In the 70s, I listened to our local small college public radio station and later NPR became one of my favorite stations for which I believed were unbiased stories with deeper information than what the big 3 networks had time to report. Kinda like Paul Harveys, "Now Here Is The Rest Of The Story". NPR has chosen the same paths as MSNBC and FOX corporate as decided. No more journalism, just opinions for their owners and listeners
As a student I made friends with two individuals with whom I have maintained friendships throughout adulthood. One was a career professor and department head at a state university and the other ended his career as the Dean of Arts and Sciences at another state university. Both of these individuals I consider to be bright and insightful scholars and genuinely decent human beings. I have been shocked by both believing that the universities have not become radically left leaning in character. The hypothesis I have developed to explain this is they have come to live in an environment so sanitized of true diversity, that they are no longer capable of discerning truth. In the universities, diversity means skin color, gender, sexual orientation, and so forth. People are different in uncountable ways, some are meaningful, others not. Turns out that things like skin color, sexual orientation, weight, gender, and ethnicity are just not that important to the creation of a healthy community. In the absence of diversity of thought one becomes blind and actually ignorant. No matter how knowledgeable one may be, what you don't know is infinitely greater and (I would argue) vastly more important than what you do. A sanitized community creates an ignorant and inane community. Turns out we really do need diversity. We've just lost sight of what that is.
I'm one of those conservatives who listens to NPR. I enjoy the well-modulated voices and clear enunciation, and the upspeak and vocal fry are not too bad. But those would obviously not be reasons to listen. The reason is simple: There's no faster way to know what the progressive cause du jour is and how progressive propagandists are trying to frame the narrative.
We no longer need nationally funded media, especially if it only reports on the most extreme views of the progressive left. While I mourn the NPR of my youth, I'm afraid that died years ago.
Me too, I used to always have NPR on in my car. I thought it was fantastic, now I check in just to get a chuckle how biased it is. "All things" indeed.
I stopped NPR about 16 years ago. There are many great podcasts as well as other sources for news. No news organization should receive public funding from our government. None.
I am a Gen X former fan of NPR. I listen from time to time but I avoid all the identity shows. I recently heard an interviewer virtue signal an admission she went to Target for her son like it was heinous to create a larger carbon footprint. Hilarious because someone needs to tell her that Target is still preferable on the left to Walmart. LOL She sounded like an Upper West Side NYC elite who is completely removed from the majority of our country.
If the left wants me back, stop making me apologize for something I have no control over. Many of us like JD Vance, because we were once on the left, had alcoholic parents, grew up without much privilege and figured it out on our own, once lived paycheck to paycheck and woke up in the past 4 years to the lies.
The left became a tiny tent and NPR reflects what went wrong. I will never give a dollar to NPR until they stop being arrogant and out of touch. The moderates left the Democratic Party and NPR.
I used to listen to NPR often. As time passed I became increasingly questioning of their news and commentary. The last straw was drawn about 20 years ago while listening to their late afternoon news report. Upon arriving home, l listened to the same featured stories on CNN (not exactly unbiased even then). I realized at that moment that NPR had become an out of touch propaganda machine for the far left culture warriors. I have never listened again. The fact that Democrats work hard to keep this machine funded with citizens tax dollars speaks volumes.
I was a broadcaster and commentator for 25 years for BBC TV News and Radio. I resigned three years ago for what I believe is their appalling bias and institutional anti-Semitism.
I believe that anti-Conservative bias and racism has only got worse since than.
Despite that, the clear bias of NPR makes the BBC seem even handed and fair by comparison.
When I moved to New York in 2011, I simply could not believe that stations like WNYC, a NPR station, with shows like the Brian Lehrer show and its appalling bias and unremitting leftist propaganda could be tolerated.
The fact that it is paid for in large part by the American public generally without their knowledge and certainly their approval, is a disgrace.
Let the NPR show and shows go on by all means, but not with one cent of the American people’s money.
