Soros' money, a report on NPR just now

[ProfessorPlum]

I just heard an NPR story on George Soros' money and the effect it may or may not have on this race. While the story itself was relatively fair, highlighting that his activities are legal and his pro-democracy work in other countries, and featuring foul-mouthed descriptions of Soros by right-wingers, reporter Peter Overbie (sp?) and NPR once again miss the larger, meta-story: The fact that NPR feels compelled to do a story on Soros' money and never once mentions wealthy individual Republican donors (read "Scaife") and the effect they have had on the media for decades.

Why can't NPR be smarter than this? They get played just as badly as the big networks. Smarter newspeople, please.

Did anyone else hear it and have a different response?

[NewJeffCT]

1. Not a surprise, though

The RW is up in arms about Soros, but you never hear a peep about Richard Mellon Scaife, Conrad Black, the Coors family, the Walton family, Rupert Murdoch, the Olin Foundation, etc. Most estimates have them having given RW causes $2.5 to $3.5 billion over the past 25-30 years, an amount that dwarfs Soros' $15 million.

[ProfessorPlum]

4. My point exactly

NPR can't comment about how much money it takes to get people to vote against their own self interests? I'd think that would be much more interesting than what Soros is doing. But, that is what the right wing media wants us to focus on, and that is what we (by "we" here I mean NPR, in the foolish assumption that they have "our" (the people's) best interests at heart) focus on.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

2. I thought, all in all, it made our side look very energetic and commited

If people like Soros are willing to be this firm it makes us seem like a movement with real conviction. That was the impression I got. Granted I know more than the average morning commute monkey do to my DUing

[sui generis]

3. it was a good story because

they presented Mr. Savage as a shrill irrational commentator - I thought they made Soros' detractors look quite stupid.

Soros believes in democracies. He has also lived long enough to see the signs of a failing democracy, starting with our stolen election. Of course he's going to be involved in the fight to preserve our democracy, and if that means putting money behind the effort to get rid of Bush then more power to him. He is a strategist and highly ethical human -- and I suspect he isn't at all doing this for personal glory.

[ProfessorPlum]

5. Yeah, I thought it was fine as far as a look at Soros goes

The fact that NPR felt like it had to look at Soros, and not at Scaife and the rest, was what disturbed me.

[lostnfound]

7. The Houston chronicle just put something out on him too

and I had the same reaction. Am thinking I'll write a LTTE about it--will they write about Scaife et al when the RNC convention occurs?

[lostnfound]

6. Awaken! NPR is no longer what it once was.

Bush has installed political appointees in key positions. Their discussion of politics & foreign policy is propaganda, just prettier than the others. The only thing liberal about NPR is the fact that they engage your brain.

[President Jesus]

8. Soros' complete list of political donations

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=NY&last=Soros&first=George