people that are borderline indoctrinated don't view NPR as media. they view it the same way that religious people view church in that they believe in their hearts its the bastion of truth.
the soft, condescending talking personifies who they are. low energy, smug, easily dominated in social situations
I actually used to work out to NPR podcasts (2015/2016 era) since I liked the international content and they were somewhat straight forward. They’ve become so insufferably biased since that I had to stop.