NPR needs diversity

Nina Totenberg, the most excellent and most liberal correspondent for NPR, defends the NPR news product here. It's worth the read.

She misses the point, however.

Is the general news product of NPR well executed? Sure. Is the news product of NPR sometimes excellent? Ditto.

But the one thing the NPR news product is not -- is balanced.

There is no diversity among the news staff at NPR. Visit any NPR local station and you'll find the same deficiency. You're either left of center or you're not assigning, reporting or editing for NPR.

When NPR gave former NPR correspondent Juan Williams the boot, that should have served as a wake up call to all within the NPR organization. When the solidly left thinking Juan Williams is the token conservative on your news staff, you know you have a problem.

If NPR wants to take its news product to a higher level, then more than just a little political and cultural diversity is needed.