NPR - US public radio in recent years

donaghs

I used to tune into NPR randomly, always enjoyed most of its coverage. Similar is some respect to BBC4 radio and BBC World Service.

In recent years, I found myself tuning out. Not just from particular shows. Its overall coverage, even news reports has become quite over-the-top in-your-face, for want of a better word, "woke". NPR has always had an American Liberal slant on things, and that was fine with me - but I think a few years back they still made a effort to provide balanced coverage, and the news was more news than opinions. Everything didnt have to be viewed through the prism of intersectionality.

There was a story recently about a senior editor who wrote an article basically outlining some of the similar issues he was seeing in NPR. and he later resigned:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/apr/10/npr-uri-berliner-reaction

This was the article:

https://www.thefp.com/p/npr-editor-how-npr-lost-americas-trust

Any NPR listeners noticed this story?

I know some people of different stripes have been complaining about NPR for different reasons for decades. But I was certainly as fan for most of the 21st century after discovering it in the late 90s when in America. I recall I even started a thread here on NPR back in 2008 :)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2055238944/npr

California Dreamer

The NPR ONE app is quite good just to get the actual stories and filter the rubbish out.

swampy353

I think there is a element that there is very little neutral ground to occupy within the US media space.

The listeners want to see their own views reflected back to them. If you try to stay neutral you end up with no listeners on either side. People who are genuinely centrist will end up getting news from bbc etc. In saying that, npr is the closest to neutral that I know of within the US market although more left leaning recently.

Npr still needs listeners to get funding and advertising, so they have to do something.

This is not to say that this is true for every npr affiliate who provide local news and content to their own communities. It's more a comment on what I can see as I dip in and out.

QueensGael

I used to be a monthly donor until about 18 months ago - tbh I just tuned out because the news from the US is just so depressing. Wasn't so much about the wokeness of the coverage, more to do with how gruesome gun violence and Trumpism is. I go to podcasts now where I used to switch from Irish radio to NPR.

TheBMG

I don’t hear their news service or current affairs stuff but they’ve some top notch podcasts.