Who here can defend NPR and PBS for what they have become?

[write on]

These institutions are not what they were by any stretch of the imagination. They need to go (as in zero public money). Convince me I'm wrong.

Those that want to learn history are not fooled by your right wing cheerleading for the attempt at rewriting it.

Why do you want to do that?

Guilt? I think so....

 

[PhilFish]

Is their some requirement that be politically neutral?

No. Why. Did you need one?

 

[ObamacareForever]

No. Why. Did you need one?

No, if their no requirement for political neutrality then why are we b*tching?

 

[God of War]

No, I am an American who does not like the fact that cults like Mormonism and Scientology are taking advantage of tax exempt status while they are making billions in profits. That’s my opinion and I am certainly entitled to it. Are you a member of these cults?

No, you're not American. If people want to give their money to their cults that is their business. Not yours. You're not entitled to taxes that is other people's money. You're NOT entitled to denigrate the 1st Amendment and call yourself American. I object to you Democrats thinking you OWN people. You don't. People are not your slaves to fund your obscene political ends via taxpayers means.

No, I'm not a Mormon nor a Scientologist though I object to Mormons calling themselves Christians and Scientology even being considered a religion.

 

[Addy]

Too tall an order.
You Trumpist hear stuff on them that you don't want to hear.
Only you can give yourselves the courage to admit that you are wrong.

Exactly...

 

[trapdoor]

PBS and NPR have become very liberal leaning. They are no longer display or maintain any pretense of neutrality in their reporting.

You're not wrong about how NPR and PBS lean, but you may be wrong about when this occurred -- it's been this way from the outset. It's not something that just happened. The content of public broadcasting has always been heavily influenced by academia -- originally it was almost all opera and/or classical music, and much of it retains that format (and others have it for part of the broadcast cycle).
Influenced as it is by the "university bubble" where dorm-session social theories prevail, it has always had the socialist tendencies that originated there.
If anything it is somewhat better now than it once was.
Before he retired and also became "cancelled" Garrison Keillor, himself firmly leftist, frequently parodized the leftist environment of Public Radio in general -- this when he wasn't using that very outlet to disparage right wing people he didn't like such as Jesse Ventura who had the audacity to become governor of Keillor's home state.
Personally, I wouldn't mind. I listened to the local NPR station almost daily when I was living in the states, and probably will again when I return, so I wouldn't mind - BUT. I hate the quarterly lie festival/panhandling that is the NPR/PBC fund drive. "We are supported by only viewer donations." Not true, you can find a federal line-item for Public Broadcasting.
Being member of the center-right I generally like NPR programming, and quite enjoy Morning Edition and Science Friday, just to name two, but I know what I'm getting into when I turn on the radio, and sometimes I just have to roll my eyes and change the station.
I remember an interview with Terry Gross where she was interviewing some aging rock star who had written a book about his life in rock-and-roll, and she asked about a picture of him. As described, the picture showed him surrounded by a commercial amount of marijuana, with a revolver on the table next to him while he was rolling a joint. She asked him why he had the gun. Really? Here he is committing a felony (at the time) and you're asking about the firearm which is completely legal?
It's an example of the phenomenon which is somewhat endemic in public broadcasting.
And it always will be, even if the public funding were dropped entirely. All those "underwriters" like Intel Corp., the Price Family charitable fund, etc., are no more underwriters than Budweiser is an "underwriter" of the NFL. What they are is corporate sponsors who are paying either to support the left-leaning content or simply to have the "prestige" of being associated with NPR's reputed intellectualism.
It is what it is. I don't expect much in the way of balanced fare there, anymore than I would expect it on MSNBC or on Fox News.

 

[PhilFish]

No, if their no requirement for political neutrality then why are we b*tching?

I wasnt bitching. I commented with my take on their position.

You ok?

