How the US Press Corps Lost Its Way

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/How-the-US-Press-Corps-Los-by-Robert-Parry-110311-313.html

The eulogies for Washington Post columnist David Broder and the chaos surrounding National Public Radio have coincided as an unintended commentary on what went wrong with the U.S. news media.

For different reasons, Broder, who died Wednesday at the age of 81, and NPR, which is scrambling to save its federal funding, came to reflect the timidity of American mainstream journalism, unwilling or unable to challenge the corruption of the status quo.

Broder personified the cult of centrism, a faith in "The System" that ignored how hollowed out its institutions had become, at least in terms of any moral or democratic values.

NPR, with its endless attempts to mollify conservatives, demonstrated how slippery the slope can be when a price tag is put on journalism. As NPR slides ever downward in its frantic attempts to appease the Republican House majority -- most recently with a cascade of resignations -- it's hard not to conclude that radio network may not be worth saving.

More at the link --

[malaise]

1. MUST READ

Should be sent to everyone in the media

[moondust]

2. Appeasement doesn't work.

And may end very badly.

See: Neville Chamberlain.

[LiberalAndProud]

3. "may not be worth saving"

It would seem that I am not alone in my thought that perhaps NPR funding is a budget concession not too painful to make. This isn't a thought I would have entertained ten years ago.

[DURHAM D]

4. Yep - I turned off NPR in the run up to the Iraq invasion.

Never turned it back on.

[underpants]

5. I didn't know that Broder died

[Tippy]

6. K&R.....network may not be worth saving.

very true....NPR has been bought and paid for....the few that could be trusted are resigning....We are becoming more like a communist country every day

[SpiralHawk]

7. Corporate media is so on bended knee

Pathetic. They have no cred...serve only their corporate masters, not the public...

[emulatorloo]

8. Good article, thanks for posting it. n/t

[mistertrickster]

9. Yup. When Broder wasn't totally vapid, he was status quo, generally both at

the same time.

[spanone]

10. k&r...

[Kat45]

11. Good article. n/t