On Monday’s Morning Joe, MSNBC gave creator Steve Oney a discussion board to advertise his guide, On Air: The Triumph and Tumult of NPR, and to lament the likelihood that the “down the center” NPR will likely be defunded by Republicans.
After co-host Mika Brzezinski recalled strikes by the Trump administration to attempt to remove funding for public broadcasting, Oney in contrast Republicans to cicadas who maintain displaying up with makes an attempt to defund:
However they’re (NPR) going to face a rocky highway sooner or later, and, each 17 years — it is just like the cicadas returning — usually, when there is a Republican uptick in energy, somebody comes after NPR’s funds. The final time was in 2011 after the Juan Williams firing by NPR. Earlier than that, Newt Gingrich in 1995 stated he would zero out the Company for Public Broadcasting.
And, previous to that, Ronald Reagan got here after them within the mid-80’s. So every time NPR survived, however the world has modified vastly, and we do not have the type of stability within the media panorama that was there even in 2011. So we’ll discover out. Sorry to be so equivocal, however we’ll discover out.
He quickly painted NPR as unbiased not like a lot of the media that gives audiences affirmation bias:
I believe what’s modified is we now not have this concept of — our data is stove-piped, and we do not dwell in a world the place Walter Cronkite might come on the night information and say, “That is the best way it’s.” We do not agree on how it’s anymore, and folks get information that tends to substantiate their predispositions and their biases. So NPR continues to be attempting to play it down the center — nonetheless doing it the old style manner, and we’ll see if there’s an viewers for it. I believe there’s, however that is what they will come up towards.
Even Oney would not actually imagine that. His guide acknowledges NPR is liberal: “Younger, brainy, upper-middle-class, politically liberal, artistically adventurous and usually white, the NPR archetype was taking form.”
After co-host Joe Scarborough requested his visitor what he thought would occur within the newest battle over funding, he suggested NPR to push its case extra aggressively than final time. NPR “must convey a knife to the battle”!
You recognize, the final battle — the Juan Williams battle — Jon Stewart stated a really humorous factor on his Comedy Central present. He stated, “NPR, you bought in a battle with Fox Information and the Republicans, and also you introduced a tote bag stuffed with David Sedaris books to a knife battle.” And it was very humorous, and he acquired numerous laughs. And I believe this time, NPR must convey a knife to the battle. NPR wants to face up, declare its functions, declare its worth, and never assume something, and it will be a public relations take a look at as a lot as the rest.
Oney claimed NPR “ties the nation collectively,” as if Individuals of all political stripes get pleasure from it. He claimed NPR was “an excellent American mission” like….the Panama Canal.
Transcript follows:
MSNBC’s Morning Joe
March 10, 2025
9:48 a.m. Japanese
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: However now the way forward for the group is unsure with the Trump administration eyeing cuts to federal spending. In January, Trump’s FCC chair, Brendan Carr, launched an investigation into NPR urging Congress to chop the general public broadcaster’s funding altogether. Final yr, The New York Instances obtained inner paperwork displaying NPR drawing a weekly viewers of about 42 million listeners. Becoming a member of us now, journalist Steve Oney. He is the creator of the brand new guide entitled, On Air: The Triumph and Tumult of NPR. It chronicles the general public broadcaster’s sophisticated 55-year historical past whereas wanting towards its unsure future. And, Steve, why do not we begin there? What’s the — how does the long run search for NPR?
STEVE ONEY, AUTHOR: Nicely, if I might inform you that, I might be a seer, and I am not a seer. I am a mere mortal. However they will face a rocky highway sooner or later, and, each 17 years — it is just like the cicadas returning — usually, when there is a Republican uptick in energy, somebody comes after NPR’s funds. The final time was in 2011 after the Juan Williams firing by NPR. Earlier than that, Newt Gingrich in 1995 stated he would zero out the Company for Public Broadcasting. And, previous to that, Ronald Reagan got here after them within the mid-80’s. So every time NPR survived, however the world has modified vastly, and we do not have the type of stability within the media panorama that was there even in 2011. So we’ll discover out. Sorry to be so equivocal, however we’ll discover out.
(…)
I believe what’s modified is we now not have this concept of — our data is stove-piped, and we do not dwell in a world the place Walter Cronkite might come on the night information and say, “That is the best way it’s.” We do not agree on how it’s anymore, and other people get information that tends to substantiate their predispositions and their biases. So NPR continues to be attempting to play it down the center — nonetheless doing it the old style manner, and we’ll see if there’s an viewers for it. I believe there’s, however that is what they will come up towards.
(…)
SCARBOROUGH: What do you anticipate to occur subsequent on this battle between the administration and NPR?
ONEY: You recognize, the final battle — the Juan Williams battle — Jon Stewart stated a really humorous factor on his Comedy Central present. He stated, “NPR, you bought in a battle with Fox Information and the Republicans, and also you introduced a tote bag stuffed with David Sedaris books to a knife battle.” And it was very humorous, and he acquired numerous laughs. And I believe this time, NPR must convey a knife to the battle. NPR wants to face up, declare its functions, declare its worth, and never assume something, and it will be a public relations take a look at as a lot as the rest.
And I believe the administration, in the event that they go after NPR, will discover — as you say, Joe — that there are lots of people on the market in each city America who activate Morning Version and All Issues Thought of every single day as a result of it is what they’ve. It ties the nation collectively. It is a — the guide — the inspiration for the guide is admittedly David McCullough’s nice books about American tasks like The Path Between the Seas — his guide in regards to the constructing of the Panama Canal. And I consider NPR as being an excellent American mission, and I got down to write a historical past of it — the place it got here from, who’re these folks, how does it work?
