National Public Radio: Difference between revisions
imported>Howard C. Berkowitz No edit summary |
mNo edit summary |
||
| (9 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS), and has developed digital multicasting alternatives to analog broadcasting. | Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS), and has developed digital multicasting alternatives to analog broadcasting. | ||
==Politics== | ==Politics== | ||
While it is officially politically neutral, it is often accused of liberal bias, especially by [[American conservative]]s. Several controversies recently have intensified this discussion, including accepting a large donation from [[George Soros]]' [[Open Society Institute|Open Society Foundation]] to hire station-level reporters for the "Impact of Government" program, and he firing of news analyst [[Juan Williams]] for comments he made on | While it is officially politically neutral, it is often accused of liberal bias, especially by [[American conservative]]s. Several controversies recently have intensified this discussion, including accepting a large donation from [[George Soros]]' [[Open Society Institute|Open Society Foundation]] to hire station-level reporters for the "Impact of Government" program, and he firing of news analyst [[Juan Williams]] for comments he made on Fox News. | ||
Part of the challenge comes from its perceived subsidized competition with right-wing | Part of the challenge comes from its perceived subsidized competition with right-wing political opinion broadcasting. | ||
===Impact of Government=== | ===Impact of Government project=== | ||
The Open Society Foundation grant, of $1.8 million, is intended to finance the addition of two state government reporters at 50 radio stations. "Impact of Government...[will] better inform the public about the impact that the actions of state governments has on citizens and communities. The new initiative, which begins its pilot phase in March 2011..."<ref name=IOG>{{citation | The Open Society Foundation grant, of $1.8 million, is intended to finance the addition of two state government reporters at 50 radio stations. "Impact of Government...[will] better inform the public about the impact that the actions of state governments has on citizens and communities. The new initiative, which begins its pilot phase in March 2011..."<ref name=IOG>{{citation | ||
| url = http://www.npr.org/about/press/2010/101810.ImpactOfGovernment.html | | url = http://www.npr.org/about/press/2010/101810.ImpactOfGovernment.html | ||
| Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
| publisher = National Public Radio | | publisher = National Public Radio | ||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
===Issue reporting=== | |||
The [[Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America]] (CAMERA) is especially hostile to [[National Public Radio]] (NPR), which it has called "National Palestine Radio"; it does not simply publish but has organized demonstrations outside NPR stations in 33 cities. <ref name=MWbook>{{citation | |||
| author = [[John Mearsheimer]] and [[Stephen Walt]] | |||
| title = The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy | |||
| publisher = Farrar, Strauss and Giroux | |||
| year = 2007 | isbn = 13978037417720}}, p. 173</ref> | |||
===Juan Williams=== | ===Juan Williams=== | ||
{{main|Juan Williams}} | {{main|Juan Williams}} | ||
==Financials== | ==Financials== | ||
NPR is not solely government funded, but receives contributions and also is paid for services by client stations. While there are annual variations, approximately 6% of their funding from federal, state and local sources. It is largely self-supporting from fees for their products.<ref name=CBS2010-10-22>{{citation |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/22/national/main6982327.shtml | NPR is not solely government funded, but receives contributions and also is paid for services by client stations. While there are annual variations, approximately 6% of their funding from federal, state and local sources. It is largely self-supporting from fees for their products.<ref name=CBS2010-10-22>{{citation |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/22/national/main6982327.shtml | ||
| Line 30: | Line 38: | ||
|publisher = CBS News| | |publisher = CBS News| | ||
|date=22 October 2010|accessdate=2010-10-22 | |date=22 October 2010|accessdate=2010-10-22 | ||
|author=David S. Morgan}}</ref> | |author=David S. Morgan}}</ref> Nevertheless, there are also ways in which NPR is indirectly tax supported. While the direct CPB contribution is about 2 percent, and the largest part of revenues "comes from program fees and station dues paid by member stations that broadcast NPR programs." On average, those program fees and dues account for about 41 percent of NPR's revenues, the stations often receive CPB funding, as well as other state and local subsidies. <blockquote>According to NPR, public radio stations collect another 5.8 percent of their revenues from federal, state, and local government. Universities, many publicly supported, chip in another 13.6 percent. That means the public contribution to the average public radio station's budget—if it's affiliated with a public university—could be as high as 29 percent. It's impossible to tease out from this information the exact percentage of taxpayer contribution to the NPR budget, but it's obviously higher than 2 percent.<ref name=Slate>{{citation | ||
| url = http://www.slate.com/id/2272284/pagenum/all/ | |||
| title = Kill NPR To Save It: The best way to end Republican meddling. | |||
| author = Jack Shafer | date = 25 October 2010 | journal = Slate | |||
}}</ref></blockquote> | |||
Sen. [[Jim DeMint]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]-[[South Carolina (U.S. state)|South Carolina]]), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee which oversees the [[Corporation for Public Broadcasting]] (CPB), said, <blockquote>The incident with Mr. Williams shows that NPR is not concerned about providing the listening public with an honest debate of today’s issues, but rather with promoting a one-sided liberal agenda. The country is over $13 trillion in debt and Congress must find ways to start trimming the federal budget to cut spending. NPR and [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] get about 15 percent of their total budget through federal funding, so these programs should be able to find a way to stand on their own. With record debt and unemployment, there’s simply no reason to force taxpayers to subsidize a liberal programming they disagree with.</blockquote>DeMint said he would inroduce legislation to stop all public funding of broadcasting. Rep. [[Doug Lamborn]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]-[[Colorado (U.S. state)|Colorado]]) introduced similar legislation in the House in June 2010; that legislation has not left committee.<ref>{{citation | |||
| title = Politerati: Republican calls to defund NPR grow | | title = Politerati: Republican calls to defund NPR grow | ||
| author = Garance Frank-Ruta | | author = Garance Frank-Ruta | ||
| Line 38: | Line 50: | ||
| date = 22 October 2010 | accessdate = 2010-10-23 | | date = 22 October 2010 | accessdate = 2010-10-23 | ||
| url = http://www.whorunsgov.com/politerati/ink-stained-wretches/republican-calls-to-defund-npr-grow/}}</ref> | | url = http://www.whorunsgov.com/politerati/ink-stained-wretches/republican-calls-to-defund-npr-grow/}}</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist|2}} | {{reflist|2}}[[Category:Suggestion Bot Tag]] | ||
Latest revision as of 16:01, 23 September 2024
National Public Radio (NPR) is a nonprofit corporation, created in 1970 by the quasi-governmental Corporation for Public Broadcasting but itself a private firm, which provides national news programming to public radio stations and conducts technology research and development. Approximately 250 stations receive its radio content, as well as a growing number receiving online media content.
