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Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

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Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#261

Post by victorbjorklund »

another_twist wrote: post #52
legitster wrote: post #38

Contrary to the conservative spin over the years, I have found public broadcasting to be one of the least biased sources of headline news and information available. (For their national broadcasts at least - local ... can be hit or miss). In particular, their kids programming is the absolute best. Nothing flashy or exciting, but it's laser focused on education and has zero agenda. And the PBS kids apps are one of the…

Thats expected. In functioning democracies state media is run for the purpose not profit. It doesnt have the corrupting influence of political money. PBS in the US could be so much better. Just look at what BBC is able to do in the UK.

BBC is not 100% neutral on all issues. No one is. One could argue that it is less bad than the for-profit channels in the UK but no channel is without biase.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#262

Post by esseph »

efitz wrote: post #101
thrownawaysz wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Just at what BBC is able to do in the UK. This is funny because BBC is a prime example of being a propaganda channel for the government of the day. And that's not new at all just look back at the coverage of the Troubles or the miners strikes in the 70s-80s. Yes it's not on the level of CGTN or Russia Today but BBC is not neutral at all https://theconversation.com/hard-evidence-how-biased-is-the-...

A lot of people are unable to see their own political bias; they look at BBC or Fox News and see “unbiased true reporting”. I highly suggest using Ground News (ground.news) for a week or a month as your sole portal into news stories, and then use their features to analyze bias in your selection of news stories and outlets. I use it regularly to try to offset my own biases.

I've been a subscriber for a few months now and it's well worth it.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#263

Post by BeetleB »

unnamed76ri wrote: post #226
BeetleB wrote: post #129

I identify neither as a liberal nor as a conservative, but outsiders will likely see a left bent in me. The thing about PBS and NPR: I just don't have any alternatives! Wherever I've lived, all the other radio stations/channels just suck - liberal or not. MSNBC, CNN, Fox News totally suck. ABC, CBS, NBC mostly suck. The half-good radio stations are just way too biased and make NPR/PBS appear like paragons of neutralt…

I’ll listen to snippets of right wing talk radio but it generally doesn’t take long before the exaggeration (Glenn Beck) or Trump idol worship (Clay Travis) get annoying. I like hearing perspectives on stories that I won’t hear elsewhere but in general, I don’t need very much political news in my life. I’m happier spending my time on audio books and podcasts. I’m not sure I’ve ever engaged with NPR beyond seeing cons…

> I’m not sure I’ve ever engaged with NPR beyond seeing conservatives mock some of their silliest propaganda headlines in the past few years.

What about all the nonpolitical shows on NPR/PBS? Snap Judgement, This American Life, Prairie Home Companion, Nature, NOVA, etc.

Lots of people watch PBS/NPR not for politics, but for the entertainment/educational content.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#264

Post by GuinansEyebrows »

SV_BubbleTime wrote: post #212
sleet_spotter wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I sympathize with the feeling, it’s a stretch to say “obligated by law”. You pay taxes, which your legally-elected representatives decide how to spend. We elect them to speak and choose on our behalf. It isn’t a “loophole” when this runs afoul of an individual’s values. It is simply that we have a representative government that makes decisions by majority votes. I don’t agree with most defense spending, but I a…

>While I sympathize with the feeling, it’s a stretch to say “obligated by law”. You pay taxes, The number of steps that “Pay Taxes” is removed from “Literally At Fucking Gunpoint” is not as many steps as you might think.

you can either pay taxes at gunpoint or you can pay tribute/protection/insurance/ransom/bribes at gunpoint. not sure there are (or have ever been) many places in the world where you don't owe some debt of obligation to a larger organization, be it a government, organized crime, or something else.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#265

Post by esseph »

glial wrote: post #198
efitz wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of people are unable to see their own political bias; they look at BBC or Fox News and see “unbiased true reporting”. I highly suggest using Ground News (ground.news) for a week or a month as your sole portal into news stories, and then use their features to analyze bias in your selection of news stories and outlets. I use it regularly to try to offset my own biases.

