Report regarding NPR’s executive blast of the Tea party creates more questions than answers

According to Associated Press Ben Nuckols article NPR exec blasts tea party in hidden-camera video, “A National Public Radio executive was captured on hidden camera calling the tea party movement racist and xenophobic and said NPR would be better off without federal funding, in an embarrassment likely to fuel the latest round of conservative attacks on public broadcasting.”  “The video was posted Tuesday by James O'Keefe, the same activist whose undercover videos have targeted other groups opposed by conservatives, like the community organizing group ACORN and Planned Parenthood.”  It was also reported in this article that “The heavily edited video shows Ron Schiller and another NPR executive, Betsy Liley, meeting at a pricey restaurant in Washington's Georgetown neighborhood with two men claiming to be part of a Muslim organization” and “was shot on Feb. 22.”

The question knows it came from someone who has been shown to lie about many of his more famous games and especially knowing that the tape was heavily edited, why would we put much value on it unless Ron Schiller or Betsy Liley admitted to the truth of the tape.  Unless this is the case NPR’s decision to place Schiller on administrative leave was both cowardly and unwise.  While I do not think it’s a good idea to demean anyone or any group because you do not agree with their philosophy, I believe it would have been better to assume innocent before proven guilty.

    

Another major question I have was after reading that “it drew swift reaction from Republicans in Congress, who are renewing efforts to cut funding to public broadcasters.”   "This disturbing video makes it clear that taxpayer dollars should no longer be appropriated to NPR," House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., said in a statement. He added that executives have "finally admitted that they do not need taxpayer dollars to survive."  “Sens. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., introduced a separate bill Friday to cut off funding for CPB.”  "There's two issues at stake here in regards to taxpayer funding for public broadcasting: We can't afford it, and they don't need it," DeMint said in a statement Tuesday.”  “A national coordinator for the group Tea Party Patriots, Mark Meckler, wrote an e-mail to supporters about the video.”  "At a time when the country is upside down by more than a trillion dollars, can we really afford to provide huge subsidies to entities that openly state that they don't need the money?" he wrote. "Let's take his advice and pass legislation that would defund the clearly biased news organization that is out of touch with Americans across the country."

The question is simply, where was this quick reaction when it came time to vote on the tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.  They admitted that they did not need them to survive Mr. Cantor but you demanded that they keep them anyway.  We can’t afford the tax breaks and they did not want them Mr. DeMint but you demanded that they keep them anyway.  Corporations and billionaires openly stated that they did not want the tax breaks yet Mr. Meckler I do not hear you protesting them keeping them.  Why are these people being quoted saying these things but no one having the heart to ask them this question?  If you ever wanted to earn a bigger share of the market, increase your ratings or gain more profitability for your news station, this would be the type of controversy you need but how many of you will ever have what it takes to ask this?