NPR has really nosedived over the past few years. Their
coverage is growing weak and they're turning ever more toward light
entertainment- style news. I find myself listening to it less and less.
Despite the fact that they're constantly decried as
'liberal', I've always found them to be more or less Establishment.
They're non-corporate which does make a big difference. I
think this is what has made them better than most mainstream news outlets. I
find everything from CNN to CBS to just be big jokes. They're not serious news
organizations. They're News-Entertainment outlets and then of course there's
FOX which is in an unbelievable category all its own.
I always think back to 2002... a pivotal year in terms of
cultural shift. The country was embracing fanaticism and madness as the Bush
administration put the propaganda and fear-mongering machines into high gear.
Learning that in reality they were planning at least half a
dozen wars, it makes sense. It all fell apart at country #2. They either
thought they could pull off the project (despite their lies) or they really and
truly were incredibly naive and stupid. I have vacillated but am convinced it's
a bit of both.
Anyone who had been following Iraq during the 1990's knew
the Bush claims were absurd... regarding Al Qaeda connections, WMD etc...
I had been following it all as a patriotic American. Then
upon my conversion and finding myself wearing the uniform of the United States
Empire and indirectly participating in what was happening there, I grew sick
and was filled with shame. My perspective had changed. Being a citizen of the
Kingdom revised my understanding of what it meant to be a citizen of America or
any other nation.
My base wasn't at the point of the spear (so to speak) but
we were supporting the operations that were decimating that country throughout
the 1990s and responsible for large scale death and destruction.
The US media did not challenge the narrative. After
September 2001 it was unthinkable. Look at what happened to the Dixie Chicks.
Imagine if CBS had really taken on the administration. Not a chance. Of all the
mainstream outlets, only NPR even hinted at doubt and yet even then it was a pretty
weak attempt at confrontation. They would raise questions other mainstream
outlets wouldn't even touch but then when some administration official would
give them a selling point, they would back down.
I don't think we'd even get that today.
As the national security state has continued to grow there
are elements within the NPR sphere that are willing to challenge it a bit.
Terry Gross will interview people that are critical but at the same time will
interview people who are little more than apologists for the regime and the
Empire.
In terms of the mainstream programmes.... Morning Edition
and All Things Considered, Dina Temple-Raston has been handling a good deal of
the security reporting. Her stories are interesting but not very penetrating. I
constantly feel like if I want to get a bit more in terms of analysis and
background I have to look elsewhere. And I certainly do.
Right now there's a row over her reports regarding Edward
Snowden. I have to say NPR has been pretty unfriendly and critical when it
comes to Snowden and Assange. A lot of Americans realize this is all a big
deal, but I don't think very many have grasped how important it is. Edward
Snowden at this point is wanted more than the top figures in Al Qaeda. And for
the Left and Libertarian communities the revelations that have come about
through Wikileaks and Snowden are profound and disconcerting.
NPR was (perhaps) a little kinder toward Bradley Manning who
since turning freak has only lessened his credibility and now just comes across
as a very disturbed and troubled young man. That (to me) is the most unfortunate
part of the story. 'He' has become the story and his perversity only confirms
the moral judgments of his enemies. Manning isn't the story. The information
and the response of the government are the story.
Anyway, the present kerfuffle is interesting. Personally I
find Greenwald irritating on many fronts but at the same time there are times
when I think he's spot on. He's always worth a read or a listen.
Here are some pertinent links:
