NPR Snobs Tired of War Coverage

newsmax.com ^ | Monday, March 31, 2003 | Carl Limbacher

[ThreePuttinDude]

NPR Snobs Tired of War Coverage

Oh dear, when will this awful war coverage stop - it's simply too much to bear for all those elitist snobs who depend on National Public Radio (NPR) to protect them from having to listen to ...gasp ... commercial radio broadcasts as the common people do.

They want "thoughtful intelligence, that allows [NPR] listeners to live our lives from a reasonably aware perspective," as one unhappy listener wrote the public broadcasting network which is thoughtfully provided by U.S. taxpayers for those who need to be fed a diet of news slanted to satisfy its liberal and oh-so-superior audience.

"We seem to be an impatient people," wrote NPR's ombusdsman Jeffrey A. Dvorkin on the network's web site. "Some listeners are apparently anxious to know when the war in Iraq will be behind us," Dvorkin quotes several dissatisfied listeners who want the war over, and over now, so they can go back to listening to all that stimulating liberal claptrap NPR feeds them on the taxpayer's dollar.

"For over 20 years I have relied on NPR to do what no other news service does: provide a balanced and well thought-out analysis of events in our world," wrote one listener. "That approach requires a careful and complete analysis of the many aspects of an event. Therefore, it requires sufficient time for small events to mature and take some kind of real shape. You are not allowing that process to occur by giving nonstop coverage of the war against Iraq. Please go back to your regular programming until there is something of substance to report."

From another listener came this whining: "Enough constant war coverage. You're neither Fox nor CNN, and shouldn't pretend or aspire to be. What's the Congress doing about the budget, judicial nominees, Medicare, or almost anything? What's going on in the states and cities that is not war related? What happened to your environmental coverage? Where did your human interest stories go? The war can be covered without sacrificing everything else. Incessant war reportage desensitizes and de-emphasizes the other important things, and preempts wider coverage of the rest of the world."

Dvorkin has bad news for his select audience: "These are only a few of many, many e-mails like these -- serious e-mails from longtime listeners," he writes. "But the short answer for those who ask when will NPR resume "normal," (aka pre-Iraq) programming is, possibly not for a while -- if ever. In fact, it is likely that programming really ended on Sept. 11, 2001."

NPR regrets "not helping the listeners understand that it may be difficult -- even impossible -- to go back... that we may be in a new era of international politics, and journalism will have to follow," Dvorkin explained.

The poor dears, they simply didn't understand that wars can be sooo inconvenient, and NPR was so remiss in not telling them that before the bombs began to fall, and young Americans started to die, and in the process mess up NPR's usual broadcast menu.

In the meantime, Dvorkin says NPR worries about how it will do its journalistic duty over the coming months, specifically "How can NPR present both sides -- the American and the Iraqi positions fairly?" for example.

Well, they might start by hiring Peter Arnett to explain the "Iraqi positions fairly."

Concludes Dvorkin "A return to "normal programming" seems unlikely and even inappropriate for a while. At some point we need to hear again the sound-rich features and cultural stories that are NPR's hallmarks. But finding a place for solid domestic and investigative reporting is more important than ever. That may be the best -- and the closest -- NPR can or should come to "resuming normal programming."

War sure is Hell.

[ThreePuttinDude]

I've often wondered what it was that
ticked me off about NPR, now its crystal clear[channel]
{snicker} {snicker}

[Petronski]

Get XM Satellite Radio in your car. Listen to FoxNews and say goodbye to NPR forever.

[Howlin]

Is it expensive?

[SamAdams76]

If you subscribe to satellite radio (XM or Sirius), you will get dozens of stations without commercials.

Personally, I find public radio even more irritating than commercial radio. For all the time they spend pleading for donations, they might as well be running commercials. Only problem is, no corporation in its right mind would buy commercials on such dreadfully boring NPR radio stations.

[ThreePuttinDude]

On the West coast of Fla. we have a couple of Fox Radio
channels on the AM dial. We get ORielly, Hannity
and then Michael Savage....not to bad for AM......

[visualops]

thoughtful intelligence...

I hate that kind of intelligence that isn't thoughtful.