![Who are the "elderly"?](http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/03/12/elderly-sign-9a1a7ee2d4957a3887d79949596abc4fb63809df-s3.jpg "Who are the "elderly"?")
Open Forum
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Fairness & Accuracy
Mideast Report: January — March 2013
An independent review of NPR's Mideast coverage by former foreign editor John Felton. He found the coverage to be generally accurate and balanced, but chided NPR for relying too much on Washington-based experts to explain events in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
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©2013 NPR
Fairness & Accuracy
Just Tell Me When It's Over: Play-By-Play Coverage In Selecting The New Pope
Many listeners complain that for the last month NPR has been "all Catholic radio, all the time." Our review finds that the story count has indeed been overwhelming. But in a comparison among religions and denominations, Catholicism is unique in size, institutional organization and global influence. Now that we have Pope Francis, however, a news break might be nice.
Fairness & Accuracy
The Dangers Of Dope-Smoking Ascetics in Kathmandu
A newscast report designed to give a break to the papal coverage instead offended Hindu listeners. The complaints underscored the danger of being tempted by exoticism. The sirens here were naked Nepalese ascetics smoking weed.
On Language
Elderly, Old Or Aine: Three Provocative Takes On A Label
Of the many responses to my post on what to call people over 60 (or 70, 80 or 90), the three responses repeated here stand out for their expressiveness — or in the case of Morning Edition sports commentator Frank Deford, for just being downright ornery. Or maybe wise. You might be stimulated to add your own.
On Language
Let Me Live Long, But Don't You Dare Call Me Old
When the headline on the Web version of a recent story called an active, 71-year-old midwife "elderly," she was offended. The reporter, meanwhile, asked for advice on what words to use. A check with experts finds division. Maybe, live forever and avoid labels? Please advise (about the labels).
Fairness & Accuracy
'5 Broken Cameras' And Blaming The Victim On The West Bank
Psychologists find that in experiencing a news story on a divisive issue, we all hear the arguments supporting the other side more than our own. We thus tend to see bias, often wrongly. Was this the case in a story about a Palestinian documentary filmmaker working near Israeli settlements on the West Bank?
Open Forum
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On Ethics
Fear And Trust At 'The Washington Post'
A cost-cutting, face-saving move by the Post to replace its independent ombudsman with what sounds like a customer care representative is sadly shortsighted. It contributes precisely to the decline in public trust that lies behind the travails at the Post and all American news media. NPR in polls confronts the same trust malady. The press grows in power, yet sheds ever more controls. Editors will never investigate themselves. The public rebels.
On Ethics
Did I Hear What I Thought I Heard?
When a remark about the NRA by a sports commentator was edited out of later re-broadcasts and the Web edition, some listeners questioned NPR's editing policies. We asked the newsroom to explain this edit and the policy in general. What technology giveth, it taketh away.
On Language
When Reporting From An African 'Village' Is Imperial Arrogance – And Not
NPR has been covering the recent conflict in Mali from on the ground. But when a listener heard several places being called "villages," she asked why the images of primitiveness. NPR's West Africa correspondent answered.
Open Forum
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.
On Ethics
Asking Permission Or Recording History When Photographing Grief
NPR's photo blog has started a remarkably considered conversation over the ethics of taking a moving Newtown picture of a woman praying in grief. The woman and the photographer — each sympathetic — weigh in. The blog's debate over trade-offs is worth expanding to a wider public.
On Ethics
Allowing Hagel To Be Called 'Anti-Semitic' On NPR
Should NPR air inflammatory name-calling such as "racist," "homophobic" or "anti-Semitic" of a public figure when the proof is thin? A case involving Elliott Abrams and President Obama's nominee for secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel, raises questions about journalistic fairness, audience intelligence and American character.
