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NPR Public Editor The Public Editor is the public's representative to NPR, serving as an independent source regarding NPR's programming.

NPR Public Editor

WITH POYNTER'S KELLY MCBRIDE

Thursday October 29, 2009

NPR Public Editor

NPR and Diversity-- NABJ Says NPR Must Do Better

by Alica C. Shepard

October 29, 2009 • The National Association of Black Journalists has attacked NPR's commitment to diversity and NPR has responded by going public --for the first time --with the composition of its 754-member staff.

Friday October 23, 2009

NPR Public Editor

NPR's Ken Rudin Apologizes for 'Boneheaded Mistake'

by Alicia C. Shepard

October 23, 2009 • NPR Political Editor Ken Rudin said a "boneheaded" thing on Talk of the Nation on Oct. 21, and now he's apologizing.

Wednesday October 21, 2009

NPR Public Editor

Natural Gas Industry Ads: A Perceived Conflict of Interest

by Alicia C. Shepard

October 21, 2009 • Juan Ensalada of Denver was critical of NPR's natural gas series that ran on Morning Edition in late September; he was one of many listeners who considered it favorable to the natural gas industry. (See my piece evaluating the series.) But when h...

Friday October 16, 2009

NPR Public Editor

NPR's Useful, But Flawed, Series on Natural Gas

by Alicia C. Shepard

October 16, 2009 • New technology has made natural gas a promising alternative in reducing the United States' dependence on other countries for energy sources. Natural gas is cleaner than other fossil fuels, and some experts say there's enough untapped natural gas i...

Thursday October 15, 2009

NPR Public Editor

NPR's New Social Media Guidelines

by Alicia C. Shepard

October 15, 2009 • NPR posted new guidelines Thursday to help its staff make use of the wide array of social media tools and still maintain NPR's credibility. Take a look at the guidelines and feel free to weigh in. Why now? "We've actually been working on this ...

Wednesday September 30, 2009

NPR Public Editor

Scott Simon's Salary and Steak Knives

by Alicia C. Shepard

September 30, 2009 • Some listeners think Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon makes too much money. Simon replies and he also apologizes for laughing inappropriately when novelist Lorrie Moore read from her new book, A Gate at the Stairs. One of her characters f...

Scott Simon's Salary and Steak Knives

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Wednesday September 23, 2009

NPR Public Editor

The ACORN Videos: Did NPR Ignore Them?

by Alicia C. Shepard

September 23, 2009 • When Fox News first released damming videos involving employees of ACORN, the community organizing group, the mainstream media, including NPR, was slow to respond. Why? A just-released study of press coverage of ACORN for the last two years might ...

Friday September 18, 2009

NPR Public Editor

A Person of Interest

by Alicia C. Shepard

September 18, 2009 • Two men's names haunted NPR editors as they decided Wednesday whether to go with the name of a 'person of interest' in the Yale murder of Annie Le. It turned out to be a moot question. But the issue remains: should the press publicize the name of ...

Monday September 14, 2009

NPR Public Editor

Should NPR Have Run the Dead Marine Photo?

by Alicia C. Shepard

September 14, 2009 • An American Marine was killed during a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan. An Associated Press photographer captured that moment. Should NPR and other news organizations have run photos of the dead Marine when his parents have specficially asked the AP...

Thursday September 10, 2009

NPR Public Editor

Should NPR Have Run the Photo of a Dead Marine?

by Alicia C. Shepard

September 10, 2009 • An American Marine was killed during a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan. An Associated Press photographer captured that moment. Should NPR and other news organizations have run photos of the dead Marine when his parents have specficially asked the AP...

Wednesday September 2, 2009

NPR Public Editor

Too Much Kennedy

by Alicia C. Shepard

September 2, 2009 • Ted Kennedy's death last week got more coverage than any other politician or celebrity since the Project for Excellence in Journalism began measuring coverage in 2007. NPR did 53 stories in 5 days, but there wasn't a lot of discussion of Chappaqui...

Wednesday August 26, 2009

NPR Public Editor

Why NPR Stopped Charging for Transcripts

by Alicia C. Shepard

August 26, 2009 • I wanted to respond to Eric Newton's post asking about the business decision to stop charging for transcripts. I thought I would share this blog posting. I have been on vacation, furlough, and am now out in San Diego visiting KPBS. Eric Newton w...

Wednesday August 19, 2009

NPR Public Editor

Free Transcripts now Available on NPR.org

by Alicia C. Shepard

August 19, 2009 • Transcripts of favorite, missed or maddening stories on NPR used to cost $3.95 each, but now they are free on NPR.org.

Friday August 7, 2009

NPR Public Editor

Won't Judge Sotomayor be the Second Hispanic on the Supreme Court?

by Alicia C. Shepard

August 7, 2009 • There's a camp out there that believes just-confirmed Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is not the court's first Hispanic. Instead, they say, that distinction belongs to Justice Benjamin Cardozo who served on the bench from 1932 until 1938, wh...

Won't Judge Sotomayor be the Second Hispanic on the Supreme Court?

Audio for this story is unavailable.

Thursday August 6, 2009

NPR Public Editor

The Katrina Analogy: A Real Clunker

by Alicia C. Shepard

August 6, 2009 • NPR political correspondent Mara Liasson went too far on Fox News when she equated problems with the Cash for Clunker program to a "mini-Katrina." That reflects poorly on NPR.

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