Ken Berwitz
Taxpayer-funded National Public Radio (NPR) has a problem. It can only find people on one side of a controversial issue.
Yesterday, pro-choice Diane Rehm\’s show spent an hour called “New Tactics In the Anti-Abortion Movement”, which discussed the series of grisly, devastating Planned Parenthood videos issued by the Center for Medical Progress (with more to come). It had a panel comprised of two pro-choice and one pro-life participant (counting Rehm, that is a 3-1 majority for pro-choice…obviously unfair, but better than for some panels on NPR). And they took callers.
But, according to Tim Graham\’s blog at newsbusters.com, “Diane Rehm\’s producers couldn\’t find one pro-life caller in the entire hour”.
How realistic is this as a reflection of current sentiment on abortion? Well here are the historic Gallup poll data, including the latest poll, conducted just three months ago:
As you can see, there currently is more pro-choice sentiment in this country than pro-life. But 44% says pro-life, and not one voice in that direction on the entire show.**
Is that because NPR has become so complete a repository for one sidedness that the other side doesn\’t even bother to tune in?
That\’s a real possibility.
And if it is true, then why is that so? Why does NPR not have a range of thinking from left to right on its shows?
And if it doesn\’t, why are taxpayers – all taxpayers – expected to fund it?
That\’s worth thinking about.
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**In my haste to put this blog up, I misread the poll originally and it is now fixed. Thanks to commenter “free” for pointing this out to me.
