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Comment by bonchicbongenre | Hacker News Reader

As the other commenter replied: thank you for facing this head-on! Your statement now is commendable.

Also — for anyone wanting to get accurate science reporting in the US (about COVID specifically, but I'd also say more generally), definitely check out NPR's large collection of recurring podcasts. I knew those numbers the grandparent commenter posted back in Feb, thanks to NPR's great reporting, and watching this pandemic play out has felt like dramatic irony. NPR has been on the ball with accurate science reporting for years, and it's a crying shame that their audience is dwarfed by those of cable networks.

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no, npr has not been balanced at all. the scientists and doctors they choose for their shows have been carefully curated to amplify the dangers and fear. they mention masks incessantly, even when it's completely irrelevant ("here is carrot farmer, don majors, sowing his fields. not wearing a mask, i might add!")

they don't even pretend to be balanced any more, especially anything related to politics, and the covid response is squarely political at this point. npr no longer holds any esteem regarding science reporting or balance.

Yeah, I recall when NPR had an "expert" on All Things Considered who advised holding your breath when walking by someone on the street (this was back in March/April, when they were doing "the conversation" segments during the national lockdown).

Their science reporting on the whole has not been great, but some programs (e.g. Science Friday) are better than others.

ha, exactly, the producers agressively filter for the messaging they want from their guests, no matter the veracity or plausibility of their claims.

and agreed, science friday is better than their entire stack of daily news coverage of science-adjacent topics. marketplace, planet money, and hidden brain are pretty good for business/economics.

Any specific recommendation for NPR podcasts?

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