Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

Hot air and ill-informed banter

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

DeSantis transforms Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

I was confident that someone would point it out and thought why not me.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Everybody saw this coming.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

… among the most cringeworthy communications in the history of the alphabet!

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

You are here: Home / The comedy is over

The comedy is over

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It looks like I owe all of you a big apology for suggesting that NPR would severe ties with someone for participating in OWS (h/t slag):

NPR will no longer distribute the member station-produced program “World of Opera” to about 60 stations across the country because the show host helped organize an ongoing Washington protest, a network official said Friday evening.

Instead, North Carolina-based classical music station WDAV, which produces the show, said it will distribute the nationally syndicated program on its own beginning Nov. 11. The station said it plans to keep Lisa Simeone as host and has said her involvement in a political protest does not affect her job as a music program host.

NPR spokeswoman Dana Davis Rehm said the network disagrees with the station on the role of program hosts but respects its position.

Reader Interactions

113Comments

  6. 6.

    Ruviana

    Makes me glad I stopped listening to NPR in August completely. I miss “NPR” but not that stuff that I’d been hearing recently, and I never have to hear Cokie or Mara Liasson again!

  7. 7.

    General Stuck

    OT

    From our Flip Flop Files

    “I may not be as incendiary or outlandish in rhetoric as some have been in the race…but I think, in the final analysis, people want someone who is stable, solid.”

    — Mitt Romney, in an interview with Sean Hannity, defending himself as a true conservative.

    Romney would later renounce his previous comments and declare himself neither stable nor solid. When asked why he would say such a thing, Romney quivered “I don’t know why, somebody stop me”

  8. 8.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    NPR Ombud says it’s not a news issue, so he didn’t address it, but justifies NPR’s decision because NPR journalists are specifically barred from participating in political demonstrations. So… this isn’tt a “news issue”, but the host of the opera show is a “journalist”? Are Click and Clack “journalists”? Ira Glass? the lady who does the cooking show?

  9. 9.

    Wag

    NPR is really pissing me off over this. I’ve been a supporter for decades and as long as they let Mara Liason continue to appear on Fox then they should just STFU and butt out of their opera host’s business.

    On the other end of the spectrum, Michelle Norris, host of ATC has taken a LOA so her husband can work on Obama’s campaign. That is transparent and honest. Any hope of a Fox host doing the same?

  10. 10.

    Brandon

    I stopped listening to NPR years ago. It was the best decision of my life. The calm I now feel is like nirvana.

  11. 11.

    Bullsmith

    The Republicans have successfully rigged NPR so that it can now spread absolute lies on behalf of the right and/or the oligarchy, but heaven forbid they should broadcast an Opera program with an alleged liberal at the helm.

    The worst thing is the target is the insitution. NPR, the Senate, the judicial system, the story is always the same. Infiltrate and undermine it, then loudly proclaim that it doesn’t work, just like you always said.

    If destroying American institutions for the sole purpose of winning elections isn’t anti-American, I don’t know what is. OWS is great and all, but the raping of the economy (or, put another way, the amassed wealth of the public) continues unabated. Record bonuses, bailouts, repeat.

    My question is are we reliving the McCarthy 50’s or, I fear much more likely, are we more likely echoing Europe’s reaction to the Great Depression where instead of a New Deal they got corporate/political fascism based on fear of the left, fear of foreigners, love of war and love of individual wealth. Hmmmmmmmmm.

  12. 12.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Wag:

    Any hope of a Fox host doing the same?

    Wasn’t it Carl Cameron who was caught on tape telling Bush in a pre-interview conversation telling GWB that Mrs Cameron was “working for the cause”? a paid employee of the ’04 campaign, IIRC. George Will’s wife is a GOP operative, maybe retired now; Bob Dole had to fire her from his campaign b/c she’s pro-choice.

  14. 14.

    Cain

    I’m somewhat wavering on my support of NPR over this. The protests are non-partisan and the person is not a journalist.

    I’m really torn, NPR shows me things that are outside the political spectrum that I’ve come to respect. Radio is a powerful medium and it can convey a lot of emotions, sounds, whatever.

    I think though I rather participate and try to change from within than to revoke. It’s the only good thing we have on radio and we still need to support it and wield our influence not retreat. I won’t cede the battlefield.

  15. 15.

    Comrade Luke

    @Cain:

    What I’ve chosen to do is 1) stop contributing, 2) stop listening live and 3) subscribe to podcasts of the shows I enjoy, most of which aren’t NPR-produced, just distributed.

