NPR Drops Bombs on the ‘Hard-Right Republicans in Congress’
My maxim on the media’s use of ideological labeling is: “The epic political battles of our time are between the ultraconservatives and the nonpartisans.” Journalists see Republicans as a whole as ultraconservative, or as a wholly owned subsidiary of the ultraconservatives.
Journalists firmly on the left think of themselves as the sensible center, so their ideological allies are described in positive, nonideological terms — “women’s rights,” “LGBT rights,” “civil rights,” “environmentalist,” etc. They skip even using “liberal” because it’s a word that conservatives use negatively. They fail to recognize anyone on the “far left” or “hard left” or “radical left.” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a “progressive.” Her most radical dreams are not called “extreme.” They’re “ambitious.“A recent Exhibit A came on the National Public Radio talk show “Fresh Air” with host Terry Gross. The headli …