11510

Ha!

I mean, I guess you could call uneven coverage good. Like, if you have an apple that is delicious except for a few bad spots, that’s a good apple.

But if it’s really dark and those bad spots are actually shit, then you aren’t going to eat that apple.

NPR is like that for me. I’m just enjoying the coverage and learning and then they go “Mitch McConnell had this to say about the measure, [Turtle voice]`Democrats are demon baby-eating communists who tax-and-spend their way to communism’” and I want to fucking vomit. I just cannot listen to these assholes anymore. Not one damn word.

So, it’s more than just not perfect. It’s a shit sandwich. The bread is fine, but I’m not going to eat it anymore.

11511

Understand completely. That’s why I haven’t listened for quite a while. I use the app and skip the bullshit articles.

11512

The GOP has made it very clear that NPR lives only on suffrage. Next time they have the opportunity they’ll likely kill it outright or pervert it into a mouthpiece of the GOP. That it exists for aspiring coastal liberals is infuriating to them. It’s one of the few mediums they haven’t got private stakeholders in the driver’s seats of.

11513

I don’t know. As mentioned, NPR makes sure to have GOP voices on their program to espouse their bullshit. Steve Inskeep on Morning Edition is usually pretty good about keeping guests in check and calling out bullshit, but at least they can try.

11514

Reality and talking points rarely coincide.

It’s a right-wing talking point that NPR is communism. That’s all that matters. Every show could be Tom Nichols and George Will discussing median tax rates and it would still be communism. Reality is irrelevant, what matters is the talking point. Which is that NPR is evil liberalism incarnate.

11515

It’s like a TV show. There are only so many characters and somehow it all comes back around to them.

11516

Do you listen to the BBC world service? I think they’re better as far as news goes, and I enjoy the hosts sometimes calling people on their bullshit.

11517

I’ll give it a shot, thanks! I’ve listened to it a bit in the past, it was good. Good reminder.

11518

Yeah, BBC is a good bet. Or maybe Al Jazeera if you can get it in English.

11519

I sub to their podcast, which is 2 hours of listening a day if you’re up for it. Between that and the “fun” podcasts (99% Invisible, This American Life, etc etc) there’s plenty to listen to.

11520

The BBC occasionally has real biases- especially in the UK. They’re good on non-British things.

11521

Why wouldn’t one be able to get Al Jazeera in English? I read it all the time and it’s website detects that I’m coming from the US and presents me all English content.

11522

The BBC has been on a downward trajectory about as long as the NY Times, but their angle of descent is somewhat shallower. The combination of malicious political leadership, reduced funding, and anxiety over future cuts and reorganizations has taken its toll, however.

11523

I meant a spoken radio version.

11524

Oops, my bad. I thought you were discussing the website.

11525

A non-partisan (from a US perspective) news program, especially radio, would be a godsend. Sort of “The Economist” for radio. I was just speculating that Al Jazeera might offer such a thing, but if they do, it isn’t on the radio in my area.

Hell, even a nicely reported written non-partisan news website would be a wonder to find. No BS, no partisan crap, no entertainment junk, no human interest stories. Just “here’s what happened today.”

11526

Just in case you weren’t aware of them, The Economist does a whole bunch of podcasts, 2 or 3 per day. Not technically radio, but might fit the bill.

11527

That’s pretty much half of NPR programming?

11528
11529

There are more and more glitches in the simulation.