This started out as a rather long comment in Joan McCarter's front page diary on the 98 Companies who have pulled or suspended ads on Rush and all "controversial" RW radio. I feel, however it warrants a diary of its own.
Today, I listened to The Diane Rehm Show, produced by National Public Radio and WAMU out of American University which serves the Greater DC area. What I heard appalled me: Phyllis Schlafly defending Rush Limbaugh nearly without any challenge what so ever from the host, Diane Rehm
Follow me over the divider-doodle for the story...
I just heard Phyllis Schlafly on the Diane Rehm show. Now I used to like Diane, but more and more she brings on "both sides" and allows canned talking points to be used as answers to questions without serious challenge. I don't know if it's her chronic illness or what, be she has really been phoning it in lately.
This is what she let Phyllis get away with: asserting that Democrats had said horrible things about Palin, Malkin, and others. Diane let that stand without asking her who said what exactly and when (like, you know, a journalist would). She then allowed Schlafly to get away with asserting that Democrats promote single parenthood because women on government assistance are their "natural constituency" and defend what Rush said about Fluke. The only people who really challenged this were a couple of callers--from the South, I will add.
Kossack Krush pointed out to me--having heard the program as well today--in this comment in Joan's diary:
Diane Rehm did ask Phyllis Schlafly why she felt insulted by a caller who asserted that agendas such as Schlafly's
need to be soundly debated.
And Schlafy said "It's an anti-Phyllis comment".
The other guests on the show today were Terry O'Neill, the President of NOW, and Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post. While there was some challenge from the other guests, for the most part Schlafly's talking points went without serious, rigorous challenge, even her suggestion that Fluke's testimony was about the "public" paying for her to be on the pill so she could be sexually active without consequence--clearly NOT the subject of her testimony which I have heard and read in its entirety, and which I am sure Diane Rehm has, as well. There is no transcript up at this time but you can listen for yourself to today's show
HERE.
What does this have to do with Rush and his advertisers? It tells you that yes, it will hurt Rush, but you've got NPR call-in show hosts bringing on his apologists like Diane Rehm did. For free.
Who needs Sears advertising on your show when you have Diane Rehm bringing on shills for you left and right on public radio?
I'm sending an email to Diane Rehm and to the NPR ombudsman about this. In my opinion, no program--whether produced by NPR directly or not--which shows up on the public airwaves should allow hate speech apologists to spew bile unchallenged. Talking not being in the service of the public interest!
I can't believe Diane has consumed so much right wing Kool-Aid that she finds what Schlafly had to say remotely reasonable or legitimate, let alone when Schlafly stuck to her guns that Fluke wanted birth control on the public dime to have sex, essentially perpetuating Rush's lie.
As you can see, I'm pretty steamed, but good on all the advertisers who have pulled out of RW hate radio. Now if we can get some of them to stop funding Diane Rehm, we'll really send a message.
Let's Take Action!
You can find WAMU's contact page here and NPR's ombudsman by going to the NPR website here.
If you didn't hear the show, I encourage you to listen to it and contact WAMU and NPR and let them know that Public Broadcasting should not be used to provide an unchallenged platform for the apologists of hate speech, especially when it is blatantly inaccurate and possibly slanderous as Rush Limbaugh's was. Let's help clean up NPR and the Diane Rehm show. Let's do it today.