National Public Radio, or NPR, News Podcasts

           National Public Radio, or NPR, provides many different types of information for the public on their website, podcasts, both news-related and entertainment-related, included. It is, according to Google’s definition, a non-profit form of media that is both privately and publicly funded that sells information to newspapers and periodicals. 

           The list of sponsors for NPR is quite long, but on the list of those who donate $100,000 to $249,999 are legacy media stations ABC and 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment, as shown on npr.org’s pdf form of sponsors for fiscal year eight. Although NPR is generally believed to be a trustworthy source of news, there is speculation by some about whether or not NPR really reports news as it is or if they are influenced by the big corporations that sponsor them, as  the article “NPR: National Public Radio Or National Propaganda Radio?” on 12bytes.org mentions. 

           NPR provides hourly news and politics podcasts lasting five minutes each in their “Hourly News Summary” podcast category. Correspondents from different spots on the globe report to NPR with information, and different staff members tell the stories on the podcast.

           The “Hourly News Summary” podcasts cover stories on a smaller scope, providing a summary of current events and giving general details about them. These podcasts do not dig too deeply into the stories, but they provide enough information for listeners to gain an overall sense of what is happening.

           The sound quality on the “Hourly News Summary” podcasts by NPR is quite good. There are not any quality issues, and listeners are able to hear the reporter without trouble. The reporters speak with clarity, making it easy for listeners to understand them.

           If given the choice, I would rather listen to the “Hourly News Summary” podcasts than read them. It is much easier to make time to listen to them than it is to read them, and the sound quality is good enough that listening will not impair my understanding of the story.