Both, really. NPR is perceived as fairly liberal, yet gave a balanced interview on guns. The black community has, in general, been portrayed as either very anti-gun (via churches) or a bunch of gangbangers holding their Tec-9s sideways in drive-byes. NPR presenting responsible and clearly middle-class black gun owners with legitimate reasons to own guns offers an important perspective that is rarely offered to their audience.Interesting audio. The debate has really moved in recent years.
Where does the liberal part of the subject line come from? Blacks or NPR?
Mike
Oh, I agree. I was just trying to make that point to the THR crowd. There are occasional references here to NPR as being part of the 'liberal media conspiracy'.I'm not sure why the surprise. That is what NPR is known for - a balanced discussion of the issues.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Black people are disproportionately victimized by gun violence, and prominent African-American leaders are among those calling for tighter gun control. Yet as Karen Grigsby Bates of NPR's Code Switch team found out, many other African-Americans believe that owning guns is crucial to protecting themselves and their rights. ...
But Scott is trying to resist a powerful new social current, especially in Detroit. As Pastor Haman Cross points out, the concealed-carry movement got going in the white suburbs. And, in his words, now "the black community is just catching up."
If so, it's a radical change from the '90s.NPR is a lot more balanced than people think.
I'd agree on NPR being fairly liberal (but not rabid). I've known enough blacks who are socially conservative to suspect it runs pretty deep.Both, really. NPR is perceived as fairly liberal, yet gave a balanced interview on guns. The black community has, in general, been portrayed as either very anti-gun (via churches) or a bunch of gangbangers holding their Tec-9s sideways in drive-byes. NPR presenting responsible and clearly middle-class black gun owners with legitimate reasons to own guns offers an important perspective that is rarely offered to their audience.
And there was no discussion of the contemporary politics of gun ownership - the NRA, Ammon Bundy, Sandy Hook, background checks, etc. - it was just folks who feel the need to own guns doing so responsibly.
That is what NPR is known for - a balanced discussion of the issues. When they have shows with a panel or people from different sides they specifically select people that are respectful of one another and stick to an adult discussion without yelling or talking over each other.