I've been listening to KWMU in St. Louis, and contributing during pledge drives, for years. It's a very big NPR affiliate. I regularly listen to several hours of NPR programming a day. My last contribution was $50 in October, and I want it back. Why? Because NPR avoids reporting/discussion of how Congress could end the occupation of Iraq but just won't do it.....THAT'S why.
Here's the letter I sent to KWMU General Manager, Patty Wente, today.
November 12, 2007
Re: KWMU pledge refund
Dear Ms Wente,
I’ve listened to several hours daily of NPR programming for years, and have been contributing for years as well during KWMU’s fund drives. It looks as if I’ll discontinue the contributions, and to punctuate this, I’m requesting you refund the last contribution I made in October of $50 (not that I think you’ll actually refund it, mind you).
Here’s the scoop on it.
I often listen to Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and the talk programs including Diane Rehm, TOTN, and Tom Ashbrook. There’s a hugely important story out there which all these programs are failing to address, to the extent it is the biggest story missed since the failure to report on the non-existence of "WMDs" preceding the disastrous invasion of Iraq.
And what story could be as important as that? The unreported/undiscussed story is the failure of Congress to end the disastrous occupation of Iraq, despite having the means to do so. NPR is functioning to perpetuate the continued misuse, abuse, death and dismemberment of our Armed Forces by its failure to report/discuss Congress’ cooperation with the executive branch on Mideast policy.
It’s not hard to fault NPR. There just simply is a lack of serious, on-going reporting on how Congress displays no motivation to bring our troops home and how they could actually accomplish the same if they were motivated. When NPR has a chance to interview Congressional leaders about Iraq, the interviewers simply drop the ball and leave their lame excuses unchallenged (I call specific attention to Robert Siegel and Tavis Smiley’s recent interviews with Nancy Pelosi). During news roundup-type programs, if discussion even gets close to the subject of Congress taking effective action which would result in redeployment in earnest, the guests sound very nervous, and the host lets the subject go somewhere else in a hurry.
NPR, and other mainstream news/talk sources, are part of the problem, clearly, in my opinion.
I wrote to NPR back in July 2007 about this. Two months later, I got a reply from Guy Raz, which was quite kind, and it was clear he took my feedback seriously. The problem is that while Mr. Raz is a fine Defense correspondent, there’s very little a person in his position could possibly do about this essentially institutional avoidance of the topic. A much more appropriate venue for these topics would be in a discussion or talk show format, anyway.
I wrote again to NPR about this a week or two ago, and got a reply stating my letter has been referred to the TOTN staff. I’ve not heard anything else, and I’m not expecting to hear much.
NPR, in a sense, "profits" from the continued death and dismemberment of our troops in Iraq; there’s always some bad news to report, which keeps listeners tuning in, and many of those listeners are contributors, and reporting news which garners cash is what keeps NPR program hosts in a job. And, yes, we "need" to get that news. It’s the news that NPR is avoiding that is the sticky part, i.e., news and discussion that is contrary to the status quo and falacious "we don’t have the votes to end it" rhetoric of the Congress.
So, instead of just waiting for NPR to decide this is an important topic to thoroughly cover, I’m going to vote with my dollars, too. Send me a refund. I don't know why I'd want to monetarily support NPR any longer. Don’t worry, I’ll contribute again......as soon as NPR starts covering this neglected story in earnest. That’s what needs to happen.
Sincerely,
Link to Robert Siegel's recent interview with Madame Speaker
Link to Tavis Smiley's recent interview with Madame Speaker