DU Call to Action! NPR Marketplace - AEI

[johnaries]

I love NPR! I listen to it on the way to work and on the way home for work. On my way home from work, I especially love listening to the Marketplace segment. They do a wonderful job of "breaking it down" and explaining things for a poor working slob like me.

BUT, then, often I'll hear some "guest commentary" by some obviously partisan hack, who not only has some ridiculous spin but who will actively LIE about the current situation.

And then, the speaker wil be back-announced as a member of the American Enterprise Institute.

Now, I don't have to tell my fellow DUer's who and what the AEI is.

But, obviously, we need to educate NPR Marketplace on what a partisan, Bullshit organization it is. Because they keep broadcasting their bullshit without any type of fact-checking or repudiation whatsoever!

I think this calls for a major letter-writing campaign.

I would suggest pointing out what a partisan organization it is using SourceWatch, etc.,

BUT

rather than demanding they "pull" the AEI commentaries, I would rather they give us a chance to reply and expose the lies and spin. I think it is much better to expose a liar than to silence them. I would prefer that we demand a "rebuttal" to AEI's lies. Hell, they are so obvious that any of us could refute them, and I would be more than happy to do it myself. Although, if I were to vote for a rebuttal spokesperson, I would vote William Pitt.

Will Pitt would embarrass them so badly, they would give up quickly and abandon even trying to make these lying "commentaries".

One thing I do know, we cannot allow these lies to go unanswered!

[johnaries]

1. Seriously, am I the only one who has heard these and was pissed off?

For instance, today they blamed the whole auto industry collapse on "sweetheart deals" for the UAW. If you heard today's "commentary" and wasn't pissed off, well.....

[DKRC]

3. Haven't listened to NPR in years

There are people here who can give you chapter & verse what happened when to NPR. All I know is some time ago I realized I was saying Bullshit! to so much I was hearing on there that I quit tuning in to anything but Car Talk & Wait, Wait, Dont' Tell Me on those stations.
If I want to hear Repug talking points I can call my parents.

[spag68]

2. NPR

If you really want to get pissed off, watch c-span in the morning. They let the lies flow and they should know better.

[marybourg]

4. They'll be very happy to have you write in.

They know very well what the AEI is and they purposely have a spokesperson from left and (extreme) right to engender "spirited discussion", like your's just now. They believe that's how they build listener-ship.: shrug: (Listener since '73)

[Overseas]

5. NPR = Now Pushed to the Right

During the Bush Gang's Reign, the management was pushed too the Right. And there are still the legacy managers in place. Those Cheneyites leave lots of vestiges in the system.

They've been pushed to pretend balance means inclusion of RNC talking points, even if those are false. That has been going on since the early 2000's. I just gave up. And listen just occasionally these days.

Caught Seymour Hersch on Fresh Air today.

But yes please write in. Let them know some people are still trying to get some truth from the station and find those AEI spots revolting. (I don't hear any Socialist Worker spots to balance those out. Or even essays from The Nation.)

[marybourg]

7. Much of what you say is correct, but

this has actually been going on since '92 when they became terrified of the new right-wing GOP. To be fair, though, they *do* frequently have commentary from The Nation and Mother Jones, among other left-leaning media. It's just that to our ears, the "left-wing" folks sound normal and the right-wing folks sound extreme.

[Ikonoklast]

6. C'mon, those are the same guys Diane Rehm has cocktails with

every Friday evening, after a hard week's worth of soft-core propaganda for the lumpen proletariat that exist outside the Beltway.

They're all nice guys.

Ask her.

[mitchum]

8. Nice Polite Republicans...why bother?

[burythehatchet]

9. Funny.

They were doing their fund-raising drive and I was considering starting to give again since they got rid of that Repuke. Well just as I'm about to do it, an AEI clown comes and tells me how unions wrecked GM. Needless to say, no dough.