Don't F**k With My NPR.

So, it's been established that I love coffee and I'm a little weird. Let's go on and drop the final piece of my geeky trinity in place. NPR. I love NPR the way I love coffee. In fact, I enjoy NPR best with a cup of coffee. According to my boyfriend I'm the only person on the planet who does a little dance on Friday morning because it's "Science Friday" on NPR. What can I say? I like being informed in an entertaining way... I like literate humor and stories that don't always make the mainstream. Note: PBS also rules!

Now, I may not be the most objective commentator on the following issue, but I'll do my best. NPR is under attack. According to certain "officials" NPR is too left-leaning. According to some schmuck, "The bias is noticeable", says Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media. Go check out his blog and judge it's fairness for yourself. Pay particular attention to the words used to describe protesters. Conservatives have long complained about this, going back, literally decades."So here's something funny. NPR is accused by government officials (especially those great guys at the FCC, who believe me are really holding the airwaves in the public trust, Clear Channel not withstanding) of being too liberal and biased, so what's the first thing NPR does? They have the accusers and their supporters on several of their shows to discuss the issue. There was no whining, no downplay, no spin. Just an honest assessment.

See, that's the beauty of NPR, they bring in folks from both sides and have a reasonable, intelligent, enlightened debate which (shock and horror) they actually allow the public to take part in. Gee, they seem pretty biased to me. And then of course there is the Ready to Learn fiasco... oh, you didn't hear about that... yeah, suprisingly enough the "liberal" media didn't give it much coverage. RTL is a programming line up on PBS. It was sponsored by the Presidents Ready to Learn Iniative. The line up features subversive shows which encourage learning and social skills like "Clifford the Big Red Dog", "Arthur", "Postcards from Buster", "Zoom" and "Between the Lions". Our wonderful government officials have decided to cut the promised support down to about nothing because on an episode of "Postcards from Buster" a child with two mommies was shown for about 2.3 seconds. "Postcards from Buster" also featured a Muslim family... we should lynch that unpatriotic cartoon bunny... how dare he show diversity and acceptance of others? Let's go on and toss freedom of speech out the window.

Apparently NPR (and PBS by association) are terrible propaganda machines which are brainwashing our citizens into seeing all sides of an issue. So here's my question: What about Fox News? Apparently propaganda and misinformation are okay as long as it falls on the "right" side. And wait, before you say it... someone is going to comment that Fox News is a private station and yadda yadda yadda... that's true and all, but once again, what about the airwaves being held in the public trust? Is it in the publics best interest to allow misinformation and bias from any news source be it public or private? I think not. I love NPR because they look at all sides of an issue. Because they take on stories no one else wants to touch. Because in a world of slant, misinformation, gilding, mud-slinging and political division NPR at least tries to be fair. Which is more than you can say for any other news outlet, be it right or left.

I also like NPR because it appeals to me on a more intellectual level. It's more in depth, more researched and just more interesting all around. With all the hooey that's going on in the world isn't it nice to know that there is a place where ethics and decency are still important? Where everyone gets a shot to make their arguement? Where you can voice your opinion whatever it is?

Allow me to quote public broadcasting guru Bill Moyers (you sexy journalist you...) "This is a moment when public media outlets can make a powerful case for themselves. Public radio, public TV, cable access, public DBS channels, media arts centers, youth media projects, nonprofit Internet news services ... low-power radio and webcasting are all part of a nearly invisible feature of today's media map: the public media sector. They exist not to make a profit, not to push an ideology, not to serve customers, but to create a public - a group of people who can talk productively with those who don't share their views, and defend the interests of the people who have to live with the consequences of corporate and governmental power." In polls done by Gallup and other media surveying/polling companies, those surveyed consistently rank PBS/NPR as deserving of the tax money they receive (which is one dollar, per year, per person). Those surveyed consistently say (to the tune of over 80%) that PBS/NPR are valuable and useful tools.

I for one appreciate Ira Flatow's calm moderating as opposed to Bill O'Rielly's shrieking and pandering. Why isn't the government attacking Fox News and MSNBC for bias? Wait, someone's going to make the comment that those are private news companies. That's true, but keep in mind that the FCC is supposed to hold the airwaves in the public trust. Is it in the public's interest or their trust to allow propaganda machines like Fox News to spout whatever slanted, biased and often unsubstantiated "news" they want? I think not.

Is it really so wrong that I prefer literate humor and intelligent newscasts? Is it so evil that there are media outlets (public ones no less) that strive to maintain ethical integrity? Oh, and for the record, the Teletubbies are not homosexuals. The jury is still out on Bert and Ernie. Mr. Rogers has been helping shape Junior Pinko Commie Scum Liberals for decades.

Well, that's it really. I have to go because Talk of the Nation is coming on and I need my daily dose of "liberal" (aka intelligent) brainwashing. Neil Conan is going to teach us how to perform voodoo curses on little dolls of Dick Cheney. Then Ira's going to teach us how to build an AK-47 out of a coke can so that we can stage our proletariat uprising cheaply.

Moral of the Story: NPR rules, whining Republicans drool.