At your recommendation I took a look at Ground News. I'm not a fan of the continued reification of "left" and "right". I have heard conservatives lament that MAGA isn't truly conservative. I've heard economic reformers lament that liberal social policies are sucking the oxygen out of the room for real structural reform. In both cases the idea of a single "left" and "right" as a group, or even worse as the two sole op…

It's also showing you Where and IF people are even talking about the issues in their bubbles.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#266

Post by timr »

perfectviking wrote: post #256
timr wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Somewhat ironically a lot of the extreme cuts (this included) only serve to reinforce the status of major blue state metros as more desirable, since they have more resources available to fill the gaps left by federal austerity. If the people in the red states aren't willing to pay for it , it would seem that they don't think it's desirable. Capitalism is funny that way. I get that you're trying to say that the pie…

It's not that they aren't willing to pay for it. When you actually ask them, they often do support paying for these things.

> When you actually ask them, they often do support paying for these things.

Great! It isn't a problem, then. Again, capitalism is funny that way.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#267

Post by Boogie_Man »

Kye wrote: post #230
Boogie_Man wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't want to be "that guy", but I often find myself as the "intolerable lib" in some situations and the "intolerable con" in others, so here we go: There is a degree of quasi-political messaging in PBS children's shows. I can say this because I've watched more hours than I'd like of several of them, but I'd like to focus on on Molly Of Denali. It's a good children's show about an inuit girl who lives in Alaska and…

It's impossible to make self or mind small enough to be safe from regressives.

I appreciate the poetic response and think that the point I believe you're making: "people who are inclined to criticize anything which isn't exactly as they'd like it will never be pleased, so you can't spend all of your time trying to please them." is correct and useful generally.

Where I might disagree with you, if I understand you correctly, is in how applicable your comment is as a response to my mine. At the outset I attempted to communicate that some of the things that the most likely to be outraged people would take issue with (the importance of exercising the right to vote - especially if your ancestors didn't enjoy the right) are pretty universally accepted and even presenting it without nuance inside of a children's show is acceptable because it is done so with a positive focus (be involved in the democratic process).

If I misunderstood you I apologize.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#268

Post by legitster »

Boogie_Man wrote: post #183
legitster wrote: post #38

Contrary to the conservative spin over the years, I have found public broadcasting to be one of the least biased sources of headline news and information available. (For their national broadcasts at least - local ... can be hit or miss). In particular, their kids programming is the absolute best. Nothing flashy or exciting, but it's laser focused on education and has zero agenda. And the PBS kids apps are one of the…

I don't want to be "that guy", but I often find myself as the "intolerable lib" in some situations and the "intolerable con" in others, so here we go: There is a degree of quasi-political messaging in PBS children's shows. I can say this because I've watched more hours than I'd like of several of them, but I'd like to focus on on Molly Of Denali. It's a good children's show about an inuit girl who lives in Alaska and…

Counterpoint, when these episodes were first aired, these weren't viewed as political issues. Only in response to these ideas have they become politicized.

And since PBS has backed away from making episodes like these.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#269

Post by mulmen »

user3939382 wrote: post #247
jmull wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> one of the least biased sources of headline news and information available I’m pretty sure that’s the fundamental problem they have with it. They want media whose content they control. (All of this is about control/power, not making things nice or doing things right.)

[flagged]

Why is that a problem?

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#270

Post by esseph »

2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #139
efitz wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of people are unable to see their own political bias; they look at BBC or Fox News and see “unbiased true reporting”. I highly suggest using Ground News (ground.news) for a week or a month as your sole portal into news stories, and then use their features to analyze bias in your selection of news stories and outlets. I use it regularly to try to offset my own biases.

Ground News worries me because now we don't need to use our brains the app just tells me the bias! Ground News could be biased! Leads to shallow discussion where all news sources are tossed out for bias leaving nothing (or what ground news wants you to listen to). God forbid we critically examine for ourselves the information we consume.

This makes 0 sense

Ground news links all of their sources on a per article basis and you can simply scroll left/right through each news source. And you can add your own sources!

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