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

Friday April 30, 2010

NPR Public Editor

NPR and the iPad: Too Close for Comfort?

by Alicia C. Shepard

April 30, 2010 • NPR quickly developed a news app for the iPad and are heavily promoting it. Some wonder about the relationship between NPR and Apple and whether Apple is a sponsor. It's not.

Monday April 26, 2010

NPR Public Editor

Reviewing And Selling Books And CDs: Conflict-of-Interest?

by Alicia C. Shepard

April 26, 2010 • NPR provides links for its audience to buy books or CDs featured on-air or online and gets a portion of the revenues. This troubles some listeners.

Thursday April 22, 2010

NPR Public Editor

Why NPR Wanted To Overturn The Law Banning Animal Cruelty Images

by Alicia C. Shepard

April 22, 2010 • Some listeners were outraged that NPR would join a suit to strike down a federal law banning images of animal cruelty. Here's why.

Tuesday April 20, 2010

NPR Public Editor

Women's Voices Research Gets Heard

by Lori Grisham

April 20, 2010 • Our analysis of female voices heard on NPR has garnered some recent attention.

Monday April 19, 2010

NPR Public Editor

Jakob Dylan Scores Big At NPR

by Alicia C. Shepard

April 19, 2010 • NPR featured Jakob Dylan's new album right next to a promo spot paid for by Sony. Is this a case of "pay for play?"

Friday April 2, 2010

NPR Public Editor

Where are the Women?

by Alicia C. Shepard

April 2, 2010 • NPR does exceptionally well putting female reporters and hosts on the air. But when it comes to female voices from outside NPR, the network is not as diverse on air as it would like to think.

Friday March 26, 2010

NPR Public Editor

Since When Did It Become the Democrat Party?

by Alicia C. Shepard

March 26, 2010 • Republicans occassionally like to irritate Democrats by calling them members of the Democrat Party when the official name is the Democratic Party. NPR's policy is to call a party what it calls itself. But the policy isn't always followed by NPR st...

Wednesday March 24, 2010

NPR Public Editor

NPR Changes Abortion Language

by Alicia C. Shepard

March 24, 2010 • Last week, I wrote a post about how NPR identifies people who support or oppose abortion. It engendered a lively debate inside and outside NPR. Today, some top editors got together to review the 2005 policy and decided to no longer use "pro-choice...

Tuesday March 23, 2010

NPR Public Editor

NPR Reporters Buy Toxic Asset, Become Stakeholders to Explain Financial Crisis

by Alicia C. Shepard

March 23, 2010 • The Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank in St. Petersburg, FL, posted a piece about two NPR correspondents who bought a toxic asset. Thought some of you might be interested in learning more about it. ACS Posted by Mallary Jean Tenore at 6:...

Thursday March 18, 2010

NPR Public Editor

In the Abortion Debate, Words Matter

by Alicia C. Shepard

March 18, 2010 • Now that abortion is in the news regularly connected to health care overhaul, listeners are once again taking issue with the terminology NPR uses to describe people who support or oppose abortion. They don't like NPR's style of using pro-life and ...

Tuesday March 16, 2010

NPR Public Editor

Does the Dow Matter?

by Lori Grisham

March 16, 2010 • Weekday newscasts air 37 times a day and usually include stock market figures. But are those numbers valuable to the average listener?

Monday March 8, 2010

NPR Public Editor

When Cultures Clash

by Alicia C. Shepard

March 8, 2010 • NPR ran a riveting 9-minute piece where a reporter captured a battle in Afghanistan against the Taliban. It included the moments before one Marine died. Some listeners thought it powerful journalism; some found it offensive. Among them was the fam...

Thursday March 4, 2010

NPR Public Editor

NPR Amps Up

by Alicia C. Shepard

March 4, 2010 • Columbia Journalism Review just published an in-depth piece on what's been happening at NPR since CEO Vivian Schiller took over the helm in January 2009.

Sunday February 28, 2010

NPR Public Editor

Boy Scout Story Should Have Mentioned Gays

by Alicia C. Shepard

February 28, 2010 • Recently, NPR ran a story highlighting the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts. But the piece never mentioned the funding controversy that erupted in the early 1990's over the Boy Scouts discriminating against gays. Or that their o...

Wednesday February 24, 2010

NPR Public Editor

Ombudsman Recovery

by Alicia C. Shepard

February 24, 2010 • The Ombudsman's recovery from major shoulder surgery is taking a little longer than expected. However, she has appeared on two NPR member stations this week. You can listen to those interviews here: Radioactivity with Robert Lorei WMNF (Tampa,...