NPR Public Editor

Saturday December 29, 2012

Language

Daddy Warbucks: What Do We Mean By 'The Wealthy'?

by  Laura Schwartz

December 29, 2012 • They are the subject of the fiscal cliff drama, and we find that the favored phrase by NPR reporters and hosts covering the negotiations is to call them "the wealthy." Some listeners rightfully object. However, alternatives such as "job creators" are also inaccurate and political.

Saturday December 22, 2012

Fairness & Accuracy

Getting It Right: Sandy Hook And The Giffords Legacy At NPR

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

December 22, 2012 • Listeners debate the extent to which NPR should be in the live news business, but what really stood out all week in the Sandy Hook coverage is the remarkable accuracy and ethical restraint. The lessons of the Gabrielle Giffords debacle nearly two years ago have been well absorbed. Internal staff memos during the first day and a half of Sandy Hook are an example of how to do it right.

Wednesday December 12, 2012

Fairness & Accuracy

Bias And Balance Of Republican And Democratic Voices On The 'Fiscal Cliff'

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

December 12, 2012 • A look at the proportion of Republicans and Democrats speaking on air in relation to the "fiscal cliff" offers an insight into political bias by NPR. The finding? A pretty even balance, despite a slight Republican tilt in the numbers. But further dissection welcomed.

Friday December 7, 2012

Language

Partisan Cliffhanging Over A Supposed Fiscal Cliff

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

December 7, 2012 • Metaphors can be great for framing the urgency of a problem, but what do you do when the image isn't accurate? If you are the president or a Republican Congressional leader, you keep hammering with the metaphor anyway. It's all Ben Bernanke's fault.

Ethics

The Balancing Act Of Reporting In China

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

December 7, 2012 • Did NPR's Beijing correspondent, Louisa Lim, exploit and endanger an 84-year-old man with impaired hearing when she interviewed him and gave his name on air? The dangers of being interviewed in China are multiple. But Lim explains why the man is safe and offers insights into the difficulties of finding sources and getting the story in the rising superpower.

Wednesday November 28, 2012

NPR Public Editor

Open Forum

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

November 28, 2012 • 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.

Tuesday November 20, 2012

Media

Praising And Criticizing The American Red Cross

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

November 20, 2012 • Hundreds of Red Cross volunteers came from across the country to help with Hurricane Sandy relief efforts in New York and New Jersey. But the agency was also criticized for being slow in the first days. How do you report on selflessness, something which helps hold our nation together?

Tuesday November 6, 2012

Language

To Be American In Referring To The President

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

November 6, 2012 • Only the president of the United States is given the respect on air of being called "Mister" or by his office title in second references. I hereby announce on this election day that whoever wins, the honorific be dumped come the January inauguration. It's not just a matter of journalistic fairness. It's a matter of being American.

Monday November 5, 2012

Media

Sandy, Steve Inskeep And The Absurd On Morning Edition

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

November 5, 2012 • Steve Inskeep is a veteran reporter of wars and disasters with an appreciation for dark humor and the absurd. But how far can you go when you are the host of one of the largest general news shows in the country? Some listeners complained about his comments during coverage of Hurricane Sandy.

Thursday November 1, 2012

Media

Election 2: To Kill The 'Man On The Street'

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

November 1, 2012 • Audience surveys find that many of you dislike interviews with ordinary voters (especially if it's with someone you disagree with). I agree that the practice, born out of American populism, is overdone on NPR and in the mainstream media. This is sure to get me in trouble with the American journalism fraternity, but no one else in the world does what we do.

Sunday October 28, 2012

President Barack Obama (R) debates with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (L) as moderator Bob Schieffer listens on Oct. 22, 2012. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Fairness & Accuracy

Election 1: Fact Checking The NPR Fact Checkers

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

October 28, 2012 • NPR found Romney and Ryan made more incorrect claims overall during the debates than Obama and Biden. But in the last debate, Obama made the most incorrect claims. Can bias be found in the numbers? No. What counts is whether the fact checkers were right. We check.

Wednesday October 17, 2012

NPR Public Editor

Open Forum

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

October 17, 2012 • 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.

Monday October 15, 2012

Fairness & Accuracy

Hearing Is Believing: A Comparison of Romney and Obama Sound Bites

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

October 15, 2012 • On the eve of the second presidential debate, we revisit the first one and the vice presidential debate. Some listeners thought they heard more clips of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan than of President Obama and Joe Biden. We found a virtual dead heat. In politics, our bile affects what we hear.

Friday October 12, 2012

Fairness & Accuracy

Mideast Report: July – September 2012

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

October 12, 2012 • An independent review of NPR's Mideast coverage by former foreign editor John Felton. He generally found the coverage to be accurate and balanced, but two reports about Israeli settlers in the West Bank used incomplete statistics and missed key details.

Friday October 5, 2012

Language

That's 'Mister' To You, Buddy

by  Edward Schumacher-Matos

October 5, 2012 • Or Mister Governor or Mister President. Listeners hear bias in campaign coverage. I hear Andy Jackson and unwashed American culture.