1) vetting: no trailer trash in my closet...honest

2) oops, i thought it said hair spray

3) slap my ass and just call me pretty

you ask, we answer

Sent by justgeorge | 4:14 PM ET | 09-02-2008

Great job arresting reporters, police, I didn't think America was a police state! Run out of real criminals to catch?

Sent by clarence wong | 4:27 PM ET | 09-02-2008

Fluffy? No, just very, very weird taste. No offense to Mrs. McCain, I'm sure she's a wonderful woman, but she needs to fire whoever picked that dress for her. Mustard, with that collar?

It makes her look like Ming the Merciless.

Sent by Kasreyn | 4:47 PM ET | 09-02-2008

what the heck, this is the only mention of a journalist being arrested at the convention, wedged in between trivial commentary on Cindy's dress & base smutt-raking re a stupid teenager's myspace page?! is this actually the NPR website??

Sent by Monica | 5:06 PM ET | 09-02-2008

I'm with Monica! Is this NPR?

A reporter is arrested and it's covered in a piece that also covers Cindy McCain's dress?

Seriously, NPR, you must do better.

Sent by Patrick | 5:45 PM ET | 09-02-2008

Yes, Monica, unfortunately, this IS the NPR website (hard as that may be to accept) and when you listen to NPR on the radio, it IS "National Public Radio" (although you would never know it was the same news program that used to air 20 or even 15 years ago because the current program is only a shell of its former self)

If an NPR -- or even FOX (forgive the redundancy) -- reporter had been arrested, it would be mentioned every five minutes on NPR.

NPR's "news" program has gone right down the toilet in recent years.

Obviously, NPR management have time for stories on the tabloid trash like John Edwards affair, but no time for real news.

If this disturbs you, I suggest you write to Congress because they are the only ones who can restore any modicum of integrity to the news program at NPR.

Personally, I don't think there is any hope that NPR will be reformed. I think Congress should yank all their funding and start a totally new program from scratch -- one that is "public" in more than just name.

Sent by Jim | 6:06 PM ET | 09-02-2008

I really wish NPR had noted *on air* the arrest of a sister journalist and her crew!! YouTube has scooped NPR on *this* story. I'll know for sure it's a whitewash if "On the Media" doesn't take up the question of press rights at the RNC convention this week - I heard their review of the '68 Chicago history recently, they need to step up and mention this *current* news!

Sent by Jean McAneny | 6:14 PM ET | 09-02-2008

For what it's worth, we'll be discussing the arrests in more depth tomorrow.

You'll note the Palin top story is what is now being called "Troopergate".... a critical debate in her selecton. In fact, at this point, some wags are discussing whether she might withdraw her nomination (based on the trooper issue).... Check this article in The Atlantic.

Re: the tone... blogs, IMHO, are meant to have a little humor as well as hard news. Our show is following the news, as well it should be. Hope you listened today.... and tune in tomorrow.

(Currently sitting in the skybox in the Republican Convention and listening to Journey, awaiting the major speeches of the night. And in Journey's words, "Don't stop believing; hold on to that feeling.")

Sent by Farai | 7:30 PM ET | 09-02-2008

The egrecious duplicity of the Republican party still prevails in my mind when I contemplate how blacks were disportionately and unfairly treated during the Katrina's epoch. Additionally, the flawed Iraq War, paled economy, gas and food prices increases, and the lack of diplomacy in terms of foriegn affairs is sufficent empirical information of how flawed the Repbulican Party is. So, I view the Republican a major fraud seranated with well orechastated puppet aligned with pretentious politicans like President Bush, Dickhead Cheyney, and undiplomatic Condi Rice. Is she George Bush's fuck buddy???

Sent by Derrick | 9:35 PM ET | 09-02-2008

For much better coverage of the convention: http://www.democracynow.org .

Sent by Kevan Smith | 10:20 PM ET | 09-02-2008

Howdy Farai, I think you're doing a great job! And thanks for mentioning humor to the bumps. Gotta keep cool 'cause there's always that chance you might wake up a republican or in somebody else's clothes...both would require some explaining in this household. I know, it happened to me once.

Oh!, one more thing before I get back to Dirty Harry, tell them (GOP) in a kind way to relax and drop the shoulders a little and dip the hip when dancing...for some reason everyone is starting to look like my father and I'm having enough trouble sleeping as it is.

Be well and always exercise caution when kissing dragons.

Sent by justgeorge | 10:39 PM ET | 09-02-2008

Farai: Some of us on the left can be so self-righteous pining over how "things fall apart." Donna Brazil is on CNN RIGHT NOW and has been all night and SHE HAS A MIC in her hand and World-wide TV at her disposal and SHE HAS NOT mentioned it. Not once. And I doubt there is collusion between the good sisters. Peace good people.

