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by clairity 2094 days ago
no, npr has not been balanced at all. the scientists and doctors they choose for their shows have been carefully curated to amplify the dangers and fear. they mention masks incessantly, even when it's completely irrelevant ("here is carrot farmer, don majors, sowing his fields. not wearing a mask, i might add!")

they don't even pretend to be balanced any more, especially anything related to politics, and the covid response is squarely political at this point. npr no longer holds any esteem regarding science reporting or balance.
1 comments
timr 2094 days ago
Yeah, I recall when NPR had an "expert" on All Things Considered who advised holding your breath when walking by someone on the street (this was back in March/April, when they were doing "the conversation" segments during the national lockdown).

Their science reporting on the whole has not been great, but some programs (e.g. Science Friday) are better than others.

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clairity 2094 days ago
ha, exactly, the producers agressively filter for the messaging they want from their guests, no matter the veracity or plausibility of their claims.

and agreed, science friday is better than their entire stack of daily news coverage of science-adjacent topics. marketplace, planet money, and hidden brain are pretty good for business/economics.

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