Liberal NPR

Like Atrios I too was wondering why I had to listen to Newt Gingrich concern-trolling Dems on healthcare on NPR this morning.

NPR has some great programming but they really are not a liberal news outlet in any serious sense. They bend over backwards to give platforms to right-wing propagandists and treat people like Newt Gingrich as serious intellects with important contributions to make to our national discourse.

From an editorial perspective they do seem to be in favor of nominally "liberal" ideals but not anything beyond feel-good do-gooder stuff like - better schools! kids healthcare! hybrid cars! While I support all of those things in a general sense (and who wouldn't!) I don't really consider them to be all that liberal of issues or positions.

A discussion of poverty and it's impact on our urban schools that goes beyond, "poverty is bad" and starts to discuss root economic issues facing the working poor and the exploitation of immigrants by our society would be a liberal discussion. Those sorts of discussions rarely happen though because solidly leftist discussions of policy issues are seen as somehow radical and interest groups fighting for real social and economic justice are not serious. NPR promotes an upper-middle class liberalism that would prefer to not get too messy.

But if Newt Gingrich or Matt Continette want to come on there's always a warm seat.