Saturday, December 20, 2008

Q Tips

NPR related comments are always welcome.
Posted by Mytwords at 12:46 PM
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26 comments:

Porter Melmoth said...

And on the fluffier side, The Simonizer probably thought he was pretty clever this morn in his 'handling' of Tom Cruise and the director of their latest picture, 'Valkyrie'. In typical NPR cowardly style, Lil' Scottie decided to inject some 'controversy' into the interview by implying that Cruise had run into some anti-Scientology stuff while filming in Germany. With some fancy editing, Scottie made a little documentary, hoping to expose Cruise with some denials, so as to get him on the defensive. The desired effect flopped miserably. Cruise and director Singer merely proceeded on their way and were totally successful in sidestepping Scottie's little BS mud puddle.

The Simonizer regularly exposes his own apparent jealousy/envy of creative types when he interviews them. A sullenness is always present, as if he's taking his sour grapes out on his interviewee(s) because he himself is such a talentless hack. Poor guy - it must be terrible to be around so many talented guests (in varying degrees), but never getting to be one of them.

12/20/08, 1:29 PM
Anonymous said...

The push to the right is now more of a hard shove. The NPR foundation does not raise money, but likes to interfere with editorial policy. The Board has taken over micromanagement of the operation. The 65 "layoffs" were planned while 120 people were hired. What better way to scare staff into compliance with board mandates.

12/21/08, 7:10 AM
Anonymous said...

huh. I don't think of Simon that way - he doesn't strike me as sullen at all. He does strike me as very mannered (as do many if not most NPR hosts), and overall I do think of him as a giant pious creepy phony.

12/21/08, 8:54 AM
Kevan Smith said...

Check out this blog on NPR layoffs and salaries. Twenty good comments, too.

http://joshgerstein.blogspot.com/2008/12/npr-salaries-raw-data.html

12/21/08, 1:41 PM
Anonymous said...

Oh c'mon Anon. Scott Tissue just REAKS of pent up passive-aggression. And I don't even listen in on 'im anymore.

12/21/08, 3:33 PM
Anonymous said...

Despite the seemingly critical blurb on their webpage, National Propaganda Radio's thin broth show called On the Media ran a segment about the Iraqi shoe-thrower that left out basic elements and thus successfully diluted the meaning of the story.

Listener comment #5 on their webpage says it well.

http://www.onthemedia.org/episodes/2008/12/19/segments/118803

"OTM's coverage of this incident was typically glib and minimizing, just what one would expect with sponsorship by the Ford Foundation and on a network whose president used to work for Radio Free Europe, a US government propaganda outlet.

Blatantly omitted was the shoe-throwers voiced justification-

"This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq..."

Over 1,250,000 Iraqi dead due to the US invasion.

Millions turned into refugees.

There was nothing funny about this incident and people around the world cheered this brave man's indictment of a war criminal, George W. Bush."

12/21/08, 4:52 PM
Anonymous said...

One more time to get that On the Media link to fit-

http://www.onthemedia.org/episodes/2008/12/19/segments/118803

12/21/08, 4:53 PM
Anonymous said...

...third time's a charm-

http://www.onthemedia.org/episodes/
2008/12/19/segments/118803

12/21/08, 4:54 PM
Anonymous said...

Perhaps NPR should send Anne Garrels to interview the shoe-thrower in jail.

After all, how many journalists have experience interviewing prisoners who have recently been beaten/tortured by their jailers? (as the shoe thrower was, according to an Iraqi judge)

12/21/08, 10:55 PM
Anonymous said...

Heh. OmniMedia (say it rilly rilly fast!) does basically sawk.

12/22/08, 7:06 AM
Anonymous said...

Wasn't listening very closely this weekend but after another reader's letter pointing out the total abscence of coverage of the suffering of Iraqis in this stupid, senseless war, the smiling announcer subbing for Ms. Leann boldly assurred they will have such stories in JANUARY.

So THERE.

Wooo...

Day late and a dollar short, as someone here commented recently...

12/22/08, 7:31 AM
Anonymous said...

reader's letter = listener's letter

More coffee stat!

12/22/08, 7:33 AM
RepubLiecan said...

Speaking of Lil' Scotty the Simonizer, I wonder what criteria he used to determine Silent Night was the most goyish of all Christmas carols. Nina Totenberg did a fine rendition of it in that segment.

12/22/08, 9:40 AM
Woody (Tokin Librul/Rogue Scholar/ Helluvafella!) said...