    YMMV.

  18. 18.

    Bondo

    I know it is common for people to talk about the first Amendment when they are fired over speech, political or otherwise, when it isn’t relevant, but NPR is a governmental institution so isn’t it unconstitutional for them to fire someone (dump an affiliated program) over speech/protest actions that aren’t work related?

    Though even where “free speech” isn’t protected this whole idea that political speech is fair grounds for disciplinary actions is really distressing to me. This is a scary trend, and sadly one of which I am a victim.

  19. 19.

    scav

    Thing is, this one is remarkably easy to have the choir preach back on as NPR is so eternally hungry for money. Next drive just explicitly tell them that you’re sending the money directly to WDAV instead. How long to do this is entirely up to personal taste and your understanding of the local station but one action gets positive and negative re-enforcement in easily understood places.

  22. 22.

    Bondo

    Made a political joke on facebook that fell into the wrong hands. Something about Republicans being like Ricky Gervais in the Invention of Lying and Democrats being like everyone else. Technically an insult to Democrats if you get the joke. I was working for a “bipartisan” organization at the time.

    No warning, no probation, immediate termination.

  24. 24.

    Cain

    @Comrade Luke:

    Sure, you can do all those things, but I guess I don’t agree with throwing everything out because of their political coverage. NPR like other outlets are a victim of the village. We need to reform that and NPR gets fixed automatically.

  25. 25.

    Cain

    If another Republican president goes to war, I think that’s going to send a pretty clear signal about what the republican party is about because you can’t talk about fiscal responsibility and then go off and spend billions on wars.

    Once you cut the social programs you are still on the hook to create jobs. If it gets bad enough the pendulum will swing very quickly the other way.

  27. 27.

    PIGL

    @Cain: No it won’t get fixed…..you’d need some evidence that a Democratic administration would fire the rat-asses of Republican sleeper agents whereas clearly they never ever will.

  30. 30.

    wengler

    I think some people have been over this before, but NPR isn’t your public radio station. Your public radio station probably uses a bunch of programs produced and distributed by NPR, but it also has stuff by others like PRI or even locally produced.

    Just like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting isn’t PBS.

  31. 31.

    Uncle Clarence Thomas

    .
    .
    @Cain:

    If another Republican president goes to war, I think that’s going to send a pretty clear signal about what the republican party is about

    Oh, I think the “surges” in Iraq and Afghanistan clearly signal what they’re all about.
    .
    .

  32. 32.

    Keith G

    Yeah, NPR can certainly fuck up what seems like a easy call and there is a list of headline grabbing mistakes that is head ache inducing.

    But what the fuck people! There is a hell of a lot of wonderful work being done by fellow citizens who are hard working employees of this imperfect institution. Don’t throw them and their good work under the bus because a few bureaucrats have left you all butt-hurt.

    Keep the faith. Don’t be a tote-fire-bagger.

  33. 33.

    singfoom

    NPR once again runs away pre-emptively from the charge of “liberal bias” when they could have used the rejoinder, “She hosts a show about Opera, her personal life is her own.”

    Fucking failblog NPR.

    At the same time people, please realize that your local NPR station (as people have said above) is NOT your local station, but the national organization that has been captured by milquetoasts.

  35. 35.

    Violet

    @Dougerhead:

    maybe we should do a fundraiser for them.

    I’d donate to that.

    @scav:

    NPR is so eternally hungry for money. Next drive just explicitly tell them that you’re sending the money directly to WDAV instead.

    When your local NPR station does a fund drive, it’s usually for the local station, not the national NPR. The local station uses the money to run the station and pay for the NPR programs it chooses to run. When you don’t donate, you’re usually just hurting your local station.

  36. 36.

    Calouste

    @Cain:

    Tsk, is joining the US Army to invade some resource rich country not a good enough job for you, you lefty? That’s what I call job creation.

    /President Romney

  40. 40.

    Ruckus

    I listened to NPR for about 6 minutes 2 weeks ago. In about 4 minutes I was shouting at the radio for all the misdirection/bullshit coming out of the speaker. As it was a friends car I decided against tearing the radio out of the dash. I did manage to turn it off without damage. To the car or radio. I however lost about 6 months of my life in that 6 minutes. So I have renewed my pledge not to listen to broadcast radio. Ever again. Or at least until democrats are the majority in office continually for 20 years. So not in my lifetime.

  41. 41.

