[NCLUG] BSA and NPR

[dobbster]

Okay, this is probably off topic.  (Let me know if I've broken the list
rules.)

I frequently listen to the radio, and in particular, I often listen to
NPR for the news.

On "All Things Considered" tonight, while they were listing their
sponsors, I heard something like:

"NPR is sponsored by the Business Software Alliance.  The BSA assists
businesses in maintaining software license compliance..."

I can't remember exactly what they said (I've phrased it badly), but for
a moment it had me convinced that the BSA was doing a great service for
humanity.  The ad sure made it sound as if the BSA was serving a noble
cause.

For quite a while, I have also noticed that another of NPR's regular
sponsors is the "Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation".  They always tack
on an extra little blip about how the Foundation is helping people
throughout the world.  (Sometimes Bill seems like a great
philanthropist, but I always question his motivations.)

I think "All Things Considered" is generally perceived as a relatively
unbiased source of news, although I know some people claim consider
public radio to be "ultra-liberal".  It doesn't seem that way to me. 
Anyway, I wonder if these "sponsors" might be trying to tip the balance
of NPR's reporting in the arena of computing.

I admit that I tend to be pretty cynical about the media in general.  I
don't watch TV at all.  I do not trust cnn.com, since they are part of
the Time Warner super-corporation; nor do I trust msnbc.com, for similar
reasons.  On both sites, I've seen too many "top news stories" that seem
more like advertisements.  

In fact, I haven't found any source of national/global news that I feel
provides an unbiased view of things.  Perhaps I am just paranoid. 
Still, I wonder: Do any of you feel the same way about the news media? 
If so, do you know of any sites that provide unbiased, straightforward
news?

I'm digressing.  Mainly, I am curious to know if anyone else out there
has any observations about these "sponsorships" and possibly biased
computer-related reporting on NPR.

Mark (dobbster at dobbster.com)