On January 1st, NPR’s All Things Considered ushered in the New Year with a textbook example of public relations trumping the public interest.
A timely story on the issue of net neutrality – the principle that Internet traffic should move equally without regard to content, destination or source – started off promising enough; Lourdes Garcia-Navarro opened the piece with an important observation: “The FCC is a small agency with a big impact on our daily lives.”
But correspondent Brian Naylor’s story went downhill from there. A five-point checklist reveals more spin than substance in this report.
1. Downplay the Revolving Door. Check.
Naylor briefly mentions FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler was a former cable TV lobbyist. But Naylor fails to acknowledge the corrosive influence the revolving door between industry and government regulators has on public policy.
2. Trivialize activists. Check.
A brief exchange between Wheeler and an unidentified activist gives the impression that supporters of net neutrality are just a bunch of wingnuts.
3. Stack the Deck. Check.
Throughout the story, Wheeler gets plenty of airtime. As do other proponents of new rules that would create Internet fast lanes. Net neutrality advocates, on the other hand, are labeled “critics” of Wheeler’s plan and denied comment.
4. False equivalence. Check.
Nicol Turner-Lee, another lobbyist, asserts that Wheeler has “listened to us the same as he listened to the protesters that were sitting on his lawn.” Denigrating activists this way, Turner-Lee inadvertently reveals the glaring disparity between the access to policy makers lobbyists enjoy, and that of ordinary citizens.
5. Bury the Lead. Check.
Naylor fails to note that during the public comment period, the FCC received a record-breaking 4 million comments from individuals, groups, and business owners who overwhelmingly support net neutrality.
When NPR confuses public relations with public interest journalism in this fashion, the forecast is clear: expect more Beltway balderdash for the New Year.
Sources:
Ammori, Marvin. (6 June, 2014). “John Oliver’s Net Neutrality Segment Speaks the Truth.” Slate.com.
Copps, Michael. (6 January, 2015). “The Biggest FCC Vote Ever.” Common Cause.
Karr, Timothy. (10 November, 2014). “President Obama Call for Title II for the Best Way to Protect Real Net Neutrality.” Free Press.
Naylor, Brian. (1 January, 2015). “Net Neutrality Debate Forces FCC Chairman into Spotlight.” All Things Considered.
Wyatt, Edward. (14 November, 2014). “Obama Asks FCC to Adopt Tough Net Neutrality Rules.” New York Times.