    Joey Maloney

    @Bondo: NPR is not a goverment institution as such. They are a private, non-profit corporation that receives some government funding.

    Dana Davis Rehm

    Any relation to Diane, I wonder?

  44. 44.

    Waylon Jennings Bryan

    So, just to make sure, everyone here realizes that your local public radio station is NOT NPR, right?

  46. 46.

    slag

    @Spaghetti Lee: RadioLab and TAL. And I am a donor to the producers of those shows, specifically.

    NPR’s national “news” org is a complete embarrassment. And to me, national news should be their primary function. Very sad.

  48. 48.

    Cain

    I love “Car Talk”, “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”, “Splendid Table”, “Radio Lab”, all really good programming. As I said, I won’t throw away the baby with the bathtub.

    Washington is broken. Fix it.

  49. 49.

    Apikoros

    @Joey Maloney:

    It’s way too late to make the appropriate phone calls, but my avenue of inquiry would be to suspect that she’s married to Dianne Rehm’s son. According to NPR she lives in Bethesda, MD with her husband. Dianne Rehm broadcasts from WAMU in DC. Odds are good there’s a link, but of course this would be paranoia… NPR might indulge in suppression of speech, but would never indulge in nepotism!

  50. 50.

    Phoebe

    https://balloon-juice.com/2011/10/24/the-comedy-is-over/#comment-2841599

    True enough; but given that money is fungible, what can we do besides refuse to contribute to the local organizations that pay the licensing fees that in turn pay Mara Liasson’s salary? We can tell our stations not to use our donations for NPR programming, but that doesn’t do us any good so long as they can use unrestricted donations for those programs.

    If there’s some effective way to choke off funds to the national organization, and to let them know why, without hurting the local stations I’d be eager to know what it is.

  51. 51.

    Rafer Janders

    @Bondo:

    NPR is not a governmental organization. The fact that it receives a (small) amount of public funding does not make it a part of the government. They can legally fire who they want to.

    Whether they should, however, is a whole different story.

  52. 52.

    Violet

    @Apikoros:

    It’s way too late to make the appropriate phone calls, but my avenue of inquiry would be to suspect that she’s married to Dianne Rehm’s son. According to NPR she lives in Bethesda, MD with her husband. Dianne Rehm broadcasts from WAMU in DC. Odds are good there’s a link, but of course this would be paranoia… NPR might indulge in suppression of speech, but would never indulge in nepotism!

    She’s not married to Diane Rehm’s son. He’s married to a woman named Nancy.

  53. 53.

    fourmorewars

    The L.A. area has two all-purpose public stations, plus a jazz one and a classical one. That’s leaving out KPFK, a Pacifica station. It’s reeely hard listening to the accommodationist tripe coming out of the two regular stations when you can contrast it with the likes of Amy Goodman.

    The classical station’s primetime host, Jim Svejda, is a well-respected classical expert, respected at least to judge from the musicians who appear with him (of course, not many other places for them to be heard). But he feels free to toss off disparaging remarks about liberalism when the opportunity presents itself. I believe, after this, I’ll complain about him to the station, and/or to NPR.

    Also, I hear Juan Williams one place or another plugging his book about supposed liberal ‘muzzling the debate.’ He obviously doesn’t listen to their programming, where they NEVER run a show on the issues without a Heritage Foundation-type on, who is accorded all the respect you could ask for, oftentimes more. Williams probably knows this already, the lying tool.

  54. 54.

    Uncle Clarence Thomas

    .
    .
    @Cain:

    I have a bad eye problem. Goddam, fix it will ya? Shiiiit.

    That is an unreasonable request only an asshole would demand, as I’m sure you will agree after a moment’s reflection. My formatting does not prevent your access to the site or harm you in any way, so you will have to adapt. Request denied.
    .
    .

  56. 56.

    Waylon Jennings Bryan

    @scav:

    NPR is so eternally hungry for money. Next drive just explicitly tell them that you’re sending the money directly to WDAV instead. How long to do this is entirely up to personal taste and your understanding of the local station but one action gets positive and negative re-enforcement in easily understood places.

    That’s your LOCAL public radio station raising money, fuck nuts. You do realize the difference between your local public radio station and NATIONAL Public Radio, right? Who says conservatives have a monopoly on criticizing things they don’t know fuck all about.

  60. 60.

    Cliff

    It boggles my mind how a station that caters to intellectuals and ostensibly features intellectuals can fuck up so repeatedly.

  62. 62.

