(The Center Square) – National Public Radio has announced a new “disinformation team” that is sparking controversy. NPR has covered disinformation formally since last year but is now expanding to a full team this summer.
Critics noted that NPR receives taxpayer funds and raised concerns about the weaponization of the phrase for political purposes.
“Defund NPR,” U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., said in response to the announcement.
Other critics pointed out NPR’s handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story, one that went mostly uncovered during the last presidential election as many mainstream outlets denied either its veracity or newsworthiness. Later on, outlets like the New York Times confirmed the authenticity of the laptop in coverage after the election.
“We don’t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories, and we don’t want to waste the listeners’ and readers’ time on stories that are just pure distractions,” NPR Managing Editor for News Terence Samuel said in an interview in October 2020. “And quite frankly, that’s where we ended up, this was … a politically driven event and we decided to treat it that way.”
In April 2021, NPR reported that Hunter Biden’s laptop had been “discredited” by intelligence officials, but then issued a correction.
“A previous version of this story said U.S. intelligence had discredited the laptop story. U.S. intelligence officials have not made a statement to that effect,” the correction read.
The term “disinformation” has been thrust front and center in part because of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s recently created “Disinformation Governance Board.” The new board, which was immediately criticized as a threat to free speech, is under Congressional inquiry.
NPR did not respond to a request for comment.
“NPR just announced the creation of a disinformation team,” U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., wrote on Twitter. “NPR deliberately covered up the Hunter Biden laptop story by labeling it a distraction. NPR’s first target needs to be itself.”
The Hunter Biden coverage has been a focal point for criticism of NPR.
“I thought [NPR] was already a disinformation team,” said Ilya Shapiro, a Constitutional expert at the Manhattan Institute.
On its website, NPR stresses the need for federal funding, particularly for member stations, saying 8% of their funding comes from federal appropriations via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and another 4% from state, local and the federal governments.
“Federal funding is essential to public radio’s service to the American public,” NPR says on its website. “Its continuation is critical for both stations and program producers, including NPR. Public radio stations receive annual grants directly from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) that make up an important part of a diverse revenue mix that includes listener support, corporate sponsorship and grants. Stations, in turn, draw on this mix of public and privately sourced revenue to pay NPR and other public radio producers for their programming.
“Elimination of federal funding would result in fewer programs, less journalism – especially local journalism – and eventually the loss of public radio stations, particularly in rural and economically distressed communities,” the group adds.
National Propaganda Radio.
Defund NPR !!
National Public Radio (NPR)and Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) have become minions of the treasonous, socialist Democrat Party.
““We don’t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories, and we don’t want to waste the listeners’ and readers’ time on stories that are just pure distractions,” NPR Managing Editor for News Terence Samuel said in an interview in October 2020.”
“NPR deliberately covered up the Hunter Biden laptop story by labeling it a distraction. NPR’s first target needs to be itself.”
The NPR and PBS is as credible as the supermarket tabloids.
No credibility what so ever.
Stop using taxpayer money for the support of the treasonous Democrats political propaganda/Lies!
WITH the glut of radio stations out there, ITS LONG PAST TIME WE let NPR go the way of the Dodo, and SHUT IT THE HELL down.
“ Disinformation Team” is code word for hide and deny anything Hunter, or that reveals just how weak this President and Democrat party is. I sure as hell don’t want NPR to get any more of my tax dollars. If the news is national and public, then report it and let THE PEOPLE decide to Dis or accept the information, or get defunded down to Zero tax support.
This thing with misinformation and disinformation is such a load of BS—and I have had it with the entire gamut of players participating in this nonsense. The truth of the matter is that the majority of those crying out against mis/disinformation are the primary ones guilty of spreading it.
It isn’t hard to stick to the facts. If everybody would drop their agenda and just report honestly and fairly, it would be a breath of fresh air. Because of political bias, however, I doubt that any display of character and professionalism will see the light of day.
Facts. THe left needs no stinkin facts… They got their agenda to worry about!
RHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Noncom-Poop-Radio!
I wish there was a way I was able to opt out of paying ANY money to support NPR. They are so biased and unashamedly progressive that it’s hard to listen to anything they produce any more–and for years that was not the case–there were snippets of neutral or non-political content in their programming. But not today.
I’d love to get rid of them, the BBC, and PBS too.. NO GOVT FUNDED OR Run tv or radio is ever needed, now days.
NPR, PBS and other systems like them should have lost government funding long ago. They no longer serve the PUBLIC but are controlled by liberal appointes. They make enough pleas for money they should be self sufficient or no longer operatingas they do!
NPR is nothing more than an arm of the democrat party and they have been that for many years. The fact that they are now going to be the disinformation team means that the democrats have enlisted NPR to do something that the dems have tried to do but they caught too much flack from we the people. So the dems quietly enlisted NPR to do that job for them and the dems are hoping that we the people will not catch on to what is going on between the dems and NPR.
WAKE UP AMERICA AND SEE THIS FOR WHAT IT REALLY IS!!!
Why are we funding NPR or PBS. I don’t remember the last time I listened to NPR or Viewed PBS. Back when PBS ran the Wagner Ring Saga on 5 consecutive nights was the last time, I remember watching anything on PBS and that was over 30 years ago. Satellite T.V. and XM/Sirius Radio have a lot more interesting programing.
AND neither can i remember, an instance where we THE PEOPLE GOT TO VOTE< on whether we should keep NPR/PBS, or let them search for their OWN FUNDING….
NPR is the welfare network. Without government funding they would be bankrupt.
Defunding NPR is NOT enough. Everyone above Janitor at CPB should be pursued legally.
The last thing they need is taxpayer money. They make toms of cash from shows like sesame st!