NPR Adds Editorial Oversight

[davideduardo]

So now we're back to hiring decisions based on political party. BTW NPR isn't the only news organization that receives federal funds.

But it is the major domestic-targeted audio content one.

The Voice of America is FULLY funded by taxpayers. Yet no one has demanded to know the political parties of anyone at VOA. Probably because they have no idea it even exists.

Or because they know that the VOA programs to international audiences who do not vote in American Elections.

VOA reporting about "things" in the USA tend to cover subjects that are not political, whether they be social, economic or cultural.

 

[TheBigA]

Or because they know that the VOA programs to international audiences who do not vote in American Elections.

I thought the issue was about unbiased reporting and taxpayer funding. Not about influencing elections. Whoops!

VOA reporting about "things" in the USA tend to cover subjects that are not political, whether they be social, economic or cultural.

Although they did cover the Hunter Biden laptop story, and referred to it as an ''October Surprise.''

I think the way NPR News is going to end up handling this is by eliminating any political coverage other than strictly saying this or that happened without any detail.

 

[gr8oldies]

If they hope to eliminate criticism over news bias, their new oversight team can start by disclosing who is funding them. That would be actual transparency.

"In NPR News, Donald Trump leads polling in all 50 states, after massive crowds come to see him at a series of rallies". O...k

 

[TheBigA]

NPR News has hired someone for editorial oversight:

Thomas Evans

National Public Radio (NPR) has named Thomas Evans Managing Editor of Editorial Review. Evans joins the network after serving as VP and London Bureau Chief at CNN for nearly eight

www.insideradio.com

 

[TheBigA]

When NPR announced this editorial oversight back in May, they also said the funding for it came from an anonymous donor.

Now it's been revealed (to no one's surprise) that source is CPB:

CPB provides $1.9M to bolster editorial oversight at NPR

The grant follows NPR’s earlier plan to create a “Backstop” team to review news reporting.

current.org

 

[Theater of My Mind]

When NPR announced this editorial oversight back in May, they also said the funding for it came from an anonymous donor.

Now it's been revealed (to no one's surprise) that source is CPB

Well it's to some people's surprise because they kept it a secret. What was the reason for that? Seems like it should have been welcomed as a good thing all along but keeping it anonymous just raised questions and suspicions.

 

[TheBigA]

Well it's to some people's surprise because they kept it a secret. What was the reason for that? Seems like it should have been welcomed as a good thing all along but keeping it anonymous just raised questions and suspicions.

It's up to CPB to make that announcement, not NPR. When the announcement came, it came from CPB. It's their money, and they decide how and when the announcement is made.

 

[fybush]

It's up to CPB to make that announcement, not NPR. When the announcement came, it came from CPB. It's their money, and they decide how and when the announcement is made.

I'm not sure I agree.

NPR can set its own standards for how it handles significant donations. If its leadership decides that accepting a large anonymous donation might raise questions about the impartiality of its news product (and there's good reason to think it might), NPR would be entirely within its rights to tell a donor it will only accept funding if its source is disclosed.

And as an actual government-funded entity, everything CPB does should be disclosed transparently.

(Disclaimer: I am an occasional freelance contributor to NPR News. These are solely my opinions.)

 

[TheBigA]

NPR would be entirely within its rights to tell a donor it will only accept funding if its source is disclosed.

Which is what happened. What they received last spring was a pledge. But the actual grant didn't come until now, and that's when it was disclosed.

The grant came at the same time as several others, so that leads me to believe this is the normal timetable for CPB grants.

CPB Awards $1.9 Million to NPR for Editorial Enhancement

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 18, 2024) -- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) has awarded a $1.9 million grant to NPR to help further strengthen its editorial operations and meet the challenges of producing 24/7 news content on multiple platforms that consistently adheres to the highest...

www.cpb.org

In an earlier article I posted in this thread, the source of the funding was referred to in this way:

Chapin, upon being pressed on the matter by Michel Martin, a host of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” declined to identify the source. Chapin, however, did say during an editorial meeting at NPR’s Washington, D.C. headquarters that the funder’s identity wouldn’t come as a surprise to NPR’s editorial staff.

At the time, I thought it might be CPB, and I was right.