WAMU Wags Its Finger, Part I

I listen to National Public Radio in the morning. The frequent left‐​wing bias can be grating, but that’s nothing compared to the inaccuracies and condescension of those annoying NPR membership drives.


My local NPR station is WAMU, which broadcasts from American University in Washington, DC. WAMU is holding one of their membership drives this week. In the past, I’ve heard NPR and WAMU personalities lecture listeners that we are “free riders” unless we cut them a check. The only problem with that argument is that WAMU receives about 7 percent of its revenue from the federal government, which means that every WAMU listener already contributes to the station — albeit involuntarily. Calling any of WAMU’s listeners “free riders,” therefore, is the sort of inaccuracy of which a journalist should be ashamed.


This came to mind at about 8am today when I heard a WAMU reporter reprove, “It is important for you to become a participatory member.” As if I weren’t already.


I value WAMU. It’s just so darned informative. But I’ve decided that I’m not writing them any checks until they forswear all involuntary contributions or Congress weans them off of the same. 


Until then, I’ll try to blog every inaccurate or condescending ploy that I hear WAMU use to belittle my existing contributions. I encourage my NPR‐​listening colleagues to do the same. If we blog enough of them, maybe we can wrap them up and send them to WAMU as a very special contribution. 


Though I wouldn’t count on getting the tote bag.