    Uriel

    @Cain: You’ll note, however, that it’s a very selective eye problem- he seems perfectly capable of finding other people’s posts perfectly well in the absence of any nails- on-the-blackboard attention getting devices. It’s only his own posts that get lost in the absence of masturbatory punctuation shouting ‘lookatmelookatmeLOOKATME!’

    I believe the condition is called tedioustrolllitus.

  63. 63.

    MikeJ

    @Cain:

    I love “Car Talk”, “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”, “Splendid Table”, “Radio Lab”, all really good programming.

    Car Talk and the execrable WWDTM are both NPR.

    Splendid Table is APM and as andrewsomething pointed out, RadioLab is WNYC.

    There’s nothing magic about NPR. They’re a company that sells radio shows to stations. They’re not the government, and they’re not all of the programming left of the dial.

    Lots of other people make shows (PRI, APM), and it’s not that hard to do it yourself. Back in ye olden dayes if you wanted to distribute your show you had to either mail tapes to stations or have enough subscribers that had enough tech that you could buy time on the bird.

    Today if you wanted to you could easily distribute over the internet. In fact it’s the only way I’d do it. (Note I mean getting your show to subscribing stations, not selling to individuals, but that’s an interesting way to go too.)

    Lots of people make radio shows. Tell your local station which shows they should spend money on. If you can find a cheaper alternative to NPR (everything is cheaper than NPR) let your local station know.

  64. 64.

    Martin

    @Cliff: It’s because they actually think about what they’re doing in a detached way. Would Rush make that mistake? Nooooo. Why? Because he an intellectual meteor – never wavering in his judgement as he plummets, fire streaming, sonic booming into whatever target he’s chosen.

  66. 66.

    slag

    @Waylon Jennings Bryan: I’ve gone back and forth on this issue with regard to my local affiliates. They’re the ones buying NPR’s crap after all. In the end, I resolved to just donate directly to individual show producers. So, my bills typically come from WBEZ and WNYC. And I choose to not think about how my money gets spent from there. If my local affiliates decide to start producing or distributing really good programming, they will get my cash. Until then…that’s what the internet is for.

  67. 67.

    Moonbatting Average

    @MikeJ: I’d love to hear your righteous, indignant explanation as to how WWDTM is “execrable”.

    I rather like it as a way to pass a Saturday morning hangover, as I make a lovely breakfast and tune in to the early college football games. I’m such an easily-manipulated chump, so unlike you.

  68. 68.

    Elliecat

    How many folks who are so concerned about their donations maybe funding NPR are paying—and paying a hell of a lot more—for cable TV, which I think is far more damaging. How do you rationalize that one?

    Anyway, just to mention a public radio show a lot of people here might appreciate, Media Matters with Bob McChesney (available for streaming and podcast). A lot of lefty/progressive guests, but it wouldn’t be possible without people supporting his local public radio station. But you know, since the majority of people don’t bother to donate to public radio anyway, I’m sure progressives withholding their donations from their local stations will topple that beast NPR.

  70. 70.

    Cliff in NH

    @slag:

    If my local affiliates decide to start producing or distributing really good programming, they will get my cash. Until then…that’s what the internet is for.

    Grrrr.. I’ll shut up, that’s a good idea now.

    Support national to support good shows.

    g’night.

  71. 71.

    PeakVT

    @fourmorewars: It’s really something that everyone should understand. The arrangement is only mentioned about a thousand times during each pledge drive. Also, too, pretty much every other over-the-air broadcast network consists mostly of affiliates not owned by the parent. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember.

  72. 72.

    fourmorewars

    Cliff in NH, why are you attributing to me something I didn’t say? I’m not even sure what I think about the quote, but in any event it’s not mine.

  73. 73.

    Moonbatting Average

    @Elliecat:

    How many folks who are so concerned about their donations maybe funding NPR are paying—-and paying a hell of a lot more—-for cable TV, which I think is far more damaging. How do you rationalize that one?

    *cringes* Because I like watching sports? I rationalize it thus: My apartment complex has cable TV included in the rent, who am I to refuse. (full disclosure: I pay TWC for a high speed Internet connect, ugh)

  74. 74.

    slag

    @Elliecat:

    How many folks who are so concerned about their donations maybe funding NPR are paying—-and paying a hell of a lot more—-for cable TV, which I think is far more damaging. How do you rationalize that one?

    I don’t rationalize that one because I don’t pay for cable.