Sent by micah | 2:00 AM ET | 09-03-2008

Fluffy?! Nawwwwwwww!

Sent by big!pink!fuzzy!bunny! | 8:37 AM ET | 09-03-2008

Yes, your right about that self rightous thing. We know how to bash it about as good as the next guy. But when you come right down to it voter apathy is what got us here in the first place. The numbers back it up as one of the lowest voter turn outs in the world. Eight years ago the argument was much of the same, and here we had a an out going president with one of the highest approval ratings in history. Go figure? Maybe we just like to hear ourselves talk, maybe we enjoy punishing ourselves. Anyway, lets see if the rant/rave has some real meat on it's bones and put it to rest once and for all. We don't want to walk away from it thinking these blogs are a complete waste of time...right?

Sent by justgeorge | 10:44 AM ET | 09-03-2008

For a lively, intelligent and well-vetted examination of NPR today, see:

http://nprcheck.blogspot.com/

You will never listen to NPR in the same way again.

Sent by porter melmoth | 12:10 PM ET | 09-03-2008

Bitterly disappointed in NPR. This is not the same fearless radio that I started listening to over 20 years ago.

I've written and called the NPR Ombudsman twice. On the first call, they conceded that many listeners had called about this topic. Listened all day today and heard _not_ _one_ _word_ about either the raids on I Witness Video and Food Not Bombs groups over the past weekend nor of the arrest of Amy Goodman and Democracy Now! produders and the AP photog on Monday. Nothing on Diane Rehm, either (wrote to her as well). Can you say "CHILLING EFFECT"?!?

Sent by Mark Pemburn | 9:32 PM ET | 09-03-2008

Assesting journalists is now cosidered "Homeland Security"? It's disgusting.

Sent by Dana Pertermann | 12:18 PM ET | 09-04-2008

Nor has NPR mentioned the shocking "conspiracy" and "terrorism" arrests of 8 of the main march organizers, who now face 7 1/2 years in prison for attacks carried out by small bands of mysterious violent infiltrators who raided the peaceful demos. And about the (corresponding?) outrageous lies from paid informers that St. Paul police used to raid and arrest a peaceful citizen vidoegraphers group that was attempting to document police behavior at the RNC? (They want no repeat of New York!) Not a peep from our erstwhile friends at NPR, who abandoned us when we needed them most. The above and other horrors well-documented at today's Democracy Now! website.

Sent by James Brooks | 9:55 PM ET | 09-04-2008

Consider carefully what Farai Chideya said during the story headlined "RNC's Day Two: Packed Agenda, Violent Protests " [sic], as I copied it down from the audio:

"...there are pictures of people being pepper-sprayed directly in the eyes, and really the question is whether or not people broke ranks from the traditional protest lines. There certainly is a warranted use of force when people are acting violent or aggressive, and the question always, and this happens at every convention, Democratic, Republican, usually there's a question of whether or not the police are being overzealous and whether the protesters are being violent. So that's certainly coming up again and again here."

Asked by Tony Cox about Donna Brazile getting pepper-sprayed, Chideya said she would ask her. "...I think a lot of times, it's not so much that certain reporters are being directly arrested, uh you know, sometimes, uh, they argue, being manhandled, but it's also there's a lot of blowback, you can spray pepper spray in one direction but it's, it's like a aerosolized form of fire (laughs) in your eyes and if the wind changes there are people who may not be directly pepper-sprayed but they end up getting hit with it anyway."

That "certain reporters" are "being directly arrested" and, as they "argue", "manhandled", is simply a quick intro to the real subject: the amusing effects of pepper spray in the wind. Pepper spray "directly in the eyes"? That's a question of whether you "broke ranks from the traditional protest lines". It's all a matter of opinion.

Disgraceful. This is not journalism, it's pure, sophisticated propaganda for a desperately dangerous corporate state.

Sent by James Brooks | 10:10 PM ET | 09-04-2008

Last night on PBS "Now!" David Brancaccio interviewed Amy Goodman, who told the whole story and the up-to-now aftermath. Alot of good info was conveyed.

Unlike Bill Moyers and David Brancaccio on PBS, NPR has become a gutless, gritless medium of Know-Nothing Report-Nothing Do-Nothing, to which I no longer contribute any money. In fact, I'm just going to turn it off until after the election, so I can learn whether McSame or McBama won the election.

Sent by Maggie | 3:48 PM ET | 09-06-2008