[Peace-discuss] [sf-core] Fwd: Save NPR and PBS
David Johnson
dlj725 at hughes.net
Sun Feb 13 11:37:20 CST 2011
"Back to the NPR issue, I think Urbana-Champaign is really lucky to have WEFT and WRFU. Given those two media outlets, it can be easy to say that WILL is shit, and why do we need it anyway, when we have two really great community stations there already. I grew up in rural North Dakota. Radio options there were 20 different Clear Channel stations or one NPR. I'd hate to leave those folks with nothing but distilled corporate media. I should also note that one of the two NPR stations here actively promotes and produces community developed content, with maybe 30-40% of their weekday airtime going towards locally produced programming. Without NPR support, that station couldn't keep the lights on, and if they went that would mean a significant loss to the local media infrastructure here. "
Well Damien, you made an extremely convincing arguement with the above paragraph alone !
Just to clarify, C-U's local WILL PBS radio station is not bad and actually quite good at times compared to the national NPR, which I still contend is NOT much different in their promotion of corporate propoganda and the exclusion of alternative viewpoints as CNN, FOX, et,al. The only difference is the intellectual style and fluff.
I do NOT want to advocate for elimination of CPB as some seem to have interpreted, I want the elimination of corporate funding, and in that regard, I am stating that in it's present form I could care less if the corporate funded and controlled NPR goes under.
I would advocate that local PBS should be preserved and influenced by the community and in addition more support for FREE SPEECH TV, LINK and Al Jazeera at the national level.
David J.
----- Original Message -----
From: Damien Mathew
To: David Johnson
Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2011 6:14 PM
Subject: Re: [sf-core] Fwd: Save NPR and PBS
So, if I understand correctly, your objections to NPR are that they are occasionally biased and that they are undemocratic. Is that right?
Well, if we rage against every non-democratic institution in the country, we'll soon drive ourselves crazy. As a publicly-funded corporation, NPR is responsive to public demand in a way that fully private corporations are not. They are dependent on sympathetic lawmakers to secure funding, and those representatives can be swayed by mass protests or actions.
That they might be biased on occasion could be said for any media outlet that offers commentary. If we are going to object to all media with which we don't always agree 100% then we aren't asking for news we're demanding propaganda. A free democratic society requires an open forum for ideas to be vetted.
As for your claims that there is no such thing as a political left or right, I have to disagree. Of course every individual will have different beliefs and ideas. We aren't perfectly divided between the lefts and the rights. This is as it should be. To say that because there isn't this perfect division of beliefs between individuals implies that there is no left and right is not correct. Even to say that there are characteristic beliefs that are left or right may not be fully correct.. or at least often correct but not for the right reasons. What distinguishes a left ideology or belief from a right has to do with the logic behind the rationalization of the ideology. Left beliefs or ideologies are "dialectical" in that they are based on the concept of a class struggle that drives the progress of history. Right ideologies generally ignore the existence of class, or at least deny the role of class in the progress and development of history. For the rightist, history is made by great men (and in their minds rarely women) who led the masses.
So, let's take the example of gun control. A rightist believes that the state should not limit an individual's right to own firearms, because he/she doesn't want the state to limit any individual rights (lest one of those individuals happen to be a Great Man/Woman who's achievement would be tempered by the interference of the state). A leftist could just as easily rationalize the necessity for ensuring the right to bear arms, but base this rationalization on the the class struggle and the need to ensure that should the struggle devolve into armed confrontation the side of progress/revolution will be able to effect a meaningful opposition to the counter-revolutionary forces.
Back to the NPR issue, I think Urbana-Champaign is really lucky to have WEFT and WRFU. Given those two media outlets, it can be easy to say that WILL is shit, and why do we need it anyway, when we have two really great community stations there already. I grew up in rural North Dakota. Radio options there were 20 different Clear Channel stations or one NPR. I'd hate to leave those folks with nothing but distilled corporate media. I should also note that one of the two NPR stations here actively promotes and produces community developed content, with maybe 30-40% of their weekday airtime going towards locally produced programming. Without NPR support, that station couldn't keep the lights on, and if they went that would mean a significant loss to the local media infrastructure here.
On Sat, Feb 12, 2011 at 11:53 AM, David Johnson <dlj725 at hughes.net> wrote:
How have you been Damien ?
Yeah, IF, NPR / PBS could be 100 % viewer - listener and publicly funded, with a voter elected independent Board of Directors, I would be all for it !
I beg to differ with you however about it's content and news coverage being " even handed " , merely because it angers people on the " Right and the Left ".
The reality of the world at the moment is not so much " Right and Left " , it is pro-corporate vs. pro community / democracy.
Not to say there are not real differences in the anti-corporate community.
For instance, I consider my self as being on the Left, yet I am opposed to gun control. There are many people who consider themselves " conservatives " or even on the Right who are ; opposed to the wars and occupation of Iraq and Afganistan, NAFTA and the entire WTO / IMF / World Bank global economic system, the Patriot Act and other anti-civil liberty laws.