    And the second part of your comment is pretty ridiculous, especially when seen in conjunction with the first part. Are we supposed to feel bad for not donating to our local affiliates because no one else does? Or are we supposed to feel bad for buying cable because everyone else does? Whose sins are we supposed to be nailing ourselves on the cross for, exactly?

  75. 75.

    fourmorewars

    @PeakVT:
    It’s a detail that could be easily missed, even if they mention it ‘about a thousand times.’ May come as a surprise to you, but a lot of even-loyal listeners of public radio tune out the interminable drone of pledge-drive talk. Hell, I love Amy Goodman, but I don’t hesitate to turn the dial during a drive, until I think she’s done with her pitching. It’s some kind of mark of shame that an otherwise-intelligent listener’s ears don’t perk up when the mechanics of radio station operations are being explained?

    I SAID that wjb’s info was helpful, one can always stand to learn something. How ‘fucknuts,’ directed at a sympathetic poster, was a helpful addition, I’m unable to discern.

  76. 76.

    fasteddie9318

    I really wish I had any facility with video, because I would totally redo that Cain ad with a guy taking bong hits and ”Highway to Hell” as the theme song.

  77. 77.

    Dustin

    @slag: All of them slag, that’s the rule.

    Tell you what though, I’d rather pay my local NPR affiliate than PBS. My son loves the PBS broadcasts of the Jim Henson Company shows (Sid, Dinosaur Train, etc), but I’ll be damned if I support fucking “PBS NewsHour”. They parrot the same GOP talking points as Fox News and try to con liberals into thinking it’s nonpartisan fact. They’re pathetic.

  80. 80.

    slag

    @Dustin: That’s an easy one. Just buy the son a bunch of Fraggle Rock schwag that was probably made by kids his age in China. And then email the receipt to NewsHour explaining how you would have given the money to PBS but you’re not a Communist.

  83. 83.

    The prophet Nostradumbass

    @fourmorewars:

    Why not, asshole?

    So, you don’t have answer, other than an insult. Not surprised.

    Amy Goodman bears a large part of the blame for the current sorry state of the Pacifica radio “network”. For a launching point, I suggest reading this from Marc Cooper, who is a former long-time staffer at KPFK in Los Angeles. Go take a look at the programming on Pacifica stations these days, and the shit they shovel as their pledge perks. 9/11 “Truther”, and other conspiracy crap, feature prominently. Hey, if you want to support that shit, more power to you.

  84. 84.

    magurakurin

    @Ruviana: Cokie Fucking Roberts. A worthless sack of shit. After she made fun of Joe Biden’s “gaffe” in 2008 for saying “Bosniac,” which is the exactly correct term for a muslim in Bosnia, she never ever apologized or corrected herself for being so wrong. She and Charlie Rose acted like pompus dickheads after that saying that if Palin had said something so stupid she would have been ridiculed. Rose, numbnut that he is, said that Biden not “correcting” himself at that point was a sign of composure. Yeah, Charlie, you pompous ass, he didn’t correct himself because he wasn’t wrong. Asshats one and all. Fuck NPR, it can rot in hell for all I care.

    Cokie Roberts is a sack of shit 2008 clip

  85. 85.

    a.j.

    two things

    first off, i pretty much love you guys. most of you. most of the time.

    second – did i read that there’s a way you can individually personally block (ie. not see) the comments of someone who you feel is a sad, sad troll?

    if that is possible it would be teh awesome.

    thank you.

  87. 87.

    donr

    Not sure whether other folks caught it, but this opera lover enjoyed what you did with the title, Doug.

  92. 92.

    John S.

    Why am I not surprised that burnspbesq hasn’t shown up with a mea culpa after chiding Doug for his ‘irresponsible conclusions’ drawn in the first post on this topic?

    I guess being a sanctimonious prick means never having to acknowledge being wrong.

  93. 93.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Can I possibly be the only one who caught the thread title? One of your best, DougJ!

    ETA: Nope, I see now that donr caught it too. Everyone else: Clowns :-)

  94. 94.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again):

    The extra crap in Unctuous Tommy’s posts is a form of trolling that the leet kiddies all like to do to because they think it irritates people. I like it because it makes it easy to spot the leet kid on teh blog and scroll on past his posts. I spit on him on occasion just to let him know that he exists.

    I wouldn’t want him to think he’s being ignored by me.

  96. 96.

    Rihilism

    @fasteddie9318: Hmmmm, given the appearance of the man’s “cigarette” (the filtered smoke seemed a bit loosely packed, no?) and Cain’s “infectious” smile at the end, I assumed that “the gaunga” was already involved in the making of this video. Not that I would know about such things…

  98. 98.

