NPR-Subtly Biased

qtegirl

This morning, just as every morning, I was listening to NPR on my way to work. They were reporting the news that Europe, US, UN and Russia were resuming talks of the peace process in the Middle East. The reported said (I'm paraphrasing) that "this is the first such meeting since the hostile takeover of the Gaza strip by Hamas".

Anyone that hears that would thing that Hamas overthrew whoever was governing Gaza. However, this is a biased version of the events. Hamas was the elected government and they were fighting Fatah forces sponsored by the US and Israel. Yes, Hamas had to fight to keep control of Gaza, but it was Fatah who was trying to overthrow the elected government, not the other way around. A casual listener would not realize that from NPR's report.

What this shows is that NPR is following the government's line that Hamas is a terrorrist organization, not the elected government that the Palestinians chose for themselves after democratic elections, which were independently certified by international observers. Somehow those little details get often lost in corporate reporting, as well as national public radio.

John Budge

Hamas and Fatah had entered into a power sharing agreement back in March of this year. Hamas decided to ignore that agreement and take full control of the government.

69charger

qtegirl wrote:

What this shows is that NPR is following the government's line that Hamas is a terrorrist organization, not the elected government that the Palestinians chose for themselves after democratic elections, which were independently certified by international observers. Somehow those little details get often lost in corporate reporting, as well as national public radio.

So, by that rationale, if we elect an all KKK government that somehow makes the KKK not a racist organization?

qtegirl

69charger wrote:

So, by that rationale, if we elect an all KKK government that somehow makes the KKK not a racist organization?

Yeah... that's EXACTLY what I meant.

tybird

NPR=National Picko Radio.........:D

Milestone

tybird wrote:

NPR=National Picko Radio.........:D

I don't know what this means.

inmytree

qtegirl wrote:

This morning, just as every morning, I was listening to NPR on my way to work. They were reporting the news that Europe, US, UN and Russia were resuming talks of the peace process in the Middle East. The reported said (I'm paraphrasing) that "this is the first such meeting since the hostile takeover of the Gaza strip by Hamas".

Anyone that hears that would thing that Hamas overthrew whoever was governing Gaza. However, this is a biased version of the events. Hamas was the elected government and they were fighting Fatah forces sponsored by the US and Israel. Yes, Hamas had to fight to keep control of Gaza, but it was Fatah who was trying to overthrow the elected government, not the other way around. A casual listener would not realize that from NPR's report.

What this shows is that NPR is following the government's line that Hamas is a terrorrist organization, not the elected government that the Palestinians chose for themselves after democratic elections, which were independently certified by international observers. Somehow those little details get often lost in corporate reporting, as well as national public radio.

NPR made some change in leadership in recent years...and it does seem to lean more to the right...

here is an article that discusses this...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/03/AR2005110302235.html

tybird

Milestone wrote:

I don't know what this means.

Picko is slang for communist. It is an old joke, after all.

fragileblake

Don't you mean pinko?

John Budge

tybird wrote:

Picko is slang for communist. It is an old joke, after all.

Isn't it pinko?

fragileblake

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinko

?

tybird

fragileblake wrote:

Don't you mean pinko?

Yes......it's early for me. I need to check this computer for typos.

qtegirl

inmytree wrote:

NPR made some change in leadership in recent years...and it does seem to lean more to the right...

here is an article that discusses this...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/03/AR2005110302235.html

Thanks for the link. I'll read it later. But I remember a year ago NPR was defending itself on the air from acusations that their reporting on the Israel/Palestine conflict too often empathized more with the Palestinians than the Israelis.

I wonder if as a result, they've started leaning in the oder direction to avoid more flak.

callen

qtegirl wrote:

Thanks for the link. I'll read it later. But I remember a year ago NPR was defending itself on the air from acusations that their reporting on the Israel/Palestine conflict too often empathized more with the Palestinians than the Israelis.

I wonder if as a result, they've started leaning in the oder direction to avoid more flak.

the Bush administration wanted to force NPR to show more balanced views.....think they even appointed someone to head NPR or something like that...also threatened, or did reduce federal funding.

Still the most accurate news we have.....freakin Frontline is great....tells it like it is.

callen

tybird wrote:

Yes......it's early for me. I need to check this computer for typos.

No wonder the fellas won't visit you..... (-:

tybird

callen wrote:

No wonder the fellas won't visit you..... (-:

Yeah.......our computers got typos.

drivingrl

http://www.npr.org/templates/contact/index.php?columnId=2781901

drivingrl

callen wrote:

the Bush administration wanted to force NPR to show more balanced views.....think they even appointed someone to head NPR or something like that...also threatened, or did reduce federal funding.

Only one way to solve that problem:

http://www.kuhf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=main_support_donor

callen

drivingrl wrote:

Only one way to solve that problem:

http://www.kuhf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=main_support_donor

so true...and do support it.