NPR offered up its final segment regarding “New Religions” yesterday and featured coverage of the latest fashion in faith often called Neo-Paganism, categorized in this presentation under the heading “Wicca.”
Host Barbara Bradley Hagerty narrated what was billed as an exploration of “Teens and Wicca.”
Various teenagers, mostly girls, came out of the “broom closet” to discuss their fascination with witchcraft, which one expert said really took off through the popular movie “The Craft.”
But in the end it seemed that Hagerty let her own bias show a bit by giving fellow evangelicals largely the last word.
The NPR host reportedly is “on the board of directors for Knowing and Doing, the magazine of the C.S. Lewis Institute, which ‘endeavors to develop disciples who can articulate, defend and live faith in Christ through personal and public life.'”
One evangelical dryly observed on NPR that “playing with Wicca [is] dangerous,” but he failed to offer any specific examples. A “born-again” teen warned Wiccans had “sold [themselves] to Satan.”
According to a critical report about her professional conduct Hagerty “likes to say that God is her ‘employer and audience.'”
Does this mean the reporter does double duty for NPR and “God”?
The “cult apologists” Hagerty promoted through her first piece about “new religious movements” might not appreciate the sentiments expressed in her last one about Wicca.
And most of the public appears to agree that though Wiccans might appear weird they are benign, unlike the previous “cults” essentially given a free pass by Hagerty and NPR.
National Public Radio doesn’t seem to be in touch with its public through this recent programming.
But then again, maybe the only “audience” that concerns Ms. Hagerty is “God”?
no comment untill now