I'm both libertarian and a long-time NPR listener... First, on the "bias" question, I personally don't find significant left-right bias in NPR news coverage. Sure, they're not going to be seeking out the "libertarian perspective" on the issues of the day, but I can get that from other outlets like Reason. PBS news coverage I have found to be more left-leaning in general, thus I tend to prefer outlets like BBC for basic fact-based "world news" reporting. On the funding question: It's important to state that actual federal funding accounts for ~1% of NPR's budget. PBS might be larger, but it's also a mix of federal and state funding. Donations "from listeners like you" make up the bulk of it in both cases. So, while I'm not going to "go to the barricades" to protect 1% of NPR's budget, I am dismayed that the Right has consistently gone after these "soft targets" like NPR, PBS, USAID, etc... Meanwhile the real "waste fraud and abuse" is in the Pentagon, c.f. the disastrous F-35 program.

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Logen Kain's avatar
Logen Kain 9 months ago
Wait... is it really only 1%? If that's true, my whole argument falls apart. I can't imagine it's all funded by "sponsers like us" I'd expect NPR to get the larger government chunk with PBS getting the larger donation pool. Especially with all those "Will your estate to us!" ads. Guess I'll look into that. As for bias, maybe different local NPR stations are different, but when I tune in, and it is somewhat Trump related, there is typically negative bias.
Yeah it's ~1%. "Bias" is a tricky thing post-Trump... I mean when he says something that's simply incorrect, wrong, or an obvious lie, is it "bias" when you don't bring in someone nutjob to say "Trump's actually right about that"? That being said, they frequently interview Congresspeople or Administration officials who "toe the line" on whatever ridiculous thing Trump is spouting at the moment, and (I feel at least) the reporters question that appropriately.