Another example is the supposed Left / Right coalition in support of net neutrality and the licensing of low power and community stations. Because of this coalition existence does NOT make the FCC et,al " even handed ".
Hope all is well with you
David Johnson
----- Original Message -----
From: Damien Mathew
To: David Johnson
Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2011 7:44 AM
Subject: Re: [sf-core] Fwd: Save NPR and PBS
Yeah, the Howard Zinn thing was really upsetting, but the fact that both the left and the right have issues with NPR suggests that they are (for the most part) even-handed in their analysis. The problem you mention with their bias leading from corporate funding would be alleviated by increasing public funding. I like the idea of having a publicly owned and operated media outlet, and want it to continue. I don't need a news source that I agree with 100% of the time, but I want a major nationwide outlet that is as free as possible from the sway of corporate influence. NPR and PBS can be that, and they aren't too far from that mark. I want them to be strengthened.
On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 11:11 PM, David Johnson <dlj725 at hughes.net> wrote:
I have had no use for NPR ( National Public Radio ) and PBS TV for quite some time.
Cases in point....
The propoganda campaign they aired when Reagan died a few years ago ( may his soul rot in hell ) that presented Reagan as an idolized icon, with NO counter view of Reagan and his disasterous foreign ( can you say " war crimes " ) policy and his disasterous neo-liberal / neo-conservative domestic policies.
Then there was the coverage of the People's Historian Howard Zinn when he died a little over a year ago. The ONLY view about Howard Zinn presented on NPR was the trash job on Zinn done by David Howoritz.
NPR is nothing but FOX " news " for the intelligencia.
The reason of course for NPR's de-evolution is the ever increasing reliance over the years on corporate funding.
I could care less if NPR goes off the air.
It would be one less corporate news outlet.
What suprises me is the large number of seemingly well educated and supposedly " compasionate and progressive " people who still listen to NPR's corpoarte trash and consider it an " opposition " and " objective " news source.
David J.
----- Original Message ----- From: "C. G. ESTABROOK" <cge at shout.net>
To: "Belden Fields" <a-fields at uiuc.edu>
Cc: "Walter Feinberg" <wfeinber at illinois.edu>; "Fred Coombs Fred Coombs" <coombs at rainbowtel.net>; "SFcore" <sf-core at yahoogroups.com>; <sadougla at illinois.edu>
Sent: Friday, February 11, 2011 9:01 PM
Subject: Re: [sf-core] Fwd: Save NPR and PBS
National Propaganda Radio? Why?
NPR reports on Obama's war in the Mideast probably don't differ formally from
official Russian accounts during their invasion of Afghanistan. They would have
discussed how can we get victory, how can we destroy the terrorists, will this
tactic work, will that tactic work, we're losing too many soldiers and so on. We
assume that no one in the official Russian media asked, Do we have a right to
invade another country? And of course NPR doesn't do that either.
But NPR has far less excuse. With media under totalitarian control, if you said
the wrong thing you'd go off to the gulag. Here it's just willing subordination
to power. The result is no main-stream journalism - even (particularly?) NPR -
that goes beyond the college newspaper cheering for the home team.
Chris Hedges prefaces his important new book, "The Death of the Liberal Class,"
with a passage from Orwell's suppressed introduction to Animal Farm:
"At any given moment there is an orthodoxy, a body of ideas which it is
assumed that all right-thinking people will accept without question. It is not
exactly forbidden to say this, that or the other, but it is 'not done' to say
it, just as in mid-Victorian times it was 'not done' to mention trousers in the
presence of a lady. Anyone who challenges the prevailing orthodoxy finds himself
silenced with surprising effectiveness. A genuinely unfashionable opinion is
almost never given a fair hearing, either in the popular press or in the
highbrow periodicals" - and, he might have added, on highbrow radio.
During the presidential campaign Obama said that the spectrum of discussion in
the United States extends between two crazy extremes, Rush Limbaugh and NPR. The
truth, he said, is in the middle and that is where he is going to be - in the
middle, between the crazies.
Obama has a way of telling the truth about his right-wing politics, certain that
no one will hear him. NPR certainly won't tell.
