Heard on NPR -- NPR Gets it Right Again! (Merged)

[barnbwt]

Like I said, they do fairly good reporting on stories they choose to run, it is just that the choice is typically quite heavy on liberal issues. They are clearly doing 'guns' right now since eceryone else is, and therefore do some decent reporting on it (though most stories I've heard include one sided voices or ignoran experts). This isn't an issue they cover very often at all, though; never once heard them report on SHOT, though the local Dallas theater's broadway piece is often mentioned, as well as stories on assorted justice rallies, and of course many sob stories about injustices in far away places for urban white folks to feel good about themselves for knowing/empathizing, while doing nothing to help & ignoring domestic injustices (my only explanation for why anyone wants to listen about the persecution of gay, left-handed, transgendered albinos in Nairobi in their precious spare time)

It may not matter; apparently NPRs audience is aging faster than the baby boomers with no signs of stopping.

TCB

 

[benEzra]

I'm not sure why the surprise. That is what NPR is known for - a balanced discussion of the issues. When they have shows with a panel or people from different sides they specifically select people that are respectful of one another and stick to an adult discussion without yelling or talking over each other.

I've been an avid NPR listener for at least 25 years. On guns, I recall NPR going through a phase in the mid-1990s till a few years ago in which most of their gun coverage was viciously pro-AWB, a striking exception to their usual attempts to be evenhanded. Their "balanced discussion", if present at all, would often be between an AWB/magazine ban advocate and someone advocating for even more extreme bans. They would occasionally run a favorable story about hunting or something, but were aggressively slanted toward bans. Outright misstatements of fact were pretty common, and always supported the pro-restrictions side.

The spate of balanced stories coming out of NPR lately represent a break with that prior advocacy-journalism, and are all the more remarkable when set against the shrillness of the corporate media culture on guns since 2012.

 

[barnbwt]

The local NPR affiliate in Dallas appears to have had a good story on women's concealed carry. Makes we men folk sound a bit patronizing, but that probably was the case (to varying degrees, as it is justified to varying degrees) so I'll let it slide.
http://keranews.org/post/open-carry-era-many-texas-women-still-want-conceal-their-guns-style
I predicted 'gun fashion news' would become a thing soon after open carry (lord knows there were no stories about concealed carry holster choices before it got passed, just sayin') but I never thought the first I'd find would be on NPR.

TCB

 

[TRX]

> 'gun fashion news'

Well, why not? At least a gun and leather are actually useful, as opposed to a $3000 handbag that doesn't work any better than a $3 handbag...

 

[bainter1212]

I have been listening to NPR for years. Yes they are sometimes biased and sometimes the reporting is ignorant about guns. However, there is generally no yelling, screaming or name calling and I don't have to hear about what the Kardashians are eating for breakfast.
Definitely news for the adults in the room.

 

[bainter1212]

Oh and another thing I heard once on NPR:

Back in 2013, after Sandy Hook, Neal Conan on Talk of the Nation was interviewing the governor of Connecticut about the upcoming gun laws there. The governor referred to ARs as "automatic weapons" and Neal Conan immediately jumped on him and corrected him. The governor went on to imply that there was no real difference between semi and full auto and again Conan jumped down his throat and insisted that he be accurate in his statements.

I was fairly shocked at the time. Neal Conan rarely jumped on folks like that but it was refreshing to hear.

I miss Conan. He retired a couple years back.

 

[roscoe]

Oh and another thing I heard once on NPR:

Back in 2013, after Sandy Hook, Neal Conan on Talk of the Nation was interviewing the governor of Connecticut about the upcoming gun laws there. The governor referred to ARs as "automatic weapons" and Neal Conan immediately jumped on him and corrected him. The governor went on to imply that there was no real difference between semi and full auto and again Conan jumped down his throat and insisted that he be accurate in his statements.

I was fairly shocked at the time. Neal Conan rarely jumped on folks like that but it was refreshing to hear.

I miss Conan. He retired a couple years back.

He was actually forced to retire when they cancelled Talk of the Nation, which was their flagship show during the day. Rankled a lot of folks. Still does. And I was similarly impressed with his intellectual rigor.