I used to defend my listening to and support of my NPR station by saying certain reporters, like Totenberg who admitted it, are clearly biased, but most of them are not. And most of the short newscasts are factual accounts of what's happening. Like you say, it's all about what is covered, how it's covered, and framing. I stopped listenin…
I used to defend my listening to and support of my NPR station by saying certain reporters, like Totenberg who admitted it, are clearly biased, but most of them are not. And most of the short newscasts are factual accounts of what's happening. Like you say, it's all about what is covered, how it's covered, and framing. I stopped listening and donating about ten years ago because NPR just didn't even try to tell both or several sides of stories in longer pieces, two-ways, and analysis. Many reporters routinely decide what viewpoint to promote in a piece BEFORE even starting to gather facts and do interviews. They choose interviewees not based on getting the facts but rather based on getting sound bites to reflect their preconceived ideas about the subject. I appreciate your comment very much!
I agree that NPR does its best work in the brief news updates between shows and during breaks -- I think that's what you're referencing with regard to the short newscasts. It's the closest to "just the facts" we're going to get.
But as you said, the longer form coverage has the bias baked into it. They know the ideas and people they want to promote and will find the sources that agree with them. It's why the story was chosen for coverage -- to advance a viewpoint. And you won't hear a conflicting POV given equal time.
I was thinking of the generally 4-5 minute stories broadcast during Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Those are reported and produced by NPR and sometimes by reporters from member stations.
Yes, and it’s all part of the CPB/NPR space. When listening to 1A, I think of NPR as issues and topics are so often national and global. When listening to The Politics Hour on Friday at Noon, I think of WAMU as issues are very localized to D.C., NoVa and the like.
I used to defend my listening to and support of my NPR station by saying certain reporters, like Totenberg who admitted it, are clearly biased, but most of them are not. And most of the short newscasts are factual accounts of what's happening. Like you say, it's all about what is covered, how it's covered, and framing. I stopped listening and donating about ten years ago because NPR just didn't even try to tell both or several sides of stories in longer pieces, two-ways, and analysis. Many reporters routinely decide what viewpoint to promote in a piece BEFORE even starting to gather facts and do interviews. They choose interviewees not based on getting the facts but rather based on getting sound bites to reflect their preconceived ideas about the subject. I appreciate your comment very much!
I agree that NPR does its best work in the brief news updates between shows and during breaks -- I think that's what you're referencing with regard to the short newscasts. It's the closest to "just the facts" we're going to get.
But as you said, the longer form coverage has the bias baked into it. They know the ideas and people they want to promote and will find the sources that agree with them. It's why the story was chosen for coverage -- to advance a viewpoint. And you won't hear a conflicting POV given equal time.
The longer form coverage, which NPR doesn't produce?
I was thinking of the generally 4-5 minute stories broadcast during Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Those are reported and produced by NPR and sometimes by reporters from member stations.
Yes, and it’s all part of the CPB/NPR space. When listening to 1A, I think of NPR as issues and topics are so often national and global. When listening to The Politics Hour on Friday at Noon, I think of WAMU as issues are very localized to D.C., NoVa and the like.