5 ms·

I got into Planet Money during the GFC meltdown but more recently I've found the quality of their shows waning. They seem to be dumbing down topics (a recent sh

I got into Planet Money during the GFC meltdown but more recently I've found the quality of their shows waning. They seem to be dumbing down topics (a recent show on the Greek debt crisis made out that the problem was essentially "office politics" between the ECB and the Greek government with no mention of the structural economic problems of the Euro experiment). For a deep dive on economics and politics from the left check out the Behind the News podcast with Doug Henwood, as opposed to Hayekian/Keynesian blathering it is firmly Marxist.

jbooth 15y ago
NPR isn't supposed to be leftist, it's supposed to be journalism. That's what separates them from other outlets, they're either focused on advocacy (fox, currentTV) or entertainment (CNN, MSNBC).
- Retric 15y ago
  In journalism circles you can often hear that the truth leans to the left. When things like Evolution and Climate Change are brought up you can either go with the facts which leans left or teach the controversy which leans right but there is no safe middle ground. The left has plenty of less than rational views, but when you simply speech the truth your far less likely to seem to lean to the right.
  - wildster 15y ago
    Why do facts lean left?
    - smithian 15y ago
      It's more that the right leans false.
- bdunbar 15y ago
  It is not _supposed_ to be leftist, but that's sure the way they lean. I hear this asked, once in a while, on WPR, when the station manager is on a call-in show in the morning: why do you guys program to the left. And the answer is (I'm paraphrasing) That's who our audience is, so that's what we program for. Heck, last week he as much admitted as such when he noted that they focused more on politics since the election of Scott Walker (R) as governor, and they will focus less when he's out of office: that's what our audience expects. Which is understandable: if they had a Rush Limbaugh kind of guy on they'd loose audience and see donations drop. Be nice if they just admitted it.
  - tbsdy 15y ago
    I really think that if the manager said this, then there would be major ructions. Can you point to what he said exactly? It would be a scandal if this is what he really said.
    - bdunbar 15y ago
      Can you point to what he said exactly? I was in the car, listening because they were going on about Jean Ferraca - whom I really dig. And it did catch me out as something extraordinary, but not unexpected, for WPR. I started to write it down when I got to my desk and thought 'whatever'. Joy Cardin show for 3/12/2012, show number 120312C. I'll download and give it a re-listen, reply here. Listening twice to Cardin - the things I do for integrity. Show is archived here: http://www.wpr.org/webcasting/audioarchives_display.cfm?Code=jca http://www.wpr.org/webcasting/audioarchives_display.cfm?Code...
    - bdunbar 15y ago
      I suck - meant to add this last week. The things I do ... Joy Cardin Show Dir WPR Mike Crane after 27:48 Greg in Stevens Point "I get tired of the political talk in the first two segments (tl:dl - he doesn't like politics, would donate, would like the morning programs to be more like the mid-day one, with gardening, home handy tips and various other stuff) "It's just listening to college teachers with an opinion .. it never ends .. been going on for three, four, five years however long it's been." Mike WPR Director "Bascially starting with the election two years ago now that there just seemed to be a lot more politics to talk about. that we had a significant change in governance that I think has caused a lot of people to be curious about it maybe we'll find after this next election that things will shift a different way and there will be other things to talk about." The second comment was rich. Greg complained about diversity - race issues. "Only one person of color." Mike:(paraphrase) We have a Latina, too. And we're working on some other stuff. The 'person of color' is the (imho) best guy _on_ WPR, Jonathan Overby. His 'Higher Ground' used to be a really entertaining live show with an audiance, live music. A few years ago they cut it back to Overby playing records. I miss the way it used to be. http://wpr.org/higherground/ http://wpr.org/higherground/ Now, Crane's comments can be seen as innocuous. And, maybe, he really did mean them that way. But it's funny that the swing to 'talk about politics' didn't happen until after Walker (R) was elected. And that he said it would swing right back if he was voted out.
mmaunder 15y ago
Truth is I've found the same re planet money's quality waning. For the first time I actually stopped a podcast 2 thirds through because I found myself yawning. Thanks, I hadn't heard of Behind the News, found it on iTunes and it sounds awesome. Link for those interested: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-news-doug-henwood/id73801817 http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-news-doug-henwood/...

jbooth 15y ago

NPR isn't supposed to be leftist, it's supposed to be journalism. That's what separates them from other outlets, they're either focused on advocacy (fox, currentTV) or entertainment (CNN, MSNBC).

