NPR defends Palin? well, sort-of

NPR sort-of defends Palin. But it was their intent to ridicule her, only the facts, and this professor, got in their way.

NPR defends Palin?

Aaron Gee

While coming home I often listen to our local NPR station. This afternoons "All Things Considered" asked the question "How Accurate Were Palin's Paul Revere Comments?" The story started out with;

"Sarah Palin is defending her knowledge of American history." 

Here we go again, I was prepared for the usual "Palin is a moron" storyline. Surprisingly that didn't happen. What I got was Robert Allison, a professor and historian at Suffolk University, tell the NPR host that Palin basically got it right. The interviewer, Melissa Block, tries to cajole a different narrative out of the professor and historian, throwing out the question "Are there other historians professor, whom you've talked with that say your being entirely too charitable toward Sarah Palin here?" Ms. Block starts to chuckle toward the end of the question. The professor doesn't let finish the question before responding.

The result is a classic public radio moment werein the good professor gets to the heart of the matter; Sarah Palin is a lightening rod for the media, and NPR wouldn't have been talking to him about Paul Revere or the American Revolution if it hadn't been for an off the cuff remark from an Alaskan politician.

Take a moment and listen to the short piece yourself. I don't think it quite turned out the way the producers had imagined.

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