NPR listeners outraged over Laura Bush "puff-piece"

All Things Considered, NPR | October 21, 2004 | nwrep

[nwrep]

On NPR today during the listeners' response segment, the commentator said they received several pieces of mail from angry listeners who were offended at a program NPR aired earlier this week on First Lady Laura Bush.

The program looked at the popularity of Mrs. Bush on the campaign trail and included a biographical profile.

One listener said the program amounted to a puff-piece and was insufficiently critical of Mrs. Bush's political views. Another listener, a woman, said she was offended by the tone of the program and felt like she was transported back to the "genteel 1950s". She complained the program deprived her of "hard news" content, which she expects from NPR.

The reader said the overall response of the listeners was overwhelmingly negative, with most complaints along the lines of the two read above.

The program aired before Mrs. Bush was insulted by Mama T.

[nwrep]

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a regular NPR listener. Just for kicks.

[Howlin]

What ARE Mrs. Bush's political views?

[John Valentine]

Is NPR still taxpayer subsidised?

If so, can anyone tell me why?

[CobaltBlue]

I listen to NPR, too.

[SkyPilot]

Ah yes---please NPR--enthrall us more Teresa stories of how she pays only 12% in taxes dut to her army of lawyers, Teresa's asking reporters at 1 am "Where is the %*&$% bar!", and Teresa belittling stay at home mothers.

[DrDavid]

On NPR today during the listeners' response segment, the commentator said they received several pieces of mail from angry listeners who were offended at a program NPR aired earlier this week on First Lady Laura Bush.

National People's Radio has been so biased for so long, their listeners can't take it when they aren't biased for a few minutes.

[7.62 x 51mm]

NPR is liberal-demokkkRAT garbage. It seriously needs US Taxpayer de-funding, as does PBS etc, and all the other lib-dem trash arms of the MSM.

Waste of cash, waste of bandwidth, waste of pixels, waste of oxygen. Let the socialist-scum Soros fund them.

[conservative in nyc]

"Hard news content" on NPR = Bad thing happened. Bush to blame. Women, minorities hardest hit.

Or a puff piece on the struggles of persons with AIDS.

Or a story on how America oppresses the third world.

[Steely Tom]

Just by way of clarification, the average NPR listener owns four cats.

(steely)

[lahargis]

Probably relatives of TerAYza.

[Tempest]

I guess the expose wasn't hateful enough against Laura to satisfy the PC luvin libs. . .

[steplock]

I quit listening to that trash back in 1983-84 when they began to praise the 'black panthers' and other communist anti-America groups.

I stopped ALL my contributions to them. and haven't listened since.

[WakeUpAndVote]

I listen to, but every now and then there is a liberal spew that makes me scream in my car. Yelling at the radio though is as dangerous as using a cell phone. Be careful out there.

[KellyAdmirer]

This says more about the usual tone of NPR and the crowd it naturally attracts than it does anything else. I'm sure if Mother Jones or The Village Voice ran a complimentary series on Laura Bush, they would get a lot of negative reaction because their readers tend to be very liberal. On the other hand if Fox News ran a special on President Clinton calling him a great President or something, I'm sure it would be deluged with criticism.

[FredZarguna]

I gotta admit, I'm stunned--literally stunned--(lying here on the floor)--that a person connected in any way to a Republican appeared in an NPR program without being thoroughly ridiculed.

Still out to be run out of business, though.

[alrea]

Another listener, a woman, said she was offended by the tone of the program and felt like she was transported back to the "genteel 1950s"

when the president wasn't hiding in his office with an intern or the governor wasn't hitting on the director of homeland security

[traviskicks]

"Is NPR still taxpayer subsidised?"

"If so, can anyone tell me why?"


Yes it is. Millions each year. And I have no idea why. PBS is too (that frontline hit on Bush was disgraceful).

Ask the 'country club' Republicans in Congress. They oughta cut all these leftist programs that can't fund themselves unless the taxpayers subsidized. Its like we're still in the USSR. If people won't pay for it, then it ain't worth showing!

[Ciexyz]

Is NPR doing a similar piece on Te-RAY-sa and if so, what were the NPR viewer responses? (Need one ask.)

[P H Lewis]

I stopped listening to the news and information half of Minnesota Public Radio/National Public Radio a couple years ago and now just listen to the classical music side. It's done wonders for my blood pressure!