Yet Another Reason to Defund NPR

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A former NPR senior vice president for fundraising, Ron Schiller, was caught on tape bashing conservatives

On the tapes, Schiller wastes little time before attacking conservatives. The Republican Party, Schiller says, has been “hijacked by this group.” The man posing as Malik finishes the sentence by adding, “the radical, racist, Islamaphobic, Tea Party people.” Schiller agrees and intensifies the criticism, saying that the Tea Party people aren’t “just Islamaphobic, but really xenophobic, I mean basically they are, they believe in sort of white, middle-America gun-toting. I mean, it’s scary. They’re seriously racist, racist people.”

Schiller goes on to describe liberals as more intelligent and informed than conservatives. “In my personal opinion, liberals today might be more educated, fair and balanced than conservatives,” he said.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd9OYJMX9t4[/youtube]

Apparently NPR is “appalled” at Schiller’s statements (“I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on here!“) and their spokesman released the following statement:

We are appalled by the comments made by Ron Schiller in the video, which are contrary to what NPR stands for.

Mr. Schiller announced last week that he is leaving NPR for another job.

Why? Why “appalled” and “contrary to what NPR stands for”? Because NPR likes to perpetuate the delusional belief (or propagandistic notion) that they are “fair and balanced” and with the air of education. Or, in Schiller’s words (from his description of the firing of Juan Williams):

“What NPR stood for is a non-racist, non-bigoted, straightforward telling of the news, and our feeling is that if a person expresses his or her opinion, which anyone is entitled to do in a free society, they are compromised as a journalist. They can no longer fairly report.”

Every person I’ve ever met who claims that NPR is fair and non-biased without a political agenda or a liberal slant just happens to be….you guessed it: politically liberal and/or registered Democrat.

I don’t know many conservatives, however, who would claim FOX News to not have conservative leanings.

Of course the real kicker is how Schiller admits to the following:

“Very little of our funding comes from the government, but they act as if all our funding comes from the government… it is very clear that in the long run we would be better off without federal funding,” he says.

Which contradicts NPR CEO Vivian Schiller (no relation) at a press conference on Monday:

* And finally, we rely on continued government funding. Grants to stations from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting represent 10% of the public radio station economy. It is not the largest share of the revenue – but it is a critical cornerstone of public media.

This money is particularly important for stations in rural areas. Their government funding is a larger share of revenue – 30%, 40%, 50% or more. These are areas where listeners may have no other access to free over-the-air news and information.

Modest as it is – government funding is critical because it allows taxpayers to leverage a small investment into a very large one. It is seed money. Station managers tell me that 10 percent plays a critical role in generating the other 90 percent that makes their broadcasts possible.

~~~

“We take [federal defunding] very, very seriously,” she said. “It would have a profound impact we believe on our ability – of public broadcasting’s ability – to deliver news and information.”

On a related note, Senator DeMint:

Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., said Republicans ought to be focused more on reviving the economy and less on “silencing Cookie Monster” and “laying off Bert and Ernie.”

DeMint, a Republican from South Carolina, responded with a blog post and an op-ed in the Washington Times in which he argued that Sesame Street would do just fine without federal funding.

“Shows like Sesame Street are thriving, multimillion-dollar enterprises,” DeMint wrote. “According to the 990 tax form all nonprofits are required to file, Sesame Workshop President and CEO Gary Knell received $956,513 — nearly a million dollars — in compensation in 2008. And, from 2003 to 2006, Sesame Street made more than $211 million from toy and consumer product sales. Big Bird will be just fine without his federal subsidies.”

I’m not one who believes NPR doesn’t do some great journalistic work, albeit through a liberal worldview lens. I just wish they were honest with the public (and with themselves) regarding their liberal bend…

…and I believe Schiller is right (as is DeMint) that they will get on just fine without federal funding. Perhaps it would give them the freedom they feel they need to finally come out of the closet on their political biases?


WEDNESDAY 16TH FEBRUARY: Rep. Ed Markey (D:MA) is pictured with Arthur the Aardvark outside the Capitol following a press conference discussing the House Appropriations Committee proposal to end federal funding for public broadcasting.

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I’m glad he’s gone.
But it is obvious his viewpoint pervades NPR.
And his point that 90% of the NPR funding is private leaves me wondering; why not just de-fund the NPR of its tax money?

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Oooh, look! All the Muppets together!

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Which makes this beyond hysterical

NPR chief asks critics: What liberal bias?

NPR Chief Executive Vivian Schiller defended taxpayer funding for public broadcasting Monday and challenged critics to find any evidence of liberal bias in NPR’s coverage.

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In WWII we demonized/dehumanized our enemies. The reason for doing so was to make it easier for our soldiers to kill the enemy. By making them less than human, it removed or lessened the barrier to taking a life in combat.
What we are seeing here is the typical demonization/dehumanization of Conservatives in order to justify their hatred and mistreatment at the hands of liberals. It also helps them to avoid analyzing themselves. Lastly, it gives them an outlet for the seething narcissistic rage many of the left seem to have.

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This is just another example of a hog at the government feeding trough. Much like the public sector union employees, whose wages and benefits are bought and paid for by union campaign contributions to democrats, and who then vote in favor for any increases in those wages and contributions, NPR gets funding voted on by the democrats, which makes it unlikely that any criticism mentioned on NPR will ever be directed at democrats.

Let them feel the pressures of existing fully as a private company, dependent solely upon advertising dollars for their revenue, and let us see how long they last being known as a biased entity.

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Just a reality check on John Galt’s #5 — NPR gets most of its money from all the bogus trust funds and foundations that have been perverted in many ways from their founders original intentions and taken over by the liberals and now only support liberal crap — the foundations have been enjoying free or next to free tax status over the years — we should start taxing the recipients of the grants —

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I am not sure Schiller believes what he said, but it does illustrate that the lefties will sell their souls for $5 million.

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Liberals are projectionists. So, when they say Conservatives are racists, less educated etc…they are really speaking of is what they are themselves… it never really bothers me because it’s actually funny to see them keep opening mouth and inserting foot…

Conservatives are smarter then to believe the perverted ‘truths’ of the left anyway.

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The person who released this video, James O’Keefe, says more will be coming out. Apparently he’s waiting to see how PBR handles this one.

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Fantastic! A great article on an issue that has disturbed me personally for decades.

NPR has been a Liberal propaganda bureau for decades; perhaps, Schiller drew his opinions on the intelligence of Republicans from the fact that they were willing to tolerate funding Liberal propaganda that belittles and demeans the Right. Actually, the fact that this public funding has gone on for four decades makes everyone doubt the intelligence of our Republican leadership in Washington.

The fact that Schiller was willing to sell out our supposedly National Public Radio company for 5 mil. to the Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, and Hamas leaves you wondering just how corrupt these whores within the government funded organization are and how far they are willing to sell out America to satisfy their lust and greed for money.

Thank You, Wordsmith. Well done, indeed.

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Which one is Markey?

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Terrible day for the shillers.
Bert and Ernie on the picket lines? I doubt it.
Big Bird can do as the San Diego Chicken and get an air controller job.

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After all that taxpayer money to fund NPR Oscar the grouch is still living in a garbage can! Outrageous!

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@Zac:

Actually, Zac, he’s an example of how far ahead you can get through government entitlements!

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Among the NPR updates:

Update at 4:10 p.m. ET: NPR’s Larry Abramson reports that “some members of Congress are revving up their campaign” to cut the federal funding that goes to NPR. He says that “House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said the video made it clear that taxpayer dollars should no longer go to NPR.”

NPR receives about 2 percent of its budget each year from the federally funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting and federal agencies — but public radio stations that purchase NPR’s programming receive more federal dollars and send some of that money back to NPR in fees. In fiscal 2008, for example, grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting accounted for about 10 percent of public radio stations’ revenue. The stations got about 6 percent of their revenue from other federal, state and local government sources.

