All mergers considered: NPR, PBS, Stars and Stripes

The other morning NPR's Frank Deford told us how The US Department of Defense funds the national spectacle of earth hatred through its mouth organ, the Stars and Stripes:

Even sports has gotten into the budget-cutting, when a House amendment was offered the other day that would prevent the Army from spending $7 million to sponsor NASCAR race car No. 39. But even in a slash-and-burn atmosphere, the amendment was soundly beaten. There are a lot of congressmen prepared to do away with a lot of good old-fashioned all-American stuff, but keep your hands off my NASCAR.

The Stars and Stripes isn't my GI father's newspaper any more. This 2004 NPR story on Pentagon funding for the military's media machine popped up and reminded me to wonder, after practicing some April Fools ideas, about how it's ok that three US public broadcasting networks are reporting three different versions of world history.

Then, like a vision from Tommy Chong it hit me: let's just merge 'em.

Pravda has a lengthy history of journalistic integrity, right?

11:14 MST: The President announces in his press conference that funding cuts should found in other areas, "not CPB."

WBUR's Here and Now host to NPR's board chair: Vivian Schiller should have stayed to defend organization's integrity.

Al Jazeera English reports on BP/Gulf sickness. Where the hell is the American press?

Just in case you're not pissed off enough, here's the Utne's Read on Citizens United v. FEC.

What can one say?