Programming
Since 1971, NPR and its journalists and programs have won hundreds of awards including 30 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, 53 George Foster Peabody Awards, 37 awards from the White House News Photographers Association, 17 Webby Awards (which includes 4 Webby "Peoples' Voice" awards) and 19 awards from the Overseas Press Club of America..." Its newsmagazines, Morning Edition and All Things Considered, ranked #3 and #4 in the overall nationwide radio ratings. [1]
Technology
In its research and development programs, it is strongly involved with satellite services. It operates the Public Radio Satellite System (PRSS), and has developed digital multicasting alternatives to analog broadcasting.
Politics
While it is officially politically neutral, it is often accused of liberal bias, especially by American conservatives. Several controversies recently have intensified this discussion, including accepting a large donation from George Soros' Open Society Foundation to hire station-level reporters for the "Impact of Government" program, and he firing of news analyst Juan Williams for comments he made on Fox News.
Part of the challenge comes from its perceived subsidized competition with right-wing political opinion broadcasting.
Impact of Government project
The Open Society Foundation grant, of $1.8 million, is intended to finance the addition of two state government reporters at 50 radio stations. "Impact of Government...[will] better inform the public about the impact that the actions of state governments has on citizens and communities. The new initiative, which begins its pilot phase in March 2011..."[2]
Issue reporting
The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) is especially hostile to National Public Radio (NPR), which it has called "National Palestine Radio"; it does not simply publish but has organized demonstrations outside NPR stations in 33 cities. [3]
Juan Williams
Financials
NPR is not solely government funded, but receives contributions and also is paid for services by client stations. While there are annual variations, approximately 6% of their funding from federal, state and local sources. It is largely self-supporting from fees for their products.[4] Nevertheless, there are also ways in which NPR is indirectly tax supported. While the direct CPB contribution is about 2 percent, and the largest part of revenues "comes from program fees and station dues paid by member stations that broadcast NPR programs." On average, those program fees and dues account for about 41 percent of NPR's revenues, the stations often receive CPB funding, as well as other state and local subsidies.
According to NPR, public radio stations collect another 5.8 percent of their revenues from federal, state, and local government. Universities, many publicly supported, chip in another 13.6 percent. That means the public contribution to the average public radio station's budget—if it's affiliated with a public university—could be as high as 29 percent. It's impossible to tease out from this information the exact percentage of taxpayer contribution to the NPR budget, but it's obviously higher than 2 percent.[5]
Sen. Jim DeMint (Republican-South Carolina), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee which oversees the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), said,
The incident with Mr. Williams shows that NPR is not concerned about providing the listening public with an honest debate of today’s issues, but rather with promoting a one-sided liberal agenda. The country is over $13 trillion in debt and Congress must find ways to start trimming the federal budget to cut spending. NPR and PBS get about 15 percent of their total budget through federal funding, so these programs should be able to find a way to stand on their own. With record debt and unemployment, there’s simply no reason to force taxpayers to subsidize a liberal programming they disagree with.
DeMint said he would inroduce legislation to stop all public funding of broadcasting. Rep. Doug Lamborn (Republican-Colorado) introduced similar legislation in the House in June 2010; that legislation has not left committee.[6]
References
- ↑ Overview and History, National Public Radio
- ↑ Anna Christopher (18 October 2010), NPR Announces "Impact of Government", National Public Radio
- ↑ John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt (2007), The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, ISBN 13978037417720, p. 173
- ↑ David S. Morgan (22 October 2010), Opinions Enflamed Over Juan Williams Firing, CBS News. Retrieved on 2010-10-22
- ↑ Jack Shafer (25 October 2010), "Kill NPR To Save It: The best way to end Republican meddling.", Slate
- ↑ Garance Frank-Ruta (22 October 2010), "Politerati: Republican calls to defund NPR grow", Who Runs Gov, a Washington Post publication. Retrieved on 2010-10-23