Dear Members and Constituents,
With Jack FM’s recent format metamorphosis into ESPN radio, I find myself listening to NPR more frequently. Unintentionally humorous articles like the one about “el Loco”, a drug lord whose arrest will be a big blow to the cocaine trade (blow, cocaine… get it?). Or, the Swedish transplant experiment where a mother donates her uterus to her daughter (will the next child be her son or her grandson?). And after these fluff pieces, the dreaded words: “support for NPR comes from…”. An opening for my more cynical side to wonder how much of the news I hear are truly newsworthy and how objective they truly are. I think we can all agree neither Fox News nor the Huffington Post provide us a “fair and balanced” view of the world, but what of other media outlets? Surely public radio is immune, right? Could institutional support buy you a story—or worse, a slant on a story? Surely, all media outlets are going to cover an Ambassador’s murder or the Eurozone’s ongoing saga. But, does the Gill Foundation’s support account for a disproportionate number of reports on same-sex marriage or gays in the military? How about Mazel Tot’s support? Have they joined the funding game to get more favorable coverage on middle-eastern issues? Is it just me, or did the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation’s sponsorship (while it lasted) result in more coverage on third-world health issues? I have noticed there is no support from a donut-related organization, which makes me wonder how many donut-related fluff-pieces we’re missing (donut, fluff… get it?). And speaking of donuts, Jim Johnson delights us this morning with four dozen of LaMar’s finest. I hope this news makes your mouth water and motivates you to come grab yours.
Happy Friday!
With Jack FM’s recent format metamorphosis into ESPN radio, I find myself listening to NPR more frequently. Unintentionally humorous articles like the one about “el Loco”, a drug lord whose arrest will be a big blow to the cocaine trade (blow, cocaine… get it?). Or, the Swedish transplant experiment where a mother donates her uterus to her daughter (will the next child be her son or her grandson?). And after these fluff pieces, the dreaded words: “support for NPR comes from…”. An opening for my more cynical side to wonder how much of the news I hear are truly newsworthy and how objective they truly are. I think we can all agree neither Fox News nor the Huffington Post provide us a “fair and balanced” view of the world, but what of other media outlets? Surely public radio is immune, right? Could institutional support buy you a story—or worse, a slant on a story? Surely, all media outlets are going to cover an Ambassador’s murder or the Eurozone’s ongoing saga. But, does the Gill Foundation’s support account for a disproportionate number of reports on same-sex marriage or gays in the military? How about Mazel Tot’s support? Have they joined the funding game to get more favorable coverage on middle-eastern issues? Is it just me, or did the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation’s sponsorship (while it lasted) result in more coverage on third-world health issues? I have noticed there is no support from a donut-related organization, which makes me wonder how many donut-related fluff-pieces we’re missing (donut, fluff… get it?). And speaking of donuts, Jim Johnson delights us this morning with four dozen of LaMar’s finest. I hope this news makes your mouth water and motivates you to come grab yours.
Happy Friday!
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