In March of this year, I received the supreme life gift of becoming a grandparent. As all of you who have been blessed with this experience know, the love and the joy of a new grandchild is just indescribable. The child of your own child inhabits your heart in a space you didn’t even realize existed - and it is explosive.
I am so fortunate to spend time with this new life in our little family, and I yearn to always be mindful of all the moments we share. At the same time, managing my very real worry and fear for his future - and the future of all our children and grandchildren - requires effort.
In January of 2025, being fully cognizant of the challenges facing our nation and the larger world, I committed myself to establishing equanimity in order to protect my own inner peace. I meditated and practiced yoga daily, I explored Zen concepts and read several books about global resistance movements. I found that zooming out, rather than in, not only helped me face this surreal time in a broader perspective, it gave me new definitions of hope. I feel that my patience to persevere and to live in and through the moment expanded as a result.
Part of this process involved reflecting on the news and information I consume, how I consume it, and how I choose to filter what I allow into my head. This, of course, leads me back to public media. I have relied upon public radio and public television all of my adult life, for news, cultural enrichment and intelligent, thought-provoking entertainment.
I raised my own children on public media: it was available, it was free, and most importantly, I felt I could trust the messaging and avoid commercial influence.
While I intuitively believed I was doing my children a service, it wasn’t until 2018 when Tri States Public Radio lost its funding from WIU that I learned the full extent of public media’s effect on my family. When news of the that first funding cut broke, my oldest daughter immediately called me from several states away. “Mom,” she said, “I cannot imagine growing up without public radio. We listened to it every day. Public radio was how I learned about the larger world outside of our little town. It taught me SO much and made me curious about the world. We cannot lose that service!”
Yes, I was that mother driving to daycare, school and work in the morning while kids in the back seat hummed the Morning Edition tune. If you know, you know.
Circling back to the present, I still rely on public radio and public television for my news. At a time when truth is no longer truth and propaganda is substituted for information, public media trudges ahead with its mission. In the vortex of 24-hour news cycles and disinformation, I believe I can always rely on NPR to provide the facts, with a dose of humanity added in for good measure. This isn’t a sales pitch - you obviously agree with me to some extent or you would not be here now.
Did you know that NPR has a Public Editor? I didn’t until quite recently.
The Public Editor stands as a source of independent accountability and serves as a bridge between the newsroom and the audience. The Public Editor strives to both listen to the audience’s concerns and explain the newsroom’s work and ambitions.
This Office of the Public Editor was created to ensure NPR is responsive to the concerns of listeners and help NPR remain steadfast in its mission to present fair, accurate and comprehensive information in service to democracy. The Public Editor has complete autonomy to select topics, investigate complaints and address issues. The existence of the Public Editor gives me, and I hope you, a measure of comfort and another notch of integrity in my chosen source for news.
So, with my public media in my back pocket and my Tri States Public Radio community surrounding me, I strive to approach each day with an open heart and mind. I hold my baby grandson and gaze into the deep well of his blue eyes, holding on to every shred of hope I can muster for his - and everyone’s - future.
I take joy in the mundane and remind myself often to just stop and take a deep breath. There still is so much joy and beauty in the world, and so very much to be grateful for. This granny is grateful, hopeful, and wishes you peace.
Julie Murphy is a retiree who lives in Macomb.
The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of TSPR or its license holder, Western Illinois University.
Diverse viewpoints are welcomed and encouraged.
