NPR Public Editor Open Forum and Looking Ahead to 2012 by Edward Schumacher-Matos December 23, 2011 • A space for readers to share their thoughts about media, policy and NPR's journalism. And a sneak peak at the topics we're working on for next year.
NPR Public Editor Mailbox: Electric Cars Have a Future, But Some Still Doubt by Edward Schumacher-Matos December 21, 2011 • Last week's column on how NPR should frame the future of fuel-efficient cars elicited some 100 responses. Many were insightful, and some contributed new information. An industry association cites a U.K. study that says that "range anxiety" decreases after three months of driving an electric car.
Ethics Is NPR Doing Too Many Stories About Catholicism? by Edward Schumacher-Matos December 20, 2011 • Stories on the new Catholic liturgy prompted complaints that Catholicism is over-covered. Islam, Judaism and Christianity were in fact mentioned much more this year. A monthly average of three stories mentioning the denomination practiced by a quarter of all Americans doesn't seem out of line.
Ethics Get Your Drones Here: Is NPR Advertising Domestic Drone Use? by Edward Schumacher-Matos December 19, 2011 • A report on domestic drones raised criticisms that NPR was overlooking a privacy threat. Good point, but premature. That said, right and left might agree on the concern. Let's talk.
Media Wishful Thinking Vs. Reality: Framing The Future Of Fuel-Efficient Cars by Edward Schumacher-Matos December 16, 2011 • Carmakers have agreed to reach an average fuel efficiency of 55 mpg in 14 years. An NPR series says the challenge will be difficult to meet without changing how Americans drive. Not so, says an expert. How the effort's framed will affect public attitudes. What should NPR's future framing be?
Ethics Attacks on Israeli Arab Sites: Good Story, Flawed Parts by Edward Schumacher-Matos December 14, 2011 • An NPR report on recent vandalism to Arab sites in Israel unnecessarily confused listeners by lacking context and airing a tendentious interview about the Israeli right that should have been cut. But the story was not an anti-Israel diatribe, as some claim, and was correct in its main premise.
NPR Public Editor Open Forum by Edward Schumacher-Matos December 13, 2011 • Want to post a comment about something we're not covering? Here's a space for readers to share their thoughts about media, policy and NPR's journalism.
Fairness & Accuracy Puzzling Out How NPR Handles Corrections by Edward Schumacher-Matos , Lori Grisham December 12, 2011 • NPR corrects "significant errors" and notes them online, but the term is ambiguous. One listener noticed two headlines changed for accuracy – but one seemed done in stealth, unacknowledged. Here is an attempt to puzzle out NPR's corrections policy, and make some recommendations.
Ethics On Air Ombudsman: WOSU's 'All Sides with Ann Fisher' by Edward Schumacher-Matos December 7, 2011 • I answer questions about semantics, false equivalency and my first few months as ombudsman on a call-in show out of Columbus, OH. Listen to the full interview online and share your reactions on the blog.
NPR Public Editor Open Forum by Edward Schumacher-Matos December 2, 2011 • Want to post a comment about something we're not covering? Here's a space for readers to share their thoughts about media, policy and NPR's journalism.
Language Linguistics and Fiction In A Country Called Burma by Edward Schumacher-Matos December 1, 2011 • In Burmese, it's called Myanma. But in English, the world's divided between Myanmar and Burma. Few Americans cared, but now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited this week and the country is emerging from the dictatorial shadows. Linguistics and legitimacy say it's time to put Burma to rest.
Language What We're Reading: More on Child Rape and Describing the Unspeakable by Edward Schumacher-Matos November 29, 2011 • Readers reacted thoughtfully to last week's column on the challenge of reporting the sexual abuse— specifically, rape—of children. A study by the Berkeley Media Studies Group makes some valuable related findings. A doctor, meanwhile, recommends that the children be called survivors, not victims.
Language Reporting on Sandusky: How Do You Describe The Unspeakable? by Edward Schumacher-Matos November 22, 2011 • The allegations against former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky have sparked a debate about when to call rape a rape. How explicit should we be in describing sexual assault, especially of a child? The answer pits soft-pedaling the crime vs. damaging the survivor vs. revolting the rest of us. Help us define the line.
Media Gimme Shelter: Should National Newscasts Give Local Safety Tips for Disasters? by Edward Schumacher-Matos November 21, 2011 • When a big snowstorm recently hit the Northeast, NPR played tape of residents handling downed power lines. An appalled utility company said the reports encourage "deadly risks." Seems only sensible that NPR should give safety advice, right? But what if local radio does it better?
Language Global Warming vs. Climate Change: Does It Make a Difference? by Edward Schumacher-Matos November 17, 2011 • A listener says using the term "climate change" sounds like an Orwellian attempt to duck the consequences of "global warming." He's right that NPR and the media are saying "climate change" more, but the terms have different meanings. There is, moreover, little scientific doubt about either.