[rktman]

🙀🍿🍻🚬👯👹. Yeah but down deep we're pretty deplorable. Folks probably just put on a show for him. LOL! If one can be converted, maybe 2.

[BradyLS]

True. But at the end he basically says that both sides are to blame. The usual liberal media punt/obfuscation when they find themselves dead wrong about something.

[DoughtyOne]

He had me until he started piling on Trump again.

Man, these losers are so taken over by Leftist ideology, they can't help themselves.

If you're viewing Trump from the right side of the isle, you don't denigrate him.

The media is the enemedia. Trump is president. He is right. They are wrong.

Now, who do you put down? You put down the media, and quit attacking Trump as if he is as big a problem as they are.

He was elected to lead. He is. He's doing a good job of it. So don't come to me and tell me how you woke up, and then prove you really didn't by trashing Trump more.

Ultimately a liar...

Some of this loss of reputation stems from effective demagoguery from the right and the left, as well as from our demagogue-in-chief, but the attacks wouldn't be so successful if our media institutions hadn't failed us as well,...

[Robert DeLong]

Ken Stern

NPR's corporate board has forced out the organization's chief executive after less than a year and a half in the top job.

Ken Stern joined NPR back in 1999, becoming its chief operating officer. He is a numbers cruncher and lawyer who helped stabilize NPR after years of rocky finances.

"During that time that Ken has been at NPR, in general, the company has been very healthy and the public has seen and responded to that," said Jon Schwartz, general manager of Wyoming Public Radio, and the former chairman of NPR's board of directors.

NPR CEO Ken Stern Forced Out

I wonder how big of a role that played in his quest.

[Adder]

“get out and be part of the conversations

Ummm, no...stay in your Acela corridor and rub each others’ wanks.

You are supposed to be journalists reporting the news not influencing or creating the news.
Don’t need or want you aroun heah...

[husky ed]

He’s still a Trump hating liberal who just found out the real America never listened to him.

Ed

[ClearCase_guy]

As usual, liberal “leaders” display an amazing degree of naivety, stupidity, and proof that a lib arts “education” just might not be worth as much as it once was.

I find that Conservatives generally understand the other side pretty well. I don't like Communism. But I know what it is. I don't like The Great Society. But I know a lot about it. Some people don't think the Theory of Evolution is correct -- but they generally have a decent understand of it.

Liberals?

They know their own ideology and nothing more. Why should they know anything about your ideas? Your ideas are stupid.

[Sergio]

bkmk

[Bigg Red]

Kudos to him for actually putting in the time and effort. An honest guy, apparently.