| | New York's Brooklyn Bridge is one of more than 47,000 bridges identified as "structurally deficient," says a previous report from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images |
Here are a few quotes from the Public Editor's inbox that resonated with us. You can share your questions and concerns with us through the NPR Contact page. |
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When race is relevant to the story |
Kevin Grierson writes: I feel as though Mr. Kahn and NPR missed an opportunity with the story about Malaco Records. The context of the story — stated upfront but then never explored — was that three white guys in 1960s Mississippi started a record company featuring music by predominantly Black artists, and that they still own the company today. Not discussed: are there any African Americans in the leadership of the organization? To my (admittedly cynical) ear, the tone of this story sounded like the celebration of three white guys making money off the labor of Black people. That may or may not be the case, but the story never touched on any of the issues that the white ownership of a Black record label implies. |
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Ashley Kahn, the music journalist responsible for bringing you this sound-rich story, told us that his focus was on the incredible music released by Malaco Records over its 50-plus years in business. One of Kahn’s sources was Rob Bowman, a music historian who has written a new book about Malaco. “We knew it was important to cover the cross-racial aspect of the motivation behind the label, which we did,” Kahn told us. “Had there been more bandwidth, we might've developed that facet of the Malaco story further if it turned out that was warranted — if there was a story there, which none of my research revealed.” Kahn told us he worked hard to find Black soul stars from the early days. “For the first ‘chapter’ of the Malaco story, the voices who would’ve been perfect for this story were the soul stars whose careers were revived on Malaco in the 1980s (Z.Z. Hill, Bobby Bland, Denise LaSalle, Solomon Burke, to name a few) or their musicians/producers. All are departed, sadly,” he wrote. “Another perfect voice would have been Malaco’s ace promotion man, Dave Clark, a leading African American ‘record man’ whom everyone credits for this revival; he’s long gone as well. I tried to locate any other African American singers or musicians who were part of that Jackson, Mississippi, recording scene in the late ’70s and early ’80s when the label’s soul revival was at its height and were involved with Malaco. I asked the Malaco guys and contacted old friends and colleagues in the South in the music business (I used to live in New Orleans), the book publicist, other blues and R&B experts I know, but came up empty-handed.” (Even reading the above sentence from his email leaves me a bit more satisfied, confirming my instincts that this story needed more context.) We are left with a story that dangles an issue in front of us, then never gratifies us with an exploration. Kahn introduces us to Malaco’s co-founders in the opening line of the story, telling us that in 1967 three white men in Jackson, Miss., fell in love with Black music. “It was the proverbial elephant in the room, needing mention upfront to offer context and allow us to get to [the] central focus of the piece,” Kahn said when we asked why he mentioned the race of the founders. But you can’t just point out the elephant and not talk about why it’s there in the first place. Kahn is an expert in the history of the American Recording Industry, and in this case, may have been too close to the story to see that by not addressing the issue, listeners would make assumptions. He rattled off a synopsis of this history, which goes back to the beginnings of the “race record” business in the 1920s, pointing out that the majority of labels that sold Black music to Black listeners were started by white men, or in the case of Stax Records, a white brother and sister. The Memphis Commercial Appeal delves more deeply into this part of the story. “What makes the story of Malaco the exception is not how they started but that — for more than fifty years — it remained independent, financially solvent, and tightly focused on roots-oriented black music: R&B, soul, and eventually gospel,” Kahn wrote in an email. “This I believe was what the story delivered.” By not getting into the dynamics of white businessmen distributing the work of Black artists at a time when it would have been impossible for Black business owners to do the same thing, he left a hole in an otherwise beautiful piece of radio journalism. — Kelly McBride with research by Amaris Castillo |
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Duane Schrag writes: I was quite disappointed with the story about our aging infrastructure, in particular with the way that you reported on bridges. You included a sound clip of President Obama talking about "functionally obsolete" bridges … Do you (and by that I mean, the staff handling this story) know what "functionally obsolete" is? Do you know how it differs from "structurally deficient"? … Structural deficiencies — ones that might cause a collapse — are rare indeed … "Functionally obsolete" bridges have short-comings that have nothing to do with their structural integrity, a distinction your listeners deserve to know. |
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When journalists can’t avoid jargon, they have an obligation to explain it well. It’s true that “functionally obsolete” (related to the usefulness and standards of functioning) is not interchangeable with “structurally deficient” (related to the condition of the structure). Also, “functionally obsolete” is a label that the Federal Highway Administration no longer tracks. In this All Things Considered story you reference, these two terms are used one after the other, with only structurally deficient being defined as “poor condition.” This March Morning Edition story does a good job explaining “structurally deficient.” In the written version: “That doesn't mean that they're in danger of collapsing but indicates that they are in poor condition.” And the audio: “That means many trucks and even school buses may not be able to go over them and must find different routes.” “Functionally obsolete” appears less frequently. I found two stories, one from 2017 and one from 2013, that offer definitions. In 2017: “While transportation officials say the Brent Spence is structurally sound, they call it functionally obsolete, meaning it was designed to carry half the vehicles using it each day.” In 2013: “functionally obsolete, meaning it was designed to meet old engineering standards. Its traffic lanes were narrower than current requirements and its overhead clearance lower.” This piece also features a simple description of structurally deficient — “basically in bad shape.” The recent All Things Considered piece would have benefited from a better description of both terms, and how they differ. — Kayla Randall |