 

[PhilFish]

You're not wrong about how NPR and PBS lean, but you may be wrong about when this occurred -- it's been this way from the outset. It's not something that just happened. The content of public broadcasting has always been heavily influenced by academia -- originally it was almost all opera and/or classical music, and much of it retains that format (and others have it for part of the broadcast cycle).
Influenced as it is by the "university bubble" where dorm-session social theories prevail, it has always had the socialist tendencies that originated there.
If anything it is somewhat better now than it once was.
Before he retired and also became "cancelled" Garrison Keillor, himself firmly leftist, frequently parodized the leftist environment of Public Radio in general -- this when he wasn't using that very outlet to disparage right wing people he didn't like such as Jesse Ventura who had the audacity to become governor of Keillor's home state.
Personally, I wouldn't mind. I listened to the local NPR station almost daily when I was living in the states, and probably will again when I return, so I wouldn't mind - BUT. I hate the quarterly lie festival/panhandling that is the NPR/PBC fund drive. "We are supported by only viewer donations." Not true, you can find a federal line-item for Public Broadcasting.
Being member of the center-right I generally like NPR programming, and quite enjoy Morning Edition and Science Friday, just to name two, but I know what I'm getting into when I turn on the radio, and sometimes I just have to roll my eyes and change the station.
I remember an interview with Terry Gross where she was interviewing some aging rock star who had written a book about his life in rock-and-roll, and she asked about a picture of him. As described, the picture showed him surrounded by a commercial amount of marijuana, with a revolver on the table next to him while he was rolling a joint. She asked him why he had the gun. Really? Here he is committing a felony (at the time) and you're asking about the firearm which is completely legal?
It's an example of the phenomenon which is somewhat endemic in public broadcasting.
And it always will be, even if the public funding were dropped entirely. All those "underwriters" like Intel Corp., the Price Family charitable fund, etc., are no more underwriters than Budweiser is an "underwriter" of the NFL. What they are is corporate sponsors who are paying either to support the left-leaning content or simply to have the "prestige" of being associated with NPR's reputed intellectualism.
It is what it is. I don't expect much in the way of balanced fare there, anymore than I would expect it on MSNBC or on Fox News.

Yes..that is their stance...to enrich. That's why they were so good. Now..politics pervades.. one sided at that

 

[ObamacareForever]

I wasnt bitching. I commented with my take on their position.

You ok?

Yea... the news on NPR seems fairly sane. Right-wing politics gas moved firmly into the realm of insane conspiracy theories.

NPR has given right-wing politics the fair coverage that insane conspiracy theories deserve.

 

[PhilFish]

Yea... the news on NPR seems fairly sane. Right-wing politics gas moved firmly into the realm of insane conspiracy theories.

NPR has given right-wing politics the fair coverage that insane conspiracy theories deserve.

Yes. That's true. Doesn't change what I observed.

 

[Colorforms]

That may be true but it took Scientology decades before they were wrongly recognized as a religion same is true with LDS. Many countries have not recognized either as religions at this time. They are whacky cults and are both making a fortune.

They are making a fortune due to the contribution of their members. I don't believe they are getting tax payer funding unlike Solindra or any of the churches of climate change activism. Religion is a democracy because it's entirely funded by its members who actively chose to be there.

 

[Jack4freedom]

They are making a fortune due to the contribution of their members. I don't believe they are getting tax payer funding unlike Solindra or any of the churches of climate change activism. Religion is a democracy because it's entirely funded by its members who actively chose to be there.

The Morman Church makes tons of money from selling booze and food at almost every airport, train station and bus station in America. They are also the biggest purveyor of porn in America making tons off of jerkoffs who stay in their hotels. Scientology has been buying up prime real estate all over the world for decades and using it to leverage into buying more and more as they go. They also have a virtual slave labor force they use to keep up their properties or going out hustling others for more money….Both are phony religion money laundering mills. That’s all I’m saying…

 

[Colorforms]

The Morman Church makes tons of money from selling booze and food at almost every airport, train station and bus station in America. They are also the biggest purveyor of porn in America making tons off of jerkoffs who stay in their hotels. Scientology has been buying up prime real estate all over the world for decades and using it to leverage into buying more and more as they go. They also have a virtual slave labor force they use to keep up their properties or going out hustling others for more money….Both are phony religion money laundering mills. That’s all I’m saying…

Are they forcing anyone to spend their money? It's still there because people are supporting it, not because the government is propping it up be using the money they take from people who don't even support it.