Brent Bozell
Recommend this article


Even when the Daily Caller posted sting video of their top fundraiser Ron Schiller describing America as remarkably undereducated and the Republicans as ruined by racist, gun-toting, phony Christians, NPR's reaction was repeating Sentence One: Who, us, biased?



This is some serious denial -- like arguing that if anyone doubts that Japan is a terrific spring vacation spot right now, they should just observe the TV news and see how wonderful it looks.






Most Republicans do want to focus simply on how NPR is an unnecessary federal expenditure because it's truer today than ever. In response, public broadcasters predictably cry that rural stations will shut down -- as if NPR really cares about those people they consider uneducated, less-than-Christian, gun-toting hayseeds.

Anyone who looks at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting grant budget knows the government offers scads of money to multiple NPR and PBS stations in urban areas. In the Baltimore-Washington TV market, there are three stations -- why three? -- that took almost $7.5 million in "community service grants" in 2009. The $4 million-plus given to D.C. superstation WETA is more money than TV stations receive in 19 states.

The public radio situation has even more pots in the fire, with three D.C. stations -- why three? -- and four Baltimore stations -- why four? -- taking another $2.2 million in 2009. If poor rural stations were so precious to CPB, couldn't they limit themselves to one station per market?

And why is allegedly suffering NPR building a 330,000-square foot headquarters in downtown D.C. right now, complete with roof terraces, a fitness center and a theater for live performances?

But NPR is also in denial about how evolving technology has ruined the argument of "scarcity" of news. Take NPR anchor Michele Norris asserting on Sunday's "Meet the Press" that if Republicans defunded the CPB, people in small towns in Indiana would no longer have news.

"These are small stations where people don't necessarily have access to news because a lot of the news stations and radio have fallen away. Take the state of Indiana. We just heard from Gov. Daniels. If public broadcasting went away, there are people in small towns, small stations, that would not have access to news."

Apparently, people in small-town Indiana don't have television, cable, satellite, newspapers or access to the Internet. Everyone's on a starvation media diet of nothing but NPR.


Recommend this article

Brent Bozell

©Creators Syndicate