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Conspiracy theory or real theory? |
Nick Waddington writes: Hi, I'm writing concerning the title of an article about the origins of the Covid-19 virus. I'm worried about stirring the pot in terms of China being the source of the virus. … It seems like the headline for this article is using that sensationalism as a catchy hook. Isn't there a way to portray the uncertainty of the WHO report without contributing (even unintentionally) to anti-Asian sentiment? I thought the article was really well written and an intriguing read, but the headline was off putting and doesn't seem to fit the message of the piece. Lisa Kettyle writes: I feel concerned at the language in this title and the first few paragraphs. This seems to be supporting a conspiracy theory and stoking anti-Chinese sentiments. |
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A recent report from the World Health Organization stated that the possibility that the COVID virus leaked from a research lab in Wuhan “was considered to be an extremely unlikely pathway.” The headline on NPR’s Web story that you both reference reads: “Theory That COVID Came From A Chinese Lab Takes On New Life In Wake Of WHO Report.” A casual reader of that headline could conclude that the WHO report is giving the baseless lab-leak theory validity even though the report says the opposite. In an email, NPR Chief International Editor Didrik Schanche disagreed. She explained that the headline was intended to document the fact that the WHO report reignited conversation about the lab theory. “The headline in no way suggests any new support for the theory,” Schanche said. “It just says the theory is back again in the wake of the report.” At the very least, in this case, editors could have added the word “baseless” or “unproven” to the headline. Even better is to avoid repeating conspiracy theories in headlines, even if the point of the story is to debunk them. NPR’s radio stories did a good job on the same topic. On Morning Edition last Tuesday, NPR Science Correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff explained that the scientists who wrote the report believe the coronavirus most likely originated in wildlife farms in southern China. Doucleff also explained the report’s shortcomings, including that one of the investigators, Peter Daszak, had previously worked at the Wuhan lab, and that Chinese officials restricted the WHO scientists’ access to some data. NPR’s Noel King also spoke to Daszak separately for the show. Another NPR story, from Doucleff and Suzette Lohmeyer, had a very clear headline: “WHO Report: Wildlife Farms, Not Market, Likely Source of Coronavirus Pandemic.” The bulk of NPR’s reporting on the recent WHO report was clear and effective. With so much bad and unproven information circulating, it’s critical that NPR not add to the confusion with even one poorly crafted headline. — Amaris Castillo |
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The Public Editor spends a lot of time examining moments where NPR fell short. Yet we also learn a lot about NPR by looking at work that we find to be compelling and excellent journalism. Here we share a line or two about the pieces where NPR shines. |
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Selman Keles/Getty Images / iStockphoto |
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The TED-NPR production TED Radio Hour treated listeners to the story of Oscar Duhalde, who became the only living person on the planet to find a supernova with the naked eye in the 1980s. Featuring insights from astrophysicist and University of Washington astronomy professor Emily Levesque, the segment, part of this “Through the Looking Glass” episode, expands on why that discovery is so important, and how our observing tools have advanced. Astronomers have used telescopes to see stunning details of the universe, and increase our understanding of it. But one thing that’s still true, Levesque said: “You can enjoy astronomy with just your eyes and just enjoy how beautiful the sky looks and try to look for patterns and look for unusual things.” — Kayla Randall |
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More than 550,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States. An NPR Web project features more than 225 testimonies to the souls we’ve lost. Somber and beautiful, this interactive visual draws on previously published descriptions of those who’ve died. It’s a place for you to take a moment and feel the immense loss. — Amaris Castillo |
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| | The Office of the Public Editor is a team. Researchers Amaris Castillo and Kayla Randall make this newsletter possible. We are still reading all of your messages on Facebook, Twitter and from our inbox. As always, keep them coming. Kelly McBride NPR Public Editor Chair, Craig Newmark Center for Ethics & Leadership at the Poynter Institute |
Kelly McBride, Public Editor |
| | Amaris Castillo, Poynter Institute |
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The Public Editor stands as a source of independent accountability. Created by NPR's board of directors, the Public Editor serves as a bridge between the newsroom and the audience, striving to both listen to the audience's concerns and explain the newsroom's work and ambitions. The office ensures NPR remains steadfast in its mission to present fair, accurate and comprehensive information in service of democracy. Read more from the NPR Public Editor, contact us, or follow us on Twitter. |