Perhaps NPR should send Anne Garrels to interview the shoe-thrower in jail.

After all, how many journalists have experience interviewing prisoners who have recently been beaten/tortured by their jailers? (as the shoe thrower was, according to an Iraqi judge)

12/21/08 10:55 PM

Toxic Annie was reporting this morning from the most polluted nuclear dump in the world, out on the Russian steppes.

12/22/08, 4:15 PM
Anonymous said...

Interesting too that they said all Hannukah songs are Biblical, the Christmas ones secular--and they played the Dreidel song--is that one not more secular than scripture?

This morning they had a miserable piece about a poor little millionare in Chicago who may just have to take smaller landscaping jobs than those over $5000--and slipped in advertising for a brand of cigarettes too.

I used to only shout at the tv, now I shout at the radio as well.

12/22/08, 9:33 PM
Kevan Smith said...

Poor Cokie!

It's official: Readers pick Cokie Roberts' "foreign, exotic" Hawaii comments as Most Inane

http://mediamatters.org/items/200812220009?f=h_top

12/23/08, 4:55 AM
Anonymous said...

Awww, Kev! Ya beat me to it! I was gonna post my warmest congrats to KooKoo and her good flagship lollipop NoPR!!

Guess I still can!!

12/23/08, 7:00 AM
Anonymous said...

o/` Cokie, Cokie, lend me your (cox)comb... o/`

12/23/08, 7:46 AM
Woody (Tokin Librul/Rogue Scholar/ Helluvafella!) said...

War On War Off said...
o/` Cokie, Cokie, lend me your (cox)comb... o/`
12/23/08 7:46 AM

That 'dates' you pretty accurately.

Bonus points for anybody else who know the provenance???

12/23/08, 9:03 AM
Woody (Tokin Librul/Rogue Scholar/ Helluvafella!) said...

I'd be a more frequent commentor here, except that--as happened this morning--I could listen to only a few seconds of that crap/pap.

What drove me away shrieking imprecations at the tuner was the UofMd economist who believes that as long as there are waitresses working for tips, auto line-workers don't "deserve" their $60k/annum wages. There was no contrary indication from either the "reporter" or the "host" and there was no countervailing opinion expressed by 'the other side.'

I am "86'd" at my local npr outlet for my endless barrages of derision and complaint delivered to the person on the board there.

They of course think my complaints are unfair and excessive, and they hang up on me as soon as they recognize my voice...

12/23/08, 9:09 AM
Unknown said...

Bonus points for anybody else who knows the provenance?

It's too easy to Google. It was just slightly before my time, although I remember the TV show.

12/23/08, 9:13 AM
Anonymous said...

That 'dates' you pretty accurately.

Yep, I'm getting old.

;)

Hey, wonder if Richard Cohen has seen my nym on teh blogs? Amazingly, he didn't wank today!

12/23/08, 10:32 AM
Evan said...

This morning's report on the UAW was sadly predicable--talk to numerous economists about what the auto companies and the government should do with the union workers' contract (not what the union itself should do), and don't talk to one single union representative or labor expert.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98627251

12/23/08, 11:38 AM
Anonymous said...

"77 Sunset Strip" -- Ed "Cookie" Burns.

12/23/08, 9:33 PM
Anonymous said...

as long as there are waitresses working for tips, auto line-workers don't "deserve" their $60k/annum wages. There was no contrary indication from either the "reporter" or the "host" and there was no countervailing opinion expressed by 'the other side.'"

And total silence about the NPR "hosts" like Inskreep and Norris who get over $200K per year.

And then of course, there is the NPR President who pulls down a cool half million per year for his propaganda.

Unlike most of the people at NPR and most of the other "news" outlets in this country, autoworkers actually produce something of value.

NPR, on th eother hand produces crap and propaganda day in and day out -- and gets public funding to do so.

12/24/08, 12:30 PM
Anonymous said...

I listen to this bilge for hours a day in order to do a mini-Media Matters on NPR (my efforts pale in contrast to mytwords).

Never a discouraging word to be heard. On the Capitalist Defender Show (MarketPlace) the host can not review the year past ("you know what happened") so he looks forward to the future where things are so much better.

My other favorite segment is Illegal/Immoral Wars are Fine, Just Fine, Thank You (Impact of War). I suspect that this series is totally paid for by DoD which maintains sole control on content and tone. I have asked Ombudsman about this often but they simply refuse to reply (I call that significant red flag).

Once again - congrats to you for your efforts.

Keep up the fine work.

12/30/08, 11:15 AM

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