My beloved NPR...

[GiqueCee]

... seems to be headed down the dreaded rabbit hole by allowing a remark by a frequent contributor, Domenico Montenero, to go unchallenged. Domenico ended his report by referencing Biden's ending of the Afghanistan war as, essentially, a black mark on his presidency, which is wall-to-wall, knee deep, pull-up-your-pants-it's-too-late-to-save-your-shoes BULLSHIT. Biden fulfilled a legal obligation signed by Trump, to withdraw American forces by a specified date. he did push that date back for logistical reasons, but he HAD to honor the deal made by Trump. The NPR host said nothing to Montenaro about clarifying his erroneous comment that the decision could harm Biden during the election. But then, the quick response crack messaging squad of the Biden campaign was asleep at the switch... again, and said nothing to correct a very important, and apparently deliberate, error of omission.

This shit is getting old.

[TheProle]

1. An unchallenged comment doesn't necessarily portend rightwing bias

[brush]

4. The comment certainly is though. That's the point.

[TheProle]

5. I get the point

and I get the frustration, but the "every network is a secret cabal of fascists" shtick gets old to me.

[brush]

8. Well there is FOX, CNN now listing right, MSNBC for the most part until Nicole Wallace...

and the afternoon hosts who follow her.

NewsMax, the Sinclair programming. And all the winger podcasters like Bannon and the like.

The magats are giving it their best shot (Bannon is trying desperately to stop from serving his 4 month jail term)...but we'll still beat their ass in Nov. The orange turd getting convicted helps, as does his ignorant bragging about the Dobbs ruling. Women and the men who care for them are still mightily pissed at that.

[Blue Owl]

2. I love NPR too -- but at the end of the day....

…the “P” stands for “Petroleum” — they are largely funded by big oil and thusly conservative leaning when it gets down to business. Their support and funding of the arts is noteworthy and somewhat redeeming, and they are certainly more level-headed than FOX or the other extreme RW networks. But, I am afraid they can’t be trusted to deliver unbiased news…..

[NoRethugFriends]

3. NPR has been going downhill and to the right for a long time.

Last edited Wed Jun 12, 2024, 11:35 PM - Edit history (1)

Mara Liasson is one good example, though she has always been on the right.

[Lulu KC]

14. Koch Industries has been an underwriter for years

Well, they were when I used to listen in the car on the way to work. So, they were four years ago and had been for a while then.

[B.See]

17. And the Kochs don't undewrite SQUAT unless

they get to have a say in how things are done. Even their college grants and so called philanthropy come with stipulations that they get a say in the hiring of educators, staff, administrators, and the like.

These fkrs are malignant.

[mopinko]

20. started to go under raygun.

he stuffed a couple toadies on the board, and the shift was obvious. the more dirty money they took, the worse it got.
my local station is still good, but there’s been some financial bs there. they just cut a bunch of podcasts, and a very popular show that was on their hd2 station.

[brush]

6. The commentor tried to damage Joe Biden but hardly anyone thinks about...

that trump admin-mandated pullout anymore. Ancient history. Too much other stuff has happened since then.

The criminal ex-president uilty on all 34 felon counts being a huge one.

[MOMFUDSKI]

7. Rethugs are fighting on all fronts.

We are in the fight of our lives

[elocs]

9. You mean the bug out from Afghanistan, only rivaled by that in Vietnam, was a highlight of the Biden administration?

It didn't define his administration but it was nothing to be proud about.

[Hekate]

11. It was 100% arranged by Trump & left on Biden's doorstep like a flaming sack of sht

Lest we forget

[LauraInLA]

16. I agree. And the "evacuation" was an exceptional s***storm. I don't think the airport was handled well, for example.

Biden was forced to do this, but it doesn’t mean we should have been better prepared for a smooth(er) exit.

[Hekate]

10. Did you write in to the listener comment line? Be the person who challenges incorrect info..

[Deuxcents]

12. As I remember, federal funding was cut to Public Broadcasting little by little

Since 2011 n TSF administration in 2018, proposed to defund them all together. Funding has been chipped away n even in April, 2024, the republicans are still calling for defunding them. I understand why they need corporate money because viewers don’t always contribute enough to keep up with expenses. I listen to NPR n watch a lot of PBS but my donations don't go far. We need to write to our elected n voice our opinions if we want to keep funding them. A real shame because there’s great music, documentaries and educational programs.

[TheKentuckian]

13. Nice Polite Republicans has been what you think is emerging

for 15 or 20 years already.

The hushed and even tones only paper over so much.

[Warpy]

15. NPR hasn't been beloved by me since 2005

I had the clock radio on because I had to be somewhere. That morning, they had one oily, smarmy Republican hack on pushing Duby's' bright idea to put Social Security into the stock market. The parade of totally unchallenged sleazebag liars was finished up with Ken Mehlman, a man who gave snot on a doorknob a run for slick nastiness. I got up, retuned the radio to the local commercial classical station and never looked back. Those assholes ruined my whole day and NPR was even worse, they went completely unchallenged.

[former9thward]

18. I am happy we are out of Afghanistan.

I am not happy how it ended. Biden was CIC. There was no "legal obligation". As CIC Biden could have done whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Just as no Congress can bind a future Congress, no CIC can bind a future CIC. He did not have to "honor" any arrangement Trump made.

[chowmama]

21. There does have to be an awfully good reason

One of the bigger problems (among many) with having Trump on the world stage is that he refused to promise to honor any treaties or agreements. He backed us out of the nuclear weapons detente and we've been having to deal with a speeding arms race ever since. Hell, he's made it clear that the Geneva Convention is toast, as far as he's concerned. This sort of thing doesn't exactly increase global stability.

If countries start believing that any agreement with the US only lasts till the next election, they'll simply stop dealing with us entirely.

[former9thward]

22. They will never stop dealing with the largest economy and strongest military in the world.

No matter who is president or what they do. That is just real politics on the world stage.

[chowmama]

19. There are some shows on it I can't listen to anymore

Especially Marketplace. Many years ago, the host was interviewing someone about the latest scandals of insider trading and other financial chicaneries by upper executives and owners. The interviewee was sympathetic to the accused and actually said "maybe if they were allowed to take more money from the businesses, they wouldn't feel compelled to steal." The interviewer said not one word in response.

I haven't listened to it since, even though it's on when I'm driving home. If it's NPR and financial, they aren't talking to people like me.

Science Friday, on the other hand, is a delight.