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A good example of the pro-status-quo bias of public radio came last spring
in the midst of the health care (lack of) debate.  Ray Suarez on Talk of
the Nation refused to acknowledge callers who were suggesting single payer,
saying that the debate had already moved beyond that option.  Of course the
debate, as defined by the news media like NPR, had never even considered
that option even though millions of people were pro-single payer.
Obviously I'm not suggesting the NPR was the sole determinant in defining
the issue, but they do NOT have an inherently progressive bias as many
would think or would like to think.  Compared to CNN, perhaps they are a
little more left, but I think they simple create an illusion of being left,
thereby defining the left margin of public debate somewhere in the center
of the true spectrum.
 
Charles wrote some differences between public & private media, most of
which are simple idealized pipe-dreams (or nightmares).  Public
broadcasting is underwritten and nutured by corporate America - they are
not about to say anything that might cut off that flow of money (i.e.
serious critique).  The notion that because PBS shows high culture stuff
makes them good & liberal while the networks show "shit" contributes to the
problems of current media.  Watching opera or overwrought documentaries
just allows the educated middle-class to feel that the money is in the
right hands.  There's more progressive critique on one episode of Roseanne
than on one week of PBS.  The fact that Roseanne is popular allows the show
to be critical; PBS cannot critique the powers that be because they rely on
charity, not "ratings" (although don't try to say that PBS doesn't try to
push ratings to it's corporate sponsors).
 
I'm not saying that we should cut public funding, nor am I echoing
sentiments from the 30's when the FCC said that commercial broadcasting was
more of the people than public broadcasting because commercial stations
will give people what they want to see to make a buck.  I am saying that we
should stop perpetuating the mystique that PBS is liberal good programming
and see them as just as much of a PR wing for corporate America as any
other network.
 
Sorry to rant.
-j
 
********
jajasoon tlitteu  ([log in to unmask])
 
"Academic training was instrumental.  You have to understand the language
of society before you can start stretching and subverting it and ripping
and tearing it and burning it and watching the plastic drip on the ants."