NPR is required listening for liberals, right? In fact, it's nothing but a liberal sounding board, right?
Maybe it's time to rethink that. Here's an example. Every Monday morning on Morning Edition they call Cokie Roberts and she gets to blather on about her view of what's happening in the news. She actually does it from her house, and she can pretty much say anything she wants.
Today one of her key topics was health care, and Cokie's disquisition included the following statement:
Let me just repeat that:
And they make a big deal about something that distracts and frightens the voters like those so-called death panels, then the Democrats drop that . . .
I'm sure she thinks she's being fair and balanced because she said “so-called”, thus imparting a note of skepticism. But this is inadequate. What she said was that the death panels were in the bill until the Republicans made a big deal about them, and then the Democrats dropped them. In other words, the Democrats' plan was to kill your grandmother and Sarah Palin's baby.
How about telling the truth: the Republicans made it all up. There are no death panels, so-called or not. It's all a big lie by the Republicans.
I don't know about you, but I think the job of journalists goes beyond parroting what the various sides say, and extends to actually reporting the facts. Of course, Roberts didn't even do that. She didn't resort to the old reliable, “he said, she said” formulation. If you listened to her commentary, not only would you get no idea of what the truth is you would get no idea of what the Democrats say about the Republican claim about death panels.
And this is what passes for a respected journalist in this country?
a hack
decades of schmoozing with insiders guarantees that she cannot (will not) speak truth to power
As a footnote, it is interesting to note that Cokie was born a Boggs, daughter of former U.S. House Majority Leader Hale Boggs and former U.S. Rep. Lindy Boggs. Therefore, she was literally born into the power elite, and she continues to serve it well.
I agree with the observation that schmoozing with the insiders certainly has the great potential to compromise a journalist. For instance, for all the post-mortem tributes to Tim Russert, I believe he was part of the problem and not the solution. It makes one truly appreciate what a treasure Bill Moyers is. I don’t know how he did it, but he certainly has remembered that aphorism about “afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted.”
it’s the so-called round Earth
However, I think it’s possible to read into what Cokie was saying and conclude that it is generally true of the process that happens with the bipartisan Democratic crowd. Using the “so-called death panels” was a poor way of illustrating her point, but if you take out the “like those so-called death panels”, the statement holds true most of the time.
… I am not surprised. I recommend that you take a look at some of the critical comments on stories/reporting on the “new” NPR.org site, too. I’ve seen quite a few Vermonters’ comments that are not complimentary.
You all may be interested in bookmarking
NPRCheck, which critiques the right-wing establishment stance
of “National Polite Republicans.”
http://nprcheck.blogspot.com/
Cokie Roberts is just obnoxious. NPR gets analysis and news reports from Fox shills Juan Williams and Mara Liasson, too. Three of the many reasons why I refuse to support “Vermont’s NPR station.”
One of the frustrating things about the “death panel” phrase is that many liberals have adopted the phrase, albeit ironically, to refer to the end of life counseling provision.
Sadly, many have used it much in the way that Cokie Roberts does it here.
Now, I really loathe Cokie Roberts and her vacuous NPR “analysis”. But in this instance, I think she is just once parroting insider short-hand, as usual.
Even Benen recently headlined a post “Republicans loved their death panels.” He goes on to clearly describe what he means, but there is that phrase referring the GOP support for end-of-life counseling.
And I’ve seen it used this way on Daily Kos, Huffington Post and elsewhere.
Can you say “tax relief”?
Yes, Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs Roberts (her full name) has been an insider since birth. Her Mom and Dad were both Members of Congress, and Mom was an ambassador. She is one of the Queens of the Village, and likes to make sure everyone knows it. A friend of mine, Jim Warren, used to be the chief of the Chicago Tribune DC bureau and regularly skewered her in his column. She merely sniffed that no one who was anybody paid attention to Jim.
But, for grins, watch Jane Hamsher, from Firedoglake, deliver a smackdown to the oh-so-well-entrenched Mary Martha Corinne. Check Jane’s blog and grab some popcorn.
Scaypgrayce
Here’s the link to the Jane-and-Cokie Show:
http://emptywheel.firedoglake….
during its breathless Whitewater co-conspirator years in the mid-90s.
NPR was grossly biased toward the GOP in the 90s. However, during the first couple of years after Mister Bush was socially promoted to president (2002-3 time frame), NPR went from biased to open advocacy for the GOP agenda.
NPR serves up essentially the same message that FOX news does. NPR couches their GOP advocacy in language designed for their target audience just like FOX packages their GOP advocacy to fit their brain damaged demographic.
Renee Montange and Steve Inskeep might as well be broadcasting from RNC headquarters because their morning scripts read like Republican marching orders.
NPR’s news operation is trash.
Well, it’s worked. Obama’s health care proposals are now dead in the water. that’s it for reform once again.