In the 70s, I listened to our local small college public radio station and later NPR became one of my favorite stations for which I believed were unbiased stories with deeper information than what the big 3 networks had time to report. Kinda like Paul Harveys, "Now Here Is The Rest Of The Story". NPR has chosen the same paths as MSNBC and FOX corporate as decided. No more journalism, just opinions for their owners and listeners
As a student I made friends with two individuals with whom I have maintained friendships throughout adulthood. One was a career professor and department head at a state university and the other ended his career as the Dean of Arts and Sciences at another state university. Both of these individuals I consider to be bright and insightful scholars and genuinely decent human beings. I have been shocked by both believing that the universities have not become radically left leaning in character. The hypothesis I have developed to explain this is they have come to live in an environment so sanitized of true diversity, that they are no longer capable of discerning truth. In the universities, diversity means skin color, gender, sexual orientation, and so forth. People are different in uncountable ways, some are meaningful, others not. Turns out that things like skin color, sexual orientation, weight, gender, and ethnicity are just not that important to the creation of a healthy community. In the absence of diversity of thought one becomes blind and actually ignorant. No matter how knowledgeable one may be, what you don't know is infinitely greater and (I would argue) vastly more important than what you do. A sanitized community creates an ignorant and inane community. Turns out we really do need diversity. We've just lost sight of what that is.
When I see good writing, I realize how much I miss it. Well done, Uri, and thank you.
I'm one of those conservatives who listens to NPR. I enjoy the well-modulated voices and clear enunciation, and the upspeak and vocal fry are not too bad. But those would obviously not be reasons to listen. The reason is simple: There's no faster way to know what the progressive cause du jour is and how progressive propagandists are trying to frame the narrative.
We no longer need nationally funded media, especially if it only reports on the most extreme views of the progressive left. While I mourn the NPR of my youth, I'm afraid that died years ago.
This article brought a tear to my eye. Thank you for this, Uri. It's a gorgeous account of reality–I'll be rooting for you and real journalism.
Me too, I used to always have NPR on in my car. I thought it was fantastic, now I check in just to get a chuckle how biased it is. "All things" indeed.
I stopped NPR about 16 years ago. There are many great podcasts as well as other sources for news. No news organization should receive public funding from our government. None.
I am a Gen X former fan of NPR. I listen from time to time but I avoid all the identity shows. I recently heard an interviewer virtue signal an admission she went to Target for her son like it was heinous to create a larger carbon footprint. Hilarious because someone needs to tell her that Target is still preferable on the left to Walmart. LOL She sounded like an Upper West Side NYC elite who is completely removed from the majority of our country.
If the left wants me back, stop making me apologize for something I have no control over. Many of us like JD Vance, because we were once on the left, had alcoholic parents, grew up without much privilege and figured it out on our own, once lived paycheck to paycheck and woke up in the past 4 years to the lies.
The left became a tiny tent and NPR reflects what went wrong. I will never give a dollar to NPR until they stop being arrogant and out of touch. The moderates left the Democratic Party and NPR.
Great article. Not sure why NPR should have government funding. There are tons of podcasters on YouTube who do a better job.
I used to listen to NPR often. As time passed I became increasingly questioning of their news and commentary. The last straw was drawn about 20 years ago while listening to their late afternoon news report. Upon arriving home, l listened to the same featured stories on CNN (not exactly unbiased even then). I realized at that moment that NPR had become an out of touch propaganda machine for the far left culture warriors. I have never listened again. The fact that Democrats work hard to keep this machine funded with citizens tax dollars speaks volumes.
Excellent article. Thank you.
Gooo Uri!!! So well written and captured. Thanks for your bravery
NPR is def dead and gone already. Great article.
Small typo in Nature story link. Correct link is:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0820-9
(lower-case "s")
I was a broadcaster and commentator for 25 years for BBC TV News and Radio. I resigned three years ago for what I believe is their appalling bias and institutional anti-Semitism.
I believe that anti-Conservative bias and racism has only got worse since than.
Despite that, the clear bias of NPR makes the BBC seem even handed and fair by comparison.
When I moved to New York in 2011, I simply could not believe that stations like WNYC, a NPR station, with shows like the Brian Lehrer show and its appalling bias and unremitting leftist propaganda could be tolerated.
The fact that it is paid for in large part by the American public generally without their knowledge and certainly their approval, is a disgrace.
Let the NPR show and shows go on by all means, but not with one cent of the American people’s money.