An NPR host asked a reporter why William Barr said such scary and authoritarian things, and the reporter speculated that Barr wanted to “get a rise” out of his critics. No, it’s because he’s authoritarian. NPR's calm, tea-sipping normalization is part of the problem.
I'm an ex-journalist. I know that when reporters say the president and attorney general are taking unprecedented actions that threaten our democracy, they may come across as partisan. But if they don't tell the truth with appropriate urgency, they're failing as journalists.
Part of the problem for NPR is that their style is cozy couch with a steaming cup of tea and a croissant. If they were reporting on an asteroid hurtling toward Earth to extinguish all life forms, they probably wouldn't raise their voices. They would normalize the asteroid.
And to be 100% clear, my criticism is directed at NPR's political coverage, not its entertainment shows or its local affiliates. I think WBEZ kicks ass on local news in Chicago.
More bullshit from @NPR today, reporting on the “flair for the dramatic” and the “sense of showmanship” of the would-be dictator.
The former CEO of @NPR agrees with me about that “flair for the dramatic” tweet.
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