~~~

Update at 1:55 p.m. ET. Byron York writes at the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog that:

“Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn is leading the GOP effort in the House to defund National Public Radio (and, in a separate bill, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting). I spoke with him a short time ago about the sting video … ‘I am amazed at the condescension and arrogance that we saw in the sting video,” Lamborn told me. ‘They seem to be viewing themselves as elites living in an ivory tower, and they are obviously out of touch with ordinary Americans.’ ”

Andrew Breitbart on NPRscam

James O’Keefe Interview

Wow. NPR (and the Aspen Institute) Have A Problem

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Michael Barone:

NPR’s response to defunding threats has been incoherent. Its spokesmen point out that NPR itself receives relatively little public money. But then they saying defunding would be disastrous because more money goes to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds public radio stations that buy NPR programming.

Let me offer what is intended as a helpful suggestion to NPR: Don’t fight defunding. Instead, work with Congress to get NPR and CPB off the public payroll.

It may be painful in the short run. But in the long run, you’ll be a better organization — and you won’t have to worry about pleasing politicians.

There’s a precedent pretty closely on point: the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Back in 1994, when Republicans unexpectedly won majorities in both houses of Congress, the National Trust was suddenly threatened with a fund cutoff.

The organization had been campaigning against a proposed theme park near the Manassas battlefield in Northern Virginia, which made some congressional Republicans angry. Congress seemed likely to cut off the one-third of National Trust funding that came from the federal government.

Rather than fight that effort, Dick Moe, then head of the National Trust and before that a longtime top aide to Walter Mondale, decided to join it. He approached Ralph Regula, the chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction, and proposed a three-year draw-down of federal funding.

That would give his organization enough time to develop alternative sources of funding, he thought. And, as he correctly judged, it took the wind from the sails of those Republicans who wanted funds cut off immediately.

In retrospect, Moe has said, it was the best thing that could have happened to his organization. It prompted the National Trust to reach out to citizens and donors who shared its vision. And it allowed the organization to take politically controversial stands without fear of political retribution.

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NPR Round Two: Hiding Muslim Brotherhood Donation From the Government

Audio produced by James O’Keefe and two citizen journalists has just been released showing NPR Senior Director of Institutional Giving Betsy Liley telling a perceived Muslim Brotherhood member how a $5 million donation from the radical group to NPR could be hidden from the government, shielding it from audit, during a follow up phone call to a lunch meeting. The lunch meeting undercover video showed NPR Executive Ron Schiller calling members of the tea party “racist racist people.”

The audio shows that NPR did in fact intend on taking the donation, which the organization has denied since the first video came out earlier this week publicly and on Twitter.

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