Pledge drive week at my local public radio station is a time I usually find annoying. I fuss about the interruption of The Morning Edition and All Things Considered during this necessary fund raising effort, and eagerly await the resumption of regular programming. Not to sound petulous or pouty about the pledge drive, I truly would be upset if I were deprived of public radio. Which reminds me, I need to update my membership. Shame on me.
I love NPR, PRI, and the local KERA public radio station (even though NPR has ignored my "This I Believe" submission). Because of these wonderful offerings, I have not resorted to total avoidance of all radio airwaves. And, of course, I must get my weekly fix of Garrison.
This morning without thinking, I clicked on my radio and caught an NPR broadcaster extolling the virtues of their journalism; the unbiased reporting and vastly entertaining human interest stories. No argument from this listener, but then I heard the voice take on a disdainful, derogatory tone. Surprisingly, the eloquent spokeswoman began a mini-tirade comparing public radio to the lowlier forms of news reporting: paid-by-advertising television news programs and local newspapers whom we all know are heavily influenced by *gasp* money. What really caught my attention and then my ire was her addition to the Evil List: BLOGS.
As the indignant hackles rose on the back of my neck, I suddenly realized I was a true blogger! Prior to this revelation, I had simply thought of myself as a novice dabbler of the newest thing. How dare the pompous NPR insinuate that blogging is no real form of journalism? And here I thought of them as virtuous and above-the-fray kind of folks.
It really pissed me off. I won't stop listening to NPR, won't take a ballping (yes, I know it is "peen" not "ping", Mr. Home Improvement Guy) hammer to my radio, but the rose-colored glasses are off now, boys!
Just wait until the Sons of Knute hear about this!
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