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Not like a daily kos, more like a sometime sloth. Fast relief from the symptoms of blogarrhea and predicated on the understanding that the world is not a stage for our actions, rather it is a living organism upon which we depend for our existence.
NPR spins into bushes
To listen to National Public Radio (NPR) one might think last night's so-called presidential debate was a draw. However, in the real world, viewers and listeners in the U.S. called it like they saw it. Flash polls and post-debate surveys show the consistent view that Kerry came away the victor. Had the event been an actual bonafide debate, the results might have been even more obvious.
While the usual suspects in the corporate media, operations like CBS or NBC, showed overwhelming viewer poll results favoring Kerry, NPR reporters like Scott Horsley were "not sure". Horsley, NPR's Kerry campaign reporter, used that expression four times in his post-debate observation with Linda Worthiemer. He claimed that Kerry really only landed "one punch" and that he, Horsley, was "not sure" Kerry's defense of his position on Iraq "was going to wash any better than it did in the months behind us". Prior to Horsley's repeated uncertainties, (or perhaps poorly crafted intimations), NPR's Bush campaign follower, Don Gonyea, claimed that the "President's handlers were quite pleased". Perhaps those handlers were trying hard to put a bright face on what a vast majority of viewers felt was a miserable showing by Mr. Bush. Perhaps NPR correspondents were trying to do the same.
Compounding what looked more like partisan spin than reporting, NPR's lead off this morning was something to the effect that "Kerry matched up well to the president". Say what? Matched up well? You've got to be kidding. Other than the hopelessly indoctrinated Bush partisans who registered in the 30's and low 40's in the surveys, the viewing and listening public knew a mis-match when they saw it. Kerry walked away with last night's debate.
NPR is fast becoming an irrelevant news source in the 21st century. If even the corporate networks, hardly the bastions of impartiality, come closer to the realities on the ground than the wonks at NPR, what does that tell us about the ongoing decline on the left end of the dial? The long slow slide of shows like "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition" down the memory hole of perception management just became more apparent. What a shame. They used to be so much better. The fact that listeners actually contribute to being misinformed by NPR makes it all that much worse.
While the usual suspects in the corporate media, operations like CBS or NBC, showed overwhelming viewer poll results favoring Kerry, NPR reporters like Scott Horsley were "not sure". Horsley, NPR's Kerry campaign reporter, used that expression four times in his post-debate observation with Linda Worthiemer. He claimed that Kerry really only landed "one punch" and that he, Horsley, was "not sure" Kerry's defense of his position on Iraq "was going to wash any better than it did in the months behind us". Prior to Horsley's repeated uncertainties, (or perhaps poorly crafted intimations), NPR's Bush campaign follower, Don Gonyea, claimed that the "President's handlers were quite pleased". Perhaps those handlers were trying hard to put a bright face on what a vast majority of viewers felt was a miserable showing by Mr. Bush. Perhaps NPR correspondents were trying to do the same.
Compounding what looked more like partisan spin than reporting, NPR's lead off this morning was something to the effect that "Kerry matched up well to the president". Say what? Matched up well? You've got to be kidding. Other than the hopelessly indoctrinated Bush partisans who registered in the 30's and low 40's in the surveys, the viewing and listening public knew a mis-match when they saw it. Kerry walked away with last night's debate.
NPR is fast becoming an irrelevant news source in the 21st century. If even the corporate networks, hardly the bastions of impartiality, come closer to the realities on the ground than the wonks at NPR, what does that tell us about the ongoing decline on the left end of the dial? The long slow slide of shows like "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition" down the memory hole of perception management just became more apparent. What a shame. They used to be so much better. The fact that listeners actually contribute to being misinformed by NPR makes it all that much worse.
posted by D.O. | 6:44 AM
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