NPR Ombudsman Thinks NPR Review Unfair

Many listeners tell me they find NPR to be an example of liberal media bias. When so much of the radio landscape is explicitly right wing, anything that is not openly conservative can sound liberal in comparison. But with the arrival of "Air America Radio," it's NPR that sounds a lot more conservative -- and a lot more sedate.

Unlike NPR, it has no features or reports. It is talk radio of the left-wing persuasion.

It is also advocacy radio in that it doesn't let the literal truth get in the way of a good punch line.

NPR responded to Air America's debut with a sniffily dismissive review from Michael Harrison, the publisher of Talkers Magazine. The magazine describes itself as the "leading trade publication serving the talk radio industry." It seems an odd choice because of talk radio's overwhelmingly conservative bent. Perhaps it's not surprising that the magazine's Web site has links to events hosted by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

Asking Harrison to review an anti-establishment program might be like asking someone from PETA to be your restaurant reviewer. There probably won't be much that will appear appetizing.

By asking Harrison to review the fledgling service, NPR's welcome to Air America struck an odd tone. The unspoken message seemed to be more about NPR's defensiveness over a newcomer on its turf.

If Air America is still too conservative, there is always Pacifica Radio and its flagship program -- Democracy Now! -- hosted by Amy Goodman.

"DN" has more journalistic rigor than Air America but unless you are heavily into left-wing politics, it can sound very intense -- even moralistic.

I listened to Air America online the other day and I found it to be lively, smart and surprisingly energetic radio, if still a little rough around the technical edges. A recent edition of Unfiltered had some very funny riffs on Wal-Mart, the need for a new logo for the Green Party and a wickedly tough analysis of the Blair-Bush connection from London journalist and one-time Trotskyite activist Tariq Ali.

As a purveyor of opinion, Air America seems designed to provide a refreshing view from the liberal chattering classes.

Some listeners say NPR has become more cautious in recent years. NPR would do well to pay close attention to Air America's fortunes to see if monolithic and conservative commercial radio has begun to run its course.

A greater worry for NPR might not be from Air America but from an attitude of complacency that ignores what else is interesting and valuable to Americans.