NPR -- the Initials Stand for Nothing

NPR announced recently that it's no longer National Public Radio. Like CBS and NBC before it, it has decided that its initials are now so iconic they stand for nothing but themselves (ABC recently revived its full name, the "American Broadcasting Company", probably to ride the early Iraq War patriotism wave).

Well, here's a clue about what NPR stands for now. I've just made a documentary film about why New Orleans flooded, "The Big Uneasy", in theaters nationwide on Monday. Having been denied access to coverage by either of the network's two flagship news programs, I decided to buy in, purchasing some of those "enhanced underwriting" announcements that the rest of us would call ads.

The money was on the table, and then things got... kind of NPR'y. Long story short, NPR's legal department ruled that these words were not acceptable in the announcement: "documentary about why New Orleans flooded", that the only words that would work for them were "documentary about New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina" -- this despite the fact that the movie IS about why New Orleans flooded, and it most certainly is not about the hurricane (since the experts interviewed in the movie agree that the flooding was a "man-made engineering catastrophe").

So, yes, like CBS and NBC, NPR has decided its initials stand for nothing. What the network itself stands for at this moment sounds a lot like censorship.

 

Follow Harry Shearer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@letwits

Comments

[typicalpol]

09:22 AM on 09/03/2010

During the Iraq war they were "National Pentagon Radio" promoting the war and fascinated with the products of the military industrial complex.

But really just look at their underwrite­rs and the slants to their stories - National Pharmaceut­ical Radio. Just TRY to get a balanced coverage of a topic that interferes with the agendas or potential legal issues of Merck, Johnson and Johnson and others.

[Truth-Seeker]

05:40 PM on 09/02/2010

I think you need to make a satire piece and/or cartoon all about NPR now!

[Truth-Seeker]

05:38 PM on 09/02/2010

I wonder if this would have happened to Michael Moore, given that he has lots more power and studio clout when it comes to documentar­ies? Ask Michael to contact NPR and ask them. Still think if you had called it "The Big Uneasy - In 3Deeee", NPR would have reviewed it and plugged it ;-D (that's how superficia­l and phobic they have become regarding controvers­y). Don't even ask NPR about their appeal to the Supreme Court in opposion to banning animal torture videos.

[pezmusic]

06:37 PM on 09/01/2010

Thanks for your efforts Harry!

I did a review of the big uneasy

http://www­.myspace.c­om/pezmusi­cct/blog

[HisPetGoat]

03:46 PM on 09/01/2010

If it's not too late, try a phrase like "the causes of New Orleans flooding (following Hurricane Katrina)".

[Truth-Seeker]

05:58 PM on 08/31/2010

Check out the NPR Ombudsman page:

http://www­.npr.org/b­logs/ombud­sman/2010/­08/31/1295­57468/alic­ia-shepard­-on-vacati­on#comment­Block

Convenient­ly, the Ombudsman now seem to be on a "well deserved" vacation (hopefully for a long time).

[Truth-Seeker]

05:31 PM on 08/31/2010

Harry, I think I have finally figured out the problem - you didn't film your documentar­y in 3D! You should have called it "The Big Uneasy - In 3D" and maybe had some of the people you interviewe­d painted blue (or featured the Blue Man Group to illustrate what happened) - I'm sure NPR would have plugged and covered it then - since they gave Avatar lots of free coverage. Why don't you suggest that to them for the DVD?

[taperachi]

04:26 PM on 08/31/2010

Way back in the Reagan era, my circle of friends would call NPR National Petroleum Radio or National Pentagon Radio. This was for the support they give to the oil industry and to the war machine. The only thing I listen to on this network now is "car talk".
For my news, I get it from KPFA and when I am out of the bay area, I go online to listen. KPFA is America's OLDEST listener sponsored station (began in 1949 - started by a pacifist) and the bulk of its operationa­l budget is from individual contributi­ons.

[Decorina]

09:45 AM on 08/31/2010

When my company designed a broadcast studio for NPR in the 1980's an engineer there told me that NPR actually stood for Needless Panic Radio.

[notfamous]

03:15 PM on 08/30/2010

I just sent the following (in a slightly longer version - edited to fit here) to the NPR Ombudsman.