    Linda

    ‘Tis a puzzlement. When NPR bends over like this, who do they think they are placating? Many of their base listeners/supporters are aghast that they are punishing a contractor who hosts an opera show for having public opinions, and right-wingers will hate them anyhow, view the shunning of this hostess as a vindication of 1) their views and 2) a tactic that really works on NPR, which could probably get held up via the U.S. Mail.

  100. 100.

    harlana

    dumped NPR years ago, after the Iraq war started, they were just another bunch of enablers, as far as I’m concerned. Like Sullivan. And Hitchens.

    As if we needed more Bill Kristols at that time.

  102. 102.

    harlana

    @Linda:

    right-wingers will hate them anyhow

    This is indeed a puzzlement. Kinda like Obama “reaching across the isle”, not only to have his hand slapped, but spit in the face.

  103. 103.

    batgirl

    @Linda: The more I think about this the more I don’t think this particular incident has to do with right-wingers but instead with the fact that NPR now relies primarily on corporate contributions to survive.

  105. 105.

    El Cid

    @batgirl: Though in general this huge shift began with Reagan administration and movement attacks on public broadcasting as un-American (i.e., liberal) and an unjustified expenditure of taxpayer dollars. However, it’s a typical evolution of non-profit and large foundation boards to become integrated into the economic and social upper classes anyway, so it wouldn’t be surprising anyway.

  106. 106.

    scav

    Entirely late, but did anybody notice I did actually imply the fact that the stations were local immediately afterwards in my comment when I said one could continue contributing to them based upon one’s understanding and feeling about the local station? My suggestion was intended as a single sharp prod to the massively vulnerable part of the system that would convey a message elsewhere. Having a bunch of stations yelling at NPR (over and above people yelling at them) was exactly the point. Leverage. No more, no less. Or is stringing together the contents of multiple sentences over and beyond some? Nah, probably just more fun to yell.

  107. 107.

    Bethanyanne

    Wasn’t on last night, so I’m late to this party. WDAV did the right thing here, but she had 2 public radio gigs. Soundprint fired her for this, and hasn’t rehired her.

  108. 108.

    Lex

    I’m late to this, but I got involved with this issue because I am a Davidson alum and worked for WDAV from 1978 to 1982. This was wrong on so many levels:

    — NPR presuming to tell a freelancer for a contractor — someone twice removed from actual employment by the network — how to spend their free time.

    — NPR trying to get my alma mater to do its dirty work for it.

    — NPR’s ombudsman claiming repeatedly in his blog and, especially, his Twitter feed that this is “not a news issue” while invoking NPR’s code of conduct for journalists. (And if it ever wasn’t a news issue, it is now, what with The Atlantic, HuffPo and a number of other media outlets weighing in, not to mention that the whole thing was started by a factually inaccurate and snarky-as-hell item by Neda Semnani, the “Heard on the Hill” columnist at Roll Call.

    — Fun fact: As part of claiming that Simeone’s case wasn’t a news issue, the ombud claimed it was a “managerial and legal issue.” At least one D.C. labor lawyer I’ve talked to thinks Simeone might have a case against NPR for tortious interference with a contractual relationship, so he might be more right than he knows. If I liked popcorn at all, I’d be making some right now.

    You know, as large corporations continue to shed employees and more and more of us find ourselves freelancing or contracting or doing one-off projects, the interest in being able to do your own thing on your own time and not have your off-duty behavior governed by some company that hires you for freelance work is only going to get MORE important, not less. The fact that NPR doesn’t see this isn’t surprising; with the exception of Planet Money’s coverage of the fraud-driven housing bubble, the network has blown every major public-policy story of the past decade and has done so in ways that benefited corporate interests. That cannot possibly be coincidence.

    I’ve gone after NPR and Roll Call in several posts at my blog (click on my name), some of which I crossposted to the GOS, for those who want more details.

  109. 109.

    Howlin Wolfe

    @MikeJ: I like WWDTM when they have Charlie Pierce, Paula Poundstone, and/or Roy Blount Jr. Otherwise it’s these smarmy Villager types, or Tom Bodette, or that POS PJ O’Rourke.

  111. 111.

    uptown

    @Trinity:

    Neither program is produced or distributed by NPR. This American Life is distributed by PRI and produced by Chicago Public Radio. Radio Lab seems to be a production of WNYC Radio.

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