Language Six National Leaders And Experts Look At Diversity At NPR by Edward Schumacher-Matos April 30, 2012 • Paul Delaney, Mike Honda, Rhonda Levaldo Janet Murguía, Charles Murray and Michael Schudson give their views on how NPR is doing against different measures. They respond with insight, frustration and even humor. The goal is for NPR to sound like America.
Ethics The Online Roulette of Music and Corporate Sponsors by Edward Schumacher-Matos April 27, 2012 • We all love NPR music. In honor of its highly independent staffers, its time to run a permanent ethical disclaimer on all NPR.org's cultural pages saying that because of technical inevitabilities, ads and reviews on the same album, book or movie occasionally run next to each other.
Opinion Fairness & Accuracy Stay-At-Home Moms And The Right Way to Correct a Mistake by Edward Schumacher-Matos April 25, 2012 • In a recent Weekend Edition Sunday segment, Mara Liasson unintentionally suggested that stay-at-home moms lack higher education. She quickly saw her error and the staff corrected later broadcasts of the story. A correction was posted on the web version and, a week later, the show aired a letters segment with additional clarification.
NPR Public Editor Open Forum by Edward Schumacher-Matos April 25, 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.
Fairness & Accuracy The Raw Milk Debate And Drinking From A Goat's Teat by Edward Schumacher-Matos April 20, 2012 • A light piece by food commentator Bonny Wolf sparked strong responses from those for and against the growing movement to sell and drink raw milk. Science, culture and changing social mores create a moving target. Then there are the Saharan camels and Colombian goats.
Fairness & Accuracy Mideast Report: January – March 2012 by Edward Schumacher-Matos April 18, 2012 • An independent review of NPR's Mideast coverage by former foreign editor John Felton. Coverage focused on Iran's nuclear program and he found it to be generally accurate and fair. Some minor errors and a Robert Siegel interview with an Israeli ambassador were exceptions.
Ethics Minority Hiring And The Talent Pool: A Good Story by Edward Schumacher-Matos April 11, 2012 • NPR's staff reflects the talent pool of college-educated racial and ethnic minorities. Blacks have an even higher representation. Is this measure enough? This post separates out an update I also added to an earlier column on race, ethnic and NPR.
Ethics Black, Latino, Asian And White: Diversity At NPR by Edward Schumacher-Matos April 10, 2012 • After a series of messy mishaps, NPR isn't doing badly when it comes to racial and ethnic diversity in its coverage and staffing. Management is trying to do better.
NPR Public Editor Open Forum by Edward Schumacher-Matos April 9, 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.
Media Christians: Who Are The 78 Percent? by Edward Schumacher-Matos April 4, 2012 • Has the term 'Christian' been co-opted by conservatives or abandoned by liberals? These are among the several hundred, almost uniformly thoughtful reactions to last week's column about whether Christian has become synonymous with conservative. Here are some of the best responses.
Opinion Language Christian Is Not Synonymous With Conservative by Edward Schumacher-Matos March 30, 2012 • A Morning Edition interview about an anti-abortion movie labeled a "Christian" film provoked a backlash from progressive Christians. But what do you do when that is the name of the genre and politically conservative Christians appear to have a lock on the Christian name? What is a Christian anyway, and what do they believe? Oh, and what would Jesus do?
Opinion Ethics Round Two: News and NPR's Sponsors by Edward Schumacher-Matos March 28, 2012 • Of the hundreds of responses, some made me squirm. Dismissive, selling out, conflict of interest, insipid—I address these and other responses in a revisit of my post on whether to acknowledge corporate sponsors in news reports on them.
NPR Public Editor Open Forum by Edward Schumacher-Matos March 26, 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.
Ethics Does Roasting The Pope As A Gay Icon Cross The Line? by Edward Schumacher-Matos March 22, 2012 • Many listeners said Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me insulted Catholics when it joked Pope Benedict XVI was a gay icon. The sensitivity is understandable, but much depends on your acceptance of homosexuality, which most Catholics in fact do. Humor lightens the tension of a nation caught in social transition.
Language Quran Burnings: Accidental, Intentional Or Unclear? by Edward Schumacher-Matos March 21, 2012 • Whether the burnings are "accidental" is unproven. NPR's calling it that buys the military's frame, some complained. Not calling it that suggests ill intention and provokes more violence, others argued. Investigations continue; the press is lost. Suggestions appreciated.