Is NPR’s Right Turn Straightening?

Anyone who listens carefully to NPR has noticed a sharp right turn over at least the past 7 years. This is not just my perspective. Before he quit, former NPR Ombudsman Jeff Dvorkin, found that NPR used “experts” from right wing think tanks, (e.g. Heritage, Cato) 4 times as often as “experts” from moderate think tanks (Brookings). The fact that Liberal “experts” were never consulted went unsaid. Additionally, comments to from listeners run strongly to the position that NPR is too right wing.

To any critical listener to the main NPR news programs, (Morning Edition and All Things Considered) it has been obvious that NPR’s agenda was closer to Fox News than an unbiased reporting of all sides of the issue. For example, the Pennsylvania trial on intelligent design, being taught along with evolution in public school science classes, was reported as if there were real scientific controversy. Unless you realized the story was being covered by NPR’s religion reporter, you may have gotten the impression that there was actual merit to the intelligent design hypothesis.

While not as shrill as Fox News, NPR has used its’ subtle low key style, to push the right wing agenda for years while maintaining an image of impeccable unbiased credibility.

Perhaps that is changing. This week on the NPR program “On The Media”, there was the story of how NPR declined an interview with Bush (43) because the organization did not want to have the reporter specified by the White House, Juan Williams, (who also works for Fox News) conduct the interview. NPR would take the interview only if it were with NPR and not a specified reporter.

In January Willams did an interview with the current occupant of the White House. The softball questions, and doting praise for Bush, during this interview by Williams, would make the bile churn in the most cynical listener.

So NPR declined the interview offer. Interesting. Is there a change of direction in the works? Will the organization that covered the Watergate hearings and Iran-Contra with unbiased professionalism, shedding the bias that has been its’ hallmark for at least the past 7 years? Only time will tell.