What Mistakes? What Agitators?

NPR's Carrie Kahn continues working damage control for the notorious LAPD. Back in January it was just a communication problem that caused the kindly LAPD to beat the crap out of demonstrators, whereas a few tardy days after the event the coverage was weak in spite of the fact that a local NPR reporter was attacked in the march.

So on the one year anniversary of the march and police attack Inskeep tells us that "This year the police say they've learned from their mistakes."

From there Kahn 's launches in with

"Today's march will undoubtedly start like last year's with the usual rallying cry [march sounds] however, police insist it won't end the same [march sounds, sirens] after being pelted with rocks and bottles by a small group of agitators, riot clad LAPD officers used batons and rubber bullets to disperse the thousands."

Call me skeptical, but where is the eyewitness, video, or photographic evidence of "agitators" provoking the police? As Tom Hayden points out, this storyline is exactly what the LAPD wants to have sold to the public.

Robbins' Fetid Baloney Sandwich

On NPR News what do you call a an outdoor prison camp where the 2000 inmates "live outside, sleeping on cots in hundreds of old canvas tents in the broiling summer heat and the chilly desert winter"? It's "the place called Tent City, Joe Arpaio's most famous invention" where "the idea is to make life tough and humiliating."

And when male inmates are forced to wear "a black and white striped uniform usually worn over pink underwear" that's just "the Sheriff's fashion creation" that inmates "model" for the NPR reporter.

Even when Robbins tells us that "for food the Sheriff serves the inmates green, as in fetid baloney sandwiches" the tone is humorously matter of fact.

I considered writing a parody of Ted Robbins' pro-police state report on Maricopa Sherrif Joe Arpaio, but it was just too depressing to try. His story is disgusting, and echoes the humorous euphemisms that torturers often use to describe their crimes.

It is telling that on a morning when anti-immigrant/nativist racism is making the news, NPR chooses to do a folksy send up of this anti-immigrant, racist, prisoner-abusing Sheriff, Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona. CNN covered this creep back in 1999 - and the story has grotesque foreshadowing of Abu Ghraib - inmates exposed to hot and cold weather in run down tents and forced to where humiliating underwear. In fact the Maricopa Sheriff's office drew the attention of Amnesty International back in 1997 for abuses and reported torture with stun guns - and the intervention of the ACLU in 2007 for abuse to a quarantined TB patient. But on NPR Arpaio is introduced by Steve Inskeep as "a man enforcing laws at all costs..." and his perverted practices are described by Robbins as "either innovative or a throw-back to harsher times."

There are times when I think maybe I'm a bit too critical of NPR, and then they run a piece like this and I just think, why would anyone with a conscience want to support this mockery of journalism.

Blessings

All right, here's a confession: NPR impressed me with two recent pieces. The first was the story of neurosurgeon and professor Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, who admits to coming into the US as an undocumented worker back in the seventies. When the NPR interviewer asked him about his "illegal" entry, he thought about it before answering and then commented that all he was thinking about was that he was hungry and had to try and feed himself and his family. Doctor Quinones-Hinojosa went on to take classes, become a surgeon and a citizen.

Given the poisonous attitudes toward "illegal" immigrants so frequent in the media, this was a subtly challenging piece for NPR to air. It doesn't take the usual "pro-con" approach, but instead just gives listeners something to think about - poverty, determination and the dignity of the human spirit. A nice contribution.

The second piece had me cringing when it began: Julie McCarthy covering the upcoming visit by the Pope to Brazil. Uh oh! And it was going to talk about liberation theology. Wow, was I pleasantly surprised. Not because NPR just rolled over and gave a leftist perspective, but because McCarthy actually gave time for the spokespeople of liberation theology to explain their ideas. She didn't come down on one side or the other of the battle between the Vatican and liberation theologians and Latin American activists. Instead she reported on some of the realities that poor Brazilians face, on the realities of environmental degradations in Brazil, and on the attitudes of both opponents and proponents of liberation theology (without any condescension toward any parties). A welcome mind-blowing experience. Thanks Ms. McCarthy.

Blackshirt Nation

UPDATE: NPR finally covered this story on Sunday Weekend Edition, May 6, and did a better job.

Here's a little activity I'd suggest you try.

On the NPR site, type "Patricia Nazario" in the search box and here is what you get. Look carefully - the most recent story featuring Patricia Nazario is a September 2004 story from Bogota, Colombia. Unbelievable, it is the evening of May 5th and NPR news has yet to do a significant segment on the LAPD's attack on the peaceful immigration rights rally--including an assault on local NPR affiliate reporter, Patricia Nazario. You would think that since NPR had one of it's own affiliates attacked, it would want to get some extensive coverage.

I emailed the NPR affiliate station, KPCC, and this is the exchange:

(My inquiry): I run a blog that is critical of NPR's national news coverage. I was stunned that the national bureau has not done any follow-up to the mention that a local affiliate's reporter was injured. I would like to comment on this on my blog, but thought I should inquire whether NPR has contacted you about doing any further coverage of this story.

(KPCC replies): Thanks for writing to KPCC. NPR did in fact follow up on this story. Carrie Kahn interviewed Patricia for a story, Day to Day wanted to interview Patricia for a story (we turned that one down because it was early in the morning after a very long night) and a new NPR program, Tell Me More, is going to interview her on Monday. News Director, 89.3 KPCC-FM.

Okay, so if Carrie Kahn interviewed Nazario, where is it? Carrie Kahn covered (covered up?) the police attack on the march in her report on May 2nd's Morning Edition, the morning after the attack. Here is her coverage:

"that turned into a standoff as some members of the crowd refused to move (sounds of police yelling). As officers yelled a small group of protesters threw bottles, sticks and Coke cans at police. Within minutes lines of officers in riot gear swept into the park firing rubber bullets and ordering everyone out....Most inside the park including families with small children, street vendors, and television crews didn’t hear the orders to disperse until police were already in the crowd. Several TV camermen and reporters were pushed and hit by police, including an NPR member station reporter from Los Angeles. She was treated at a local hospital...."

So here it is four full days after a squad of police without badges or identifying tags attack people with clubs, non-lethal bullets, and tear gas and that's all we get from NPR news - in spite of their having a local reporter who was one of the victims of the police.

For decent coverage of the attack take a look at KPCC's coverage, Truthout (featuring local Fox video coverage and LA Times article), or this photo coverage from the LA Times (source of the graphic).