Yes, this is another water is wet blog post, but the Cincinnati Enquirer again
published a completely ignorant column. This one is from someone named Pete Frank from Hamilton. Mr. Frank rambled on against PBS and NPR in something resembling a transcript from a talk radio caller.
It is obvious that Pete Frank hasn't actually listened to NPR or watched his local PBS station. If he had he would know that his 'column' is about as ignorant as you can be when it comes to public media. I am confused, therefore, why the Enquirer would publish this.
When you get someone using the phrases 'academic progressive elitist,' 'normal Americans,; and'socialist dribble,' mixed with a frothing at the mouth attack on all journalists, then I presume the Enquirer is actually laughing about this column. They find it comical. It is so ignorant and filled with extremist talking points that it must be farce. It makes little sense, but the vocabulary and grammar are no worse than mine, so Pete Frank is not unintelligent. How else can you explain something to be so willfully ignorant and full of baseless and hollow points? I will not even get into him mentioning PBS, but ignoring it the rest of the 'column.'
There is no other logical reason to publish this for the Enquirer than to be playing some type of inside joke. It basically implies liberals are not "normal" at least not in America, so what gives?
While I know the Enquirer's editorial page is Republican, I don't think they are FOX News nutty. They at times can be full of shit as much as FOX News, but that comes with writing for Exurban audiences and the "Fourth Street" crowd. Are the Exurbanites around here as nutty as Pete Frank? Are local Business interests that closed minded? Are there no more intellectual Republicans willing to actually speak up for fact and not hide behind their fear of public opinion within their voter/audience base? NPR and PBS are preserving American culture, almost without any help from the for-profit media world.
I'm being serious here. I know there are many leftists out there who see conspiracy from the Enquirer and local Republicans and want to lump them in with the growing insane Tea Party wing of the GOP, but historically that is not the type views they have held. I am sure the editorial staff of the Enquier listen to the NPR as much as I do. Hell, I would bet former Enquirer columnists Peter Bronson listens as well. Most of the Editorial Board would surely find fault with NPR as anyone can with any organization. Would any editor at the Enquirer be able to willingly pander to the Pete Franks of the world and be able to look upon themselves as Journalists when they wake the next day and look in the mirror? I hope they aren't doing that, and I hope this column was published as more of a joke than anything else. Something tells me that it wasn't.
