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What do cabbies know?

Posted at 10:25 AM on November 19, 2010 by Bob Collins (2 Comments)
Filed under: Media

Roger Ebert today penned an ode to NPR (though he mistakenly linked American Public Media's A Prairie Home Companion with NPR).

This paragraph about Chicago could have easily been written about the Twin Cities.

I've mentioned before that I cannot get into a taxi in Chicago where NPR is not either playing, or pre-tuned when the radio is turned on. The driver is invariably African or South Asian. I ask, "You like NPR?" I have been told, "I hear more about the rest of the world." I've also been told, "I hear more about America." More than once I've been told, "I want to learn."

Update 11:41 a.m. NPR has won the coveted Medal of Fear.

Comments (2)

Sounds like what Chicago needs is Al Jezeera radio.

The best coverage of Africa and Asia, by far, is Al Jezeera. They may have their biases (so does NPR) but they are far more in tune with the region.....

Posted by GregS | November 19, 2010 3:09 PM

I've lived in and reported from several different countries, and cabbies are generally excellent sources of current news information in other countries as well.

Posted by Jim Shapiro | November 19, 2010 5:40 PM