National Public Radio

:NPR redirects here. For other meanings of NPR, see NPR (disambiguation).

Criticism

Like many other media outlets, NPR is periodically accused of having a detectable political and/or socio-cultural bias, although the nature of the accusations vary depending on the political ideology of the individual issuing them.

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Some conservatives have alleged that the network tailors its content to the preferences of an audience drawn from a liberal "educated elite." While members of NPR's audience are more likely to be white and college educated than those who listen to other radio outlets, observers dispute the claim of a liberal bias. (See http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1180.)

Related Topics:
Conservatives - Liberal - Elite - White - Liberal bias

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Left-wing activists have alleged that NPR caters to its corporate funders and shies away from controversial topics. They may believe that NPR avoids the sort of journalism that would embarrass the likes of Monsanto, Archer Daniels Midland, or Wal-Mart, since these companies are among the largest single private donors to NPR programming. According to these critics, examples of articles that would embarrass funders could include problems with genetically modified organisms, the politics of food production and farming, labor union activism in Wal-Mart stores, and urban sprawl.

Related Topics:
Left-wing - Monsanto - Archer Daniels Midland - Wal-Mart - Urban sprawl

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African-American community activists have criticized NPR for not being responsive to their interests and those of other minority ethnic groups. Tavis Smiley, a well-known black talk show host, resigned from NPR claiming that NPR did not effectively promote his program to minority communities. In addition, he received complaints from listeners stating that his sound was too harsh and grating for public radio.

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Some critics simply believe that NPR programming, and the programming of its public radio competitors, is too monotonous to be listenable. American pop culture is fond of referring to the allegedly dull nature of NPR shows. For example, The Simpsons parodied Garrison Keillor's comedic monologues on his show, A Prairie Home Companion, with a character who dressed in a bow tie, spoke at length in a monotone and expected the audience to laugh at jokes that were not funny. http://www.snpp.com/episodes/1F03.html Saturday Night Live had a recurring segment called The Delicious Dish, a parody of public radio weekend programs. The hosts (played by Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon) speak in monotonous tones and are unenthusiastic and uninterested in the topics.

Related Topics:
The Simpsons - Garrison Keillor - A Prairie Home Companion - Saturday Night Live - Ana Gasteyer - Molly Shannon

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Unlike other radio networks, such as CBC/Radio-Canada, NPR does not produce local or regional content. Instead, each member station must create local news and other programming. This approach means that there is a great variety in the format of member station broadcasts. While this variety may reflect the diversity of the communities in which NPR stations are found, it may come at a sacrifice to uniform quality across the network.

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