Over the last couple of days, two high-level executives at NPR have been pushed from their offices out into the fresh air. James O’Keefe, the David to their Goliath, says there may be more revelations to come.
You’ll never guess who’s the evil villain!
We’ll lead off with a lovely bit of sniveling from Media Matters. Simon Maloy, who holds the very impressive title of Deputy Research Director — quite a step up from Senior Researcher — is not at all happy with this turn of events:
It seems that James O’Keefe won’t be ignored.
The many-times discredited activist is back with yet another “sting” video, this one of NPR executive Ron Schiller speaking with what he believes to be perspective donors from a Muslim education group (in reality, O’Keefe’s operatives merely pretending to be scary Muslims). According to a press release from O’Keefe’s group, the unironically named Project Veritas, the video shows Schiller “blasting Republicans, Tea Partiers, middle America, Jews, and Christians,” and “expose[s] the true hearts and minds of NPR and their executives.”
There’s been a lot of coverage of O’Keefe’s video, much of it focusing on the reportedly forced resignation of NPR CEO Vivian Schiller and NPR’s move to put Ron Schiller on administrative leave (despite already having arranged to leave the company in the coming weeks). Less remarked upon is the fact that O’Keefe’s video does nothing to expose NPR’s news coverage as anti-Republican, anti-Tea Party, anti-“middle America,” anti-Semitic, or anti-Christian, as he implies.
In fact, to take one example, NPR’s coverage of the Tea Party has overall been pretty good (by assessments of tea partiers themselves), and the intemperate comments of one executive (who wasn’t in charge of editorial content) doesn’t change that.
Well then, I guess everybody gets their jobs back. Let’s throw as much tax money at them as they can spend. Yay!
Here’s my favorite bit of pretty-good Tea Party coverage from NPR:
But don’t take it personally, because they’re not all such huge jerks at NPR!
Meanwhile, at Firedoglake, something called Thers emits this blast of petulant rage… [WARNING: Highly civil language]
I’ve given money to public radio and teevee before, mostly to get the tote bags, for that sweet toting action. But apparently, national public media is now tainted, because secretly NPR executives hate wingnuts, who of course have always hated NPR, and have recently set up bullshit entrapment stings to get NPR executives to say they hate wingnuts, possibly on the grounds that wingnuts are the sort of assholes who set up bullshit entrapment stings.
Well, here at FDL, we’ll tell you flat-out that the teabaggers are full of shit — which is, frankly, something that even NPR won’t tell you flat out.
They’re too scared! By the way, this is FDL’s idea of a fundraising plea. And I’m sure it works. There’s one born every minute.
For a somewhat more measured lament, let’s go to Dan Kennedy at The Guardian:
Sadly, early indications are that Vivian Schiller’s shortcomings as a people person have nothing to do with why her tenure at NPR has come to an end. Instead, it would appear that the NPR board has decided to offer her up as a sacrifice to the right, hoping desperately to stave off efforts by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to cut off government funding. It’s a strategy that’s doomed to fail.
A sacrifice! Feast, my minions! Feast!!!
Finally, a nice little whimper from the left’s most beloved clown newsman clownnewsman:
“You guys are pussies!” LOL! No wonder Palin is too scared to square off with this intellectual giant.
So far I’ve preferred the wailing to the gnashing of teeth, but they’re both quite tasty. Keep up the good whining, lefties!
P.S. Mark Hemingway: The Tears of Wisconsin Unions Sustain Us. “You know, for all the Soros money shoveled at Media Matters for America, it’s really quite a monument to what a bunch of hapless ideologues run the place that they have absolutely nothing to show for it.”
P.P.S. NPR’s ombudsman learns why you do not mess with Patterico. To Alicia Shepard’s credit, she’s willing to engage her critics. But she blew this one. And even if Ron Schiller really was a Republican, which he isn’t, why would it matter? Would that change what he said?
P.P.P.S. Better late than never: This soreheaded mewling might be the funniest yet.