Who Owns NPR?
By Jeffrey A. Dvorkin Ombudsman National Public Radio One of the challenges of public radio and National Public Radio in particular — is the sense of ownership among the listeners. With the word “public” right there in the name, listeners feels they are entitled to hear their point of view on the radio. Over the past year, hundreds of listeners have written to argue, remonstrate and generally take NPR to task for not reporting the news in precisely the way they think it should be done. Just because you feel you pay for NPR, doesn’t mean it will, or should, reinforce your ideas at all times. Public Radio = Government Radio? The criticism usually starts with the phrase “…as a taxpayer, I object to NPR’s reporting on…(take your pick).” If “public” means “government funded,” then some listeners are in for a shock: NPR is not a government broadcaster. NPR has not done a particularly good job in explaining who it is and how it operates. A much better job is done by the local stations, w