On 2/11/11 7:55 PM, Belden Fields wrote:
Begin forwarded message:
*From: *Troy Burks <burkstroy at yahoo.com <mailto:burkstroy at yahoo.com>>
*Date: *February 11, 2011 1:28:18 PM CST
*To: *A EL-Jamal <sbygrace at yahoo.com <mailto:sbygrace at yahoo.com>>, Aaron
Ammons <livingsoul at sbcglobal.net <mailto:livingsoul at sbcglobal.net>>, Andre
Arrington <aarrington at DMBGC-CU.ORG <mailto:aarrington at DMBGC-CU.ORG>>, Angela
Barbee <evansbarbee at yahoo.com <mailto:evansbarbee at yahoo.com>>, Anna Henry
<aphenry27 at gmail.com <mailto:aphenry27 at gmail.com>>, Arthur Culver
<culverar at champaignschools.org <mailto:culverar at champaignschools.org>>,
Barbara kessel <barkes at gmail.com <mailto:barkes at gmail.com>>, Barbara Gillespie
<bggillespie at sbcglobal.net <mailto:bggillespie at sbcglobal.net>>, Belden Fields
<a-fields at uiuc.edu <mailto:a-fields at uiuc.edu>>, Ben Rothschild
<rothsch2 at gmail.com <mailto:rothsch2 at gmail.com>>, Benita Gay
<bgay at communityelements.org <mailto:bgay at communityelements.org>>, Bernice
Harrington <bharring at illinois.edu <mailto:bharring at illinois.edu>>, Bill
<hardheadent at vzw.blackberry.net <mailto:hardheadent at vzw.blackberry.net>>,
Brandon Bowersox <brandonbowersox at gmail.com
<mailto:brandonbowersox at gmail.com>>, Brian Dolinar <briandolinar at gmail.com
<mailto:briandolinar at gmail.com>>, Byron Clark <byroncl at gmail.com
<mailto:byroncl at gmail.com>>, carol ammons <carolammons at gmail.com
<mailto:carolammons at gmail.com>>, Carol Inskeep <carolinskeep at yahoo.com
<mailto:carolinskeep at yahoo.com>>, Charlie Smyth <csmyth at sbcglobal.net
<mailto:csmyth at sbcglobal.net>>, Chris Hamb <chrishamb at chrishamb.com
<mailto:chrishamb at chrishamb.com>>, Claire Cape <claire.kirkcape351 at gmail.com
<mailto:claire.kirkcape351 at gmail.com>>, Cope Cumpston <cope.c at comcast.net
<mailto:cope.c at comcast.net>>, "Craig Walker cwsierramar at aol.com
<mailto:cwsierramar at aol.com>" <cwalker at Brv-llc.com
<mailto:cwalker at Brv-llc.com>>, Crystal Thomas <crystal_s_thomas at hotmail.com
<mailto:crystal_s_thomas at hotmail.com>>, CU Greg Square <gsquare at parkland.edu
<mailto:gsquare at parkland.edu>>, CU Toriano Harvey <t.harvey.4 at hotmail.com
<mailto:t.harvey.4 at hotmail.com>>, Danielle Chynoweth
<danielle at prometheusradio.org <mailto:danielle at prometheusradio.org>>, Danis
Pelmore <Danispelmore at comcast.net <mailto:Danispelmore at comcast.net>>, Debarah
McFarland <DMcFarland at DMBGC-CU.ORG <mailto:DMcFarland at DMBGC-CU.ORG>>, Dennis
Roberts <drobertscitycouncil at yahoo.com
<mailto:drobertscitycouncil at yahoo.com>>, Diane Marlin <marlindiane at gmail.com
<mailto:marlindiane at gmail.com>>
*Subject: **Fw: Save NPR and PBS*
--- On *Fri, 2/11/11, Daniel Mintz, MoveOn.org Political Action
/<moveon-help at list.moveon.org <mailto:moveon-help at list.moveon.org>>/* wrote:
From: Daniel Mintz, MoveOn.org Political Action
<moveon-help at list.moveon.org <mailto:moveon-help at list.moveon.org>>
Subject: Save NPR and PBS
To: "Rev. Troy A. Burks" <burkstroy at yahoo.com <mailto:burkstroy at yahoo.com>>
Date: Friday, February 11, 2011, 7:07 PM
<http://pol.moveon.org/nprpbs/?id=26078-17377114-0nf7g3x&t=1>"Congress
must protect NPR and PBS and guarantee them permanent funding, free from
political meddling."
<http://pol.moveon.org/nprpbs/?id=26078-17377114-0nf7g3x&t=1>
Sign the petition
<http://pol.moveon.org/nprpbs/?id=26078-17377114-0nf7g3x&t=2>
Dear MoveOn member,
I guess we shouldn't be surprised.
With Republicans back in charge of the House of Representatives, *funding
for NPR and PBS is in grave danger.* Again.
The Republicans just released their budget proposal, and it *zeroes out
funding for both NPR and PBS*—the worst proposal in more than a decade.^1
They probably think that no one will notice these cuts in the midst of so
many others. But the millions of listeners and viewers who rely on public
broadcasting for "Sesame Street," "All Things Considered," and independent
journalism will notice.
We need to tell Republicans that cutting off funding was unacceptable last
time they were in charge, and it's unacceptable now.
Add your name to the petition to save NPR and PBS
<http://pol.moveon.org/nprpbs/?id=26078-17377114-0nf7g3x&t=3>
The petition says: "/Congress must protect NPR and PBS and guarantee them
permanent funding, free from political meddling./"
Thanks for all you do.
–Daniel, Amy, Michael, Wes, and the rest of the team
1. "Beyond Reason on the Budget," /The New York Times/, February 10, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/opinion/11fri1.html
Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 5 million
members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny
staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here
<https://pol.moveon.org/donate/email.html?id=26078-17377114-0nf7g3x&t=5>.
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