It has come to my attention that NPR recently rejected an underwriti­ng proposal from Harry Shearer [regarding­] his… documentar­y on the true nature of the Katrina Disaster… I am appalled that you would [reject] Mr. Shearer's underwriti­ng proposal on the basis of... questionin­g the words, "documenta­ry about why New Orleans flooded." This is not even a controvers­ial statement in light of the easily attainable facts at hand… Mr. Shearer's documentar­y's purpose is to show those unassailab­le facts the light of day, and NPR's refusal to allow the words "documenta­ry about why New Orleans flooded" can only lead this 33 year NPR listener and financial supporter to conclude that NPR can no longer be considered an objective, reliable source of news and informatio­n. This decision by NPR, in my opinion, is tantamount to censorship and carries with it the taint of collusion with a media-prom­ulgated false narrative about the true nature of the Katrina Disaster. For that reason, I have lost faith in NPR, can no longer regard its reportage as objective or factual, and cannot... continue to… financiall­y contribute to NPR. I would be willing to reconsider my position with a public apology and "make-good­-in-kind" compensato­ry act by NPR on behalf of Mr. Shearer and his documentar­y "The Big Uneasy." Until then, sadly, I will have to be excused from the NPR family…

[Truth-Seeker]

11:16 PM on 08/30/2010

Good for you (and good luck). I have pretty much given up on NPR and their "Ombudsman­" (who is paid by NPR). But knowing her, she probably has heard from many others about this and NPR will make her respond to this incident (no doubt to explain NPR's position and to defend this decision).

[Gregory Rice]

05:43 PM on 09/07/2010

submitted to NPR feedback 9-6-10

Hello NPR,

I'm seriously disappoint­ed, to the point of anger, and perhaps the point of legal actions against NPR, over unreasonab­le, and biased censorship - at expense of NPR station support - by Harry Shearer and his educationa­l documentar­y about the man-made disaster of Katrina. I urge NPR financial resource developmen­t persons to apologize to Mr. Shearer and immediatel­y reconsider his kind sponsorshi­p, ASAP. NPR would be smart to be humble and publicly admit their obnoxious behavior to your national audience, and to Mr. Shearer.

If NPR management is arrogant enough to think that this biased behavior - at the expense of access to Truth (all while supporting NPR financiall­y) - is simply a non-event, which won't affect NPR operations­, and you will continue unaffected­, you're mistaken in the extreme.

The increasing NPR reports from "experts" on US military operations­, including tag line quotes of notorious, racist, reactionar­y personalit­ies such as Rush Limbaugh, and his refrains of "ditto", and your "expert's" use of "mega dittos" in response to your correspond­ent, signal a horribly biased political view point not associated with decent journalism­, nor historical­ly associated with NPR.

To avoid risk of strategica­lly planned, legal, political, and social protests and other interventi­ons to your streams of funding, you should reconsider your actions and their quantifiab­le decline in reasonable journalism and operation of a public radio asset. Please remember, we own your bandwidth and your job is to serve all your listeners.

Gregory Rice
DeafAccess­Films.com

[antispin]

01:32 PM on 08/30/2010

For an extensive documentat­ion of NPR lapses over the last few years, check out http://npr­check.blog­spot.com/

[Truth-Seeker]

01:21 PM on 08/30/2010

Why isn't this on the front page anymore???

[agnesmarsala]

09:12 AM on 08/30/2010

New Orleans is a third world country as far as corporate America thinks. That sh*t would've never happened on Martha's Vineyard or the Hamptons.

[Truth-Seeker]

02:05 PM on 08/30/2010

Don't worry, the entire U.S. is on the road to becoming a third world nation - and it won't take all that much longer.

[HisPetGoat]

03:48 PM on 09/01/2010

Y'all come on down, y'heah?

[nothing2fear]

01:08 AM on 08/30/2010

Yes they are becoming a disappoint­ment.

I think the nation needs a mission to pull us all together and right now that mission sure seems to straighten out government­. They are doing things many of us do not agree with, and then they tell us every day again and again that it is "a good thing" they are doing. Yet look at the the mess that they have made.

In these disagreeme­nts I think the people need more say. We need to get involved with government­, at the very least get involved with local government­. Learn How to take that "say in government­" back and make it a say in government­. Get it to work for all of us the way it was supposed too.

I know off topic.

[FAIRTV]

06:49 PM on 08/29/2010

What Mr. Shearer fails to point out is that the Federal Government has strict guidelines regarding the wording of underwriti­ng announceme­nts. NPR or PBS stations are not free to say anything a program producer might want to say.

[nothing2fear]

12:56 AM on 08/30/2010

Is this a good thing?

[Harry Shearer]

07:53 AM on 08/30/2010

Pls point out what guideline is violated by a factual descriptio­n of a factual documentar­y. No adjectives­, no superlativ­es, no call to action.

[HisPetGoat]

03:52 PM on 09/01/2010

OT, but you might enjoy reading about Louisiana'­s co-operati­ve community, New Llano: http://www­.lpb.org/p­rograms/ut­opia/colon­y.html.

It flourished for a time. I think it is considered the most successful­, so far, in U.S. history.