F
FredLeonard
Guest
This charge is frequently made here, generally without specifics or substantiation. People who make it seem to hold it as self-evident truth.
Is NPR biased? By NPR, in this context, I mean the networks morning and afternoon news magazine programs (Morning Edition and All Things Considered).
Bias: Noun. a particular tendency or inclination, especially one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question; prejudice.
Sociologist Gaye Tuchman, in her ground breaking study of news organizations as work places, found that news people are faced with often unexpected or emergency situations and have to make them routine in order to deal with them quickly and effectively. To do this, news people have set of implicit and explicit news categories, which are generally agreed upon and understood. Stories are assigned to categories and then handled in a specific way - the same way other stories in that category were handled previously.
NPR handles political stories based on equivalency. He said; she said. There are two (and only two) sides. Both are given equal weight. Because of political pressure from conservatives in congress or at the CPB, NPR is sometimes accused of giving undue weight to the conservative position. To the extent NPR personnel show their own preferences, it is in position. The favored position is presented last, following the word "but" and with points made in the first position specifically refuted.
NPR has a particular interest in group identity and victimization of group members. NPR stories often assume that when a member of a designated victim/entitlement group faces any kind of personal set-back, it is the result of overt prejudice against the group to which that person belongs. Whenever possible, NPR prefers to have reporters/interviewers who are also members of the group in question provide sympathetic coverage. Women cover women. Hispanics cover Hispanics. NPR devotes an arguably inordinate amount of time to such topics.
NPR's obsession with race, gender, ethnicity and gender preference is reflected in its Code Switch and Race Project teams which have been singled out for special criticism, including by CPB's Ombudsman.
When a White male's accomplishment is reported, it's a personal accomplishment. All other accomplishments are victories for a particular identity group. Contrast NPR's stories on Baba Wawa's retirement and Mike Wallace's passing.
NPR has a special interest in high concept cable dramas (especially on HBO) and covers them deeply, while ignoring other - possibly more popular and influential - programming.
NPR presents myths, folklore, superstitions and religious dogmas of various primitive or indigenous people (American Indians, in particular) as factual.
NPR personnel use Apple products and seem to live in an Apple-centric universe. Iphone, Ipad and Ipod are frequently used as generic terms in NPR stories and Apple products are often singled out for special mention in more general coverage of technology issues.
NPR has a special fondness for nostalgia-laced David and Goliath stories about business struggling to keep going in a changing business environment (not unlike terrestrial radio). Last week NPR carried multiple stories about the trials of one brick and mortar bookstore.
I don't assume NPR is trying to produce "propaganda" to extol their views. More likely, they operate in very insular organization culture where some ideas and viewpoints are beyond question. But based on the dictionary definition, yes, NPR is biased.
It's too bad no one else in broadcasting is doing serious and in-depth news.
Is NPR biased? By NPR, in this context, I mean the networks morning and afternoon news magazine programs (Morning Edition and All Things Considered).
Bias: Noun. a particular tendency or inclination, especially one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question; prejudice.
Sociologist Gaye Tuchman, in her ground breaking study of news organizations as work places, found that news people are faced with often unexpected or emergency situations and have to make them routine in order to deal with them quickly and effectively. To do this, news people have set of implicit and explicit news categories, which are generally agreed upon and understood. Stories are assigned to categories and then handled in a specific way - the same way other stories in that category were handled previously.
NPR handles political stories based on equivalency. He said; she said. There are two (and only two) sides. Both are given equal weight. Because of political pressure from conservatives in congress or at the CPB, NPR is sometimes accused of giving undue weight to the conservative position. To the extent NPR personnel show their own preferences, it is in position. The favored position is presented last, following the word "but" and with points made in the first position specifically refuted.
NPR has a particular interest in group identity and victimization of group members. NPR stories often assume that when a member of a designated victim/entitlement group faces any kind of personal set-back, it is the result of overt prejudice against the group to which that person belongs. Whenever possible, NPR prefers to have reporters/interviewers who are also members of the group in question provide sympathetic coverage. Women cover women. Hispanics cover Hispanics. NPR devotes an arguably inordinate amount of time to such topics.
NPR's obsession with race, gender, ethnicity and gender preference is reflected in its Code Switch and Race Project teams which have been singled out for special criticism, including by CPB's Ombudsman.
When a White male's accomplishment is reported, it's a personal accomplishment. All other accomplishments are victories for a particular identity group. Contrast NPR's stories on Baba Wawa's retirement and Mike Wallace's passing.
NPR has a special interest in high concept cable dramas (especially on HBO) and covers them deeply, while ignoring other - possibly more popular and influential - programming.
NPR presents myths, folklore, superstitions and religious dogmas of various primitive or indigenous people (American Indians, in particular) as factual.
NPR personnel use Apple products and seem to live in an Apple-centric universe. Iphone, Ipad and Ipod are frequently used as generic terms in NPR stories and Apple products are often singled out for special mention in more general coverage of technology issues.
NPR has a special fondness for nostalgia-laced David and Goliath stories about business struggling to keep going in a changing business environment (not unlike terrestrial radio). Last week NPR carried multiple stories about the trials of one brick and mortar bookstore.
I don't assume NPR is trying to produce "propaganda" to extol their views. More likely, they operate in very insular organization culture where some ideas and viewpoints are beyond question. But based on the dictionary definition, yes, NPR is biased.
It's too bad no one else in broadcasting is doing serious and in-depth news.