Retric 15y ago
In journalism circles you can often hear that the truth leans to the left. When things like Evolution and Climate Change are brought up you can either go with the facts which leans left or teach the controversy which leans right but there is no safe middle ground. The left has plenty of less than rational views, but when you simply speech the truth your far less likely to seem to lean to the right.
- wildster 15y ago
  Why do facts lean left?
  - smithian 15y ago
    It's more that the right leans false.
bdunbar 15y ago
It is not _supposed_ to be leftist, but that's sure the way they lean. I hear this asked, once in a while, on WPR, when the station manager is on a call-in show in the morning: why do you guys program to the left. And the answer is (I'm paraphrasing) That's who our audience is, so that's what we program for. Heck, last week he as much admitted as such when he noted that they focused more on politics since the election of Scott Walker (R) as governor, and they will focus less when he's out of office: that's what our audience expects. Which is understandable: if they had a Rush Limbaugh kind of guy on they'd loose audience and see donations drop. Be nice if they just admitted it.
- tbsdy 15y ago
  I really think that if the manager said this, then there would be major ructions. Can you point to what he said exactly? It would be a scandal if this is what he really said.
  - bdunbar 15y ago
    Can you point to what he said exactly? I was in the car, listening because they were going on about Jean Ferraca - whom I really dig. And it did catch me out as something extraordinary, but not unexpected, for WPR. I started to write it down when I got to my desk and thought 'whatever'. Joy Cardin show for 3/12/2012, show number 120312C. I'll download and give it a re-listen, reply here. Listening twice to Cardin - the things I do for integrity. Show is archived here: http://www.wpr.org/webcasting/audioarchives_display.cfm?Code=jca http://www.wpr.org/webcasting/audioarchives_display.cfm?Code...
  - bdunbar 15y ago
    I suck - meant to add this last week. The things I do ... Joy Cardin Show Dir WPR Mike Crane after 27:48 Greg in Stevens Point "I get tired of the political talk in the first two segments (tl:dl - he doesn't like politics, would donate, would like the morning programs to be more like the mid-day one, with gardening, home handy tips and various other stuff) "It's just listening to college teachers with an opinion .. it never ends .. been going on for three, four, five years however long it's been." Mike WPR Director "Bascially starting with the election two years ago now that there just seemed to be a lot more politics to talk about. that we had a significant change in governance that I think has caused a lot of people to be curious about it maybe we'll find after this next election that things will shift a different way and there will be other things to talk about." The second comment was rich. Greg complained about diversity - race issues. "Only one person of color." Mike:(paraphrase) We have a Latina, too. And we're working on some other stuff. The 'person of color' is the (imho) best guy _on_ WPR, Jonathan Overby. His 'Higher Ground' used to be a really entertaining live show with an audiance, live music. A few years ago they cut it back to Overby playing records. I miss the way it used to be. http://wpr.org/higherground/ http://wpr.org/higherground/ Now, Crane's comments can be seen as innocuous. And, maybe, he really did mean them that way. But it's funny that the swing to 'talk about politics' didn't happen until after Walker (R) was elected. And that he said it would swing right back if he was voted out.

mmaunder 15y ago

Truth is I've found the same re planet money's quality waning. For the first time I actually stopped a podcast 2 thirds through because I found myself yawning. Thanks, I hadn't heard of Behind the News, found it on iTunes and it sounds awesome. Link for those interested: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-news-doug-henwood/id73801817 http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-news-doug-henwood/...