On the eve of a critical Senate vote to end forced taxpayer subsidies for public radio, Google stepped in to help NPR dodge accountability after one of its Texas affiliates failed to deliver timely reporting about the devastating July 4 floods that killed at least 134 people across the state.
Both Google and NPR have been shown to use their resources to push a liberal agenda and support Democrats. It now appears that the tech giant is using its resources to try to help its public radio accomplice.
The tech giant adjusted its AI-generated responses, downplaying Texas Public Radio’s failure to issue timely alerts about the floods during the early morning of Independence Day, a Media Research Center review has found.
This follows an MRC report calling out TPR on Monday for slowwalking its live reporting of the Texas floods while posting calls to action on social media. TPR, a member of the influential NPR network, is participating in a lobbying campaign to bully lawmakers into continuing to funnel tax dollars into their coffers.
Key Findings: On Thursday, MRC asked Google whether NPR had slept through the deadly Texas floods. Initially, Google’s AI overview admitted that TPR did not did not anticipate the severity of the flooding and were not fully prepared for the scale of the disaster initially. The station’s editors were asleep in the comfort of their homes while Texans fought for their lives.
But by Monday—the day before the Senate began to consider President Donald Trump’s request to rescind funding for NPR and PBS—Google changed its answer when presented with the same prompt: “No, NPR did not ‘sleep through’ the Texas floods.”
Google’s Answers, Explained: The tech giant’s original response, surprisingly forthright, seemingly acknowledged the TPR’s delayed coverage, noting that the station did not begin its live coverage until 9 a.m. Central time. This was five hours after floods began ravaging Texas.
MRC found that TPR aired a pre-recorded episode of Morning Edition out of Washington, D.C., while the disaster unfolded at 4:03 a.m.
Google’s AI overview initially stated:
While Texas Public Radio, part of the NPR network, did not ignore the Texas floods, their initial response was affected by the holiday and staffing limitations. They had aired National Weather Service warnings the day before but were primarily automated due to the holiday. According to an NPR Public Editor article, they did not anticipate the severity of the flooding and were not fully prepared for the scale of the disaster initially. However, by 9 a.m. Central time on July 4, they were broadcasting information and coordinating with NPR supervisors, according to the NPR article.
By Monday, however, Google replaced that wording with a much more defensive summary:
No, NPR did not ‘sleep through’ the Texas floods. While local stations may have been automated initially due to the holiday, NPR and its member stations responded to the flash floods in the Texas Hill Country, including in the Kerrville area, once they became aware of the severity of the situation.
Context: Google’s apparent about-face came just days after MRC released a bombshell report revealing that TPR took more than 19 hours to post anything related to the floods on its social media pages after the National Weather Service issued a flood warning on July 3.
What did TPR do instead? It posted a call to action urging readers to lobby Congress to keep taxpayer funding flowing to public news outlets, including NPR.
TPR’s own vice president of news, Dan Katz, confessed the station had been on autopilot as the floods overwhelmed thousands of residents, including those in Kerr County, which is served by the news outlet. "We didn't know it would be that bad," he told NPR. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have been automated."
What prompted Google’s sudden shift remains unknown, but the reversal conveniently aligned with mounting political pressure against NPR and PBS.
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Methodology: Researchers at the Media Research Center asked Google, “Did NPR Sleep Through Texas Floods,” to which the tech giant replied:
“While Texas Public Radio, part of the NPR network, did not ignore the Texas floods, their initial response was affected by the holiday and staffing limitations. They had aired National Weather Service warnings the day before but were primarily automated due to the holiday. According to an NPR Public Editor article, they did not anticipate the severity of the flooding and were not fully prepared for the scale of the disaster initially. However, by 9 a.m. Central time on July 4, they were broadcasting information and coordinating with NPR supervisors, according to the NPR article.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
- Initial Automation: Like many public radio stations, TPR relies on automated programming on holidays, which was the case on July 4th when the floods began.
- Missed Warning: Although they had aired weather service warnings the day before, they didn't realize how severe the flooding would become.
- Rapid Response: Once the severity of the situation became clear, TPR shifted to a breaking news model, broadcasting information and coordinating with NPR supervisors.
- Community Impact: The floods primarily affected the Kerrville area, which is served by TPR.
- Ongoing Coverage: NPR and its affiliates have continued to provide extensive coverage of the floods, including the death toll, search and rescue efforts, and the impact on communities.
By Monday, MRC prompted the same question, to which Google replied:
“No, NPR did not 'sleep through' the Texas floods. While local stations may have been automated initially due to the holiday, NPR and its member stations responded to the flash floods in the Texas Hill Country, including in the Kerrville area, once they became aware of the severity of the situation."
The “Here's a more detailed breakdown” section remained unchanged.
