NPR: NPR Ombudsman

February 27, 2008

SHOULD NPR HAVE APOLOGIZED FOR "DARK CONTINENT?"

Nine times out of 10, it is the adjectives that get journalists in trouble.

Most recently, an adjective got veteran NPR newscaster Jean Cochran into difficulty when she said on Valentine's Day that President Bush was heading to Africa to visit the "dark continent."

Almost immediately, a flurry of angry emails and phone calls came into NPR.

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February 20, 2008

SHOULD JOURNALISTS VOTE?

-- Alicia C. Shepard

Standing in line to vote in Virginia's primary on Feb. 12, I was at ease because in my state, one doesn't have to declare party preference when you register. But then I got to the head of the line.

"Republican or Democrat?" the clerk seemed to bellow. I hesitated, looked around, and then leaned in close and whispered my answer.

I'm not going to tell you what I said because I am a working journalist.

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February 13, 2008

FT. DRUM, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING and ANONYMOUS SOURCES

-- Alicia C. Shepard

NPR reporter Ari Shapiro received a mysterious-looking white envelope with no return address on Feb. 5. Its contents would help soldiers at Ft. Drum in New York.

"As soon as I opened it, I knew what it was," he said.

Inside was the kind of document that is a reporter's dream.

Continue reading "FT. DRUM, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING and ANONYMOUS SOURCES" »

February 6, 2008

SUPER TUESDAY SPECIAL

---Alicia C. Shepard

For months NPR's election team has been gearing up for the biggest day of primaries and caucuses in the history of American presidential elections. Tuesday evening, Studio 4 A, NPR's largest, was transformed into "election central" with four projector screens, dozens of computers and more than 50 people.

At the center of the quiet room was a raised black-skirted platform where All Things Considered hosts Robert Siegel and Michele Norris, headsets on, sat on black folding chairs anchoring the first half of NPR's live eight-hour broadcast.

The only chance to get up would be the one minute or 90-second breaks built into the time clock that allows local stations to cut in. "No time for bathroom breaks," noted Siegel.

Continue reading "SUPER TUESDAY SPECIAL" »

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