"Not Very Compelling": How NPR Dismissed the Largest Protests of 2025

[Nevilledog]

https://www.readtpa.com/p/not-very-compelling-how-npr-dismissed

NPR Public Editor Kelly McBride defended this editorial decision in her April 10 newsletter, titled “How does NPR cover peaceful protests when the only news is the protest?,” writing that “aside from crowd sizes, most protests aren't newsworthy enough to warrant continuous, national coverage.” She even went to New York to watch one of the demonstrations herself, concluding, “As a news event, it wasn't very compelling.”

Not compelling? Really?

According to reports, the “Hands Off!” movement organized more than 1,400 protests across all 50 states on April 5. The demonstrations were coordinated by a coalition of over 150 groups, including civil rights organizations, labor unions, LGBTQ+ advocates, veterans, and election activists. Protesters rallied against everything from mass deportations to federal department cuts to attacks on Social Security.

But McBride apparently found this massive, diverse, nationwide demonstration “wasn't very compelling” as a news event. To her, the “most compelling part” was... the pictures.

This isn't just frustrating — it's a fundamental misunderstanding of what journalism should do.

When Americans feel compelled to take to the streets in mass numbers, news organizations should be asking why. They should be interviewing participants, exploring the issues that drove people to protest, and examining the policies being contested. Instead, NPR opted for a couple of radio stories and three web articles.

*snip*

[Wicked Blue]

1. I suspect NPR is pandering to the Misadministration

in the futile hope that their funding won't be eliminated.

[hlthe2b]

4. Exactly... Foolish, though, given this will have wealthy benefactors & regular donors questioning why THEY

should backfill the funding lost...

[werdna]

2. I stopped listening to NPR and veiwing PBs when -

- they were forced into accepting corporate sponsorship. Once you let those corporate bastards in they try to take over everything. Even if you resist them, it takes energy away from your primary function and there is a falling off which they then use as leverage to take more control.

[SheltieLover]

3. They're afraid slobby will cut funding.

[Scubamatt]

5. After 9/11 . . .

W froze NPR out of the press room/limited their access because they didn't jump on the "Bomb Iraq" wagon quickly enough and dared to point out that Saddam Hussein didn't attack us on 9/11. He also threatened to cut their funding. They learned. Since then, they bend over backward to ignore Republican malfeasance in a desperate effort to appease them by appearing "balanced." IIRC, they really banged the drum hard about how the Republic was going to crumble because Obama had denigrated the Presidency by wearing a brown suit and then by bowing to the Japanese Emperor! The horror! I mean, it ok to be a 34X convicted felon, an adjudicated rapist and Russian agent . . . but wearing brown!?!?!? How unpresidential! (clutching pearls)