Commentary: Is anyone really listening?

By C. Fraser Smith The Daily Record Newswire A lie gets half way around the world before the truth gets its pants on. Winston Churchill Edited, secret, made-for-media tapings are a kind of a triple lie: They're underhanded. They're not journalism. They're massaged to make a political point. And they've been very effective. Wired provocateurs have helped to scuttle a worthy community action program (ACORN). They have gotten the boss at NPR fired along with the organization's chief fundraiser. And a blogger who lied about who he was embarrassed the governor of Wisconsin. None of these victims, I would argue, had a fair chance to explain themselves. If you're so inclined, listen carefully to the actual, unedited taping of the NPR officials. Then decide if you think you were hearing honest journalism. Perhaps, there is enough culpability in each of these cases to justify the Draconian response: lowering the curtain on ACORN entirely and costing two executives their jobs in the NPR case -- not to mention the fate of federal funding for NPR. Minnesota Governor Scott Walker? Same questions: Was he entrapped? Are you OK with that? Full disclosure Whatever you may think, it's worth considering several issues. Are any of us capable any more of really listening to what comes before us in the new or the old media? Do we all hear what we want to hear? (More on this to follow.) Are we making it easier for fast and loose operators to scam us and do real damage to people who, fallible though they may be, are doing their jobs? Full disclosure: I work for WYPR, the NPR affiliate in Baltimore. You should factor that into your reading of what I'm about to say. I will, as I always do, proceed proudly under the banner of professionalism. I think I'm capable of separating my own views from my coverage of the news, but I don't claim perfection. Listeners and readers can decide. Back to the NPR story. Fundraisers for the organization had lunch with people who claimed to represent a Muslim organization that wanted to make a gift of $5 million. One of the alleged givers was wired. An edited version of the luncheon conversation found the NPR staffers laughing inappropriately and offering their own views on conservatives, etc. NPR, now fighting to save millions in federal funding, came off looking as if it were a doctrinaire liberal organization. Along the way, the fundraisers carefully and unmistakably declared NPR's newsgathering would be impervious to pleading the Muslim -- or any other -- cause. None of that was part of the edited version of the conversation. How much of the longer, different version of this story -- prepared by NPR's David Folkenflik -- was heard by those who heard the edited version? (This, as Churchill might have said, came after the truth found its pants.) Bias--whose bias? At about the time of the NPR story, I got three messages about a WYPR story on our "Inside Maryland Politics" show. We were discussing how Democrats were flooding Maryland with fundraising appeals. We thought it was interesting, an early indication of the Democrats' concern about 2012. "... Isn't that hypocritical of you?" one listener asked. "Don't Republicans do the same? And isn't that better than taking in the lion's share of donations from corporations, as the Republicans do?" Another listener to the same show wrote that we were "obviously supportive of [the Democrats'] efforts to 'stop the Republican agenda.' I got the feeling that she felt the Republicans were usurpers and the GOP governors are trying to force some heinous laws against the will of the people. Not that they are duly elected leaders trying to get their fiscal houses in order and carrying out what they were elected to do." So, one listener thinks we were shilling for Democrats and the other thinks we were beating up on Republicans. I didn't hear any of this alleged bias. I'm sure we should all listen more carefully -- and listen with a jaundiced ear 'til we hear the whole tape. C. Fraser Smith is senior news analyst for WYPR-FM. His column appears Fridays in The Daily Record. His e-mail address is fsmith@wypr.org. Published: Fri, Mar 25, 2011