I'll admit it publicly! Several decades ago I found myself doing a lot more driving for work and it was not unusual for me to listen to both the Rush Limbaugh radio program and NPR's All Things Considered in the same afternoon. Different persepectives for sure, but between them I felt like I could gather a few laughs and insights as I motored through my afternoon.
Around the turn of the century, my work situation had changed. I also found myself listening less and less to Rush Limbaugh. Too angry and vindictive. Interestingly, the same thing began to play out with NPR over the past decade. Now when I drive, it's classic rock, podcasts or whistling to myself.
Against that backdrop, I recently read "I've Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here's How We Lost America's Trust by Uri Berliner." Wow! It is a bombshell that clarified my own experience. You owe it to yourself to read it and ponder for yourself. CLICK HERE
Berliner's post has started quite a public conversation and engulfed their new CEO - the one Berliner mentions in his post. A few weeks after this post, Berliner resigned from NPR in a real "You can't quit me I'm fired!" sort of moment.
From his essay:
Back in 2011, although NPR’s audience tilted a bit to the left, it still bore a resemblance to America at large. Twenty-six percent of listeners described hemselves as conservative, 23 percent as middle of the road, and 37 percent as liberal.
By 2023, the picture was completely different: only 11 percent described themselves as very or somewhat conservative, 21 percent as middle of the road, and 67 percent of listeners said they were very or somewhat liberal. We weren’t just losing conservatives; we were also losing moderates and traditional liberals.
An open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR, and now, predictably, we don’t have an audience that reflects America.
Berliner then goes on for 3 pages to document three specific instances where NPR purposefully downplayed - even ignored - stories that turned out to be important. Even when later identified as important stories or false reporting on their part, NPR moved on without learning, retracting or publicly acknowledging the miss.
He reviews his increasing resistance to the emerging culture of advocacy that he saw replacing the commitment to journalism. Hmmmmmmm. Advocacy or journalism? Ponder that difference for a moment.
There’s an unspoken consensus about the stories we should pursue and how they should be framed. It’s frictionless—one story after another . . . It’s almost like an assembly line.
Berliner's personal observations were multiplied and confirmed as he talked with people about his work at NPR:
Now the trajectory of the conversation is different. After the initial “I love NPR,"there’s a pause and a person will acknowledge, “I don’t listen as much as I used to.” Or, with some chagrin:“What’s happening there? Why is NPR telling me what to think?”
Finally he writes (on April 9, 2024):
A few weeks ago, NPR welcomed a new CEO, Katherine Maher, who’s been a leader in tech. She doesn’thave a news background, which could be an asset given where things stand. I’ll be rooting for her. It’s a tough job. Her first rule could be simple enough: don’t tell people how to think.
We now know that Brunner resigned from NPR six days after he shared his thoughts in this essay. His resignation was accepted by the new CEO and, by my observation, she has led in NPR in damage control and avoidance. There seems no change in direction or even the ability to breathe deep and invest time in organizational self-reflection.
Two things have captured my attention through this sorry episode:
1) "Journalism replaced by advocacy." When winning is more important than the truth, all sorts of things begin to grow dysfunctional. This well describes the tsunami of information flooding our smartphones from all sides, don't you think? Beware!
2) "Don't tell people how to think." That approach makes me one advocacy voice lost in a massive chorus of advocacy singers. Most are more creative, better funded and angrier than me.
So I have been reconsidering some things, not about message or content so much as delivery. I'm willing to answer people's questions about the "what" and "why" of how I think on almost anything. And with issues related to the Gospel, I will even hope to invite people to join me in that journey.
But there are multiple reasons to remember that I am not in a position tell people how they must think or what conclusions they must affirm in order to be respected by me or to get the entire story - which can include my own foibles and confusion.
CLICK HERE for my post of May 2021 entitled Both Content & Delivery Matter When The Church Answers Questions
