As a lifelong journalist, now in my 59th year of writing and editing stories, you could say I’m an expert on bias in the media. Mine is a profession based on the concept of objectivity, even though we know from experience it is an ideal we can never fully attain.
When the Republican-controlled Senate voted to cut off all federal funding for NPR and PBS Thursday, it did so in response to Trump’s allegation of “liberal bias” in the public broadcasting system.
That allegation needs context.
Having worked in the public media sector for many years, as well as the commercial media and non-profit journalism industries, I can attest that there is an openly liberal perspective in few media outlets beyond MSNBC, Mother Jones, The Nation and several smaller organizations.
And those I’ve listed make a consistent effort to provide fair and balanced coverage, quoting sources that oppose their point-of-view and giving them a fair hearing.
NPR and PBS, by contrast, go out of their way to avoid even the appearance of any liberal bias in their reporting and generally succeed in doing so.
But all of this begs the question of what’s so awful about journalists being liberal? And when it comes to blatantly biased journalism, look no further than Trump’s beloved Fox Network, which is riddled with repulsive right-wing nonsense in every newscast
In fact, there is an entire universe of conservative media in this country and they are the source of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and outright propaganda that has propelled a tyrant into the White House determined to undermine our democracy.
And that — undermining our democracy — is what these cuts are about, not any perceived bias. NPR and PBS are pillars of honest journalism, largely uninfected by Trumpism. They represent one check on the unbridled abuse of power by the executive branch.
As I said at the top, I can be considered an expert on bias, and my observation is that while everyone has their own personal biases about the political and social issues of the day, professional journalists, like scientists and members of juries do their best to set those aside in pursuit of the truth.
So we do have a major problem with media bias in America but it is not at NPR or PBS. It is the right-wing sector that has brought us MAGA and the most dangerous president in American history.
HEADLINES:
Trump’s victory over PBS and NPR ‘bias’ will be ‘devastating’ for rural areas, station leaders say (CNN)
How bipartisan support for public media unraveled in the Trump era (NPR)
Congress Agrees to Claw Back Foreign Aid and Public Broadcast Funds (NYT)
Senate passes Trump's foreign aid, public broadcasting clawback (Axios)
‘Devastating’: US public broadcasters condemn Trump cuts to key programs (Guardian)
The Court’s Liberals Are Trying to Tell Americans Something (Atlantic)
Army veteran and US citizen arrested in California immigration raid warns it could happen to anyone (AP)
Here legally since 1999, thousands of immigrants have 60 days to leave (WP)
Trump administration hands over Medicaid recipients’ personal data, including addresses, to ICE (AP)
‘Hunted Like Animals’ Say Farmworkers Targeted By Trump’s Gestapo-Like ICE Raids (Daily Kos)
Trump’s National Guard Troops Are Questioning Their Mission in L.A. (NYT)
Trump Diagnosed With Vein Disease Tied to Swollen Ankles (Bloomberg)
"Drones, drones, drones": Cheap and deadly, they are among the main reasons Ukraine believes it can hold out against advancing Russian forces this year and beyond, according to a dozen Ukrainian commanders, officials and arms manufacturers. (Reuters)
Trump asks Bondi to seek release of ‘any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony’ around Epstein investigation (CNN)
Trump supporters burn Maga hats after he dismisses Epstein files furor as ‘hoax’ (Guardian)
The US in brief: Epstein haunts Trump (Economist)
Trump’s New Strategy on Epstein Fallout: Blame the Democrats (NYT)
Maurene Comey, fired by Trump DOJ, says ‘fear is the tool of the tyrant’ in memo to her former colleagues (CNN)
Trump’s approval rating on immigration and government spending has slipped, new AP-NORC poll finds (AP)
US Commerce Dept sets 93.5% anti-dumping tariff on Chinese anode graphite (Reuters)
As Iran Deports a Million Afghans, ‘Where Do We Even Go?’ (NYT)
Is Colbert’s Ouster Really Just a ‘Financial Decision’? (Atlantic)
A.I. Is About to Solve Loneliness. That’s a Problem (New Yorker)
Researchers are using AI for peer reviews — and finding ways to cheat it (WP)
Trump Invites Jeffrey Epstein On Stage To Explain There No Conspiracy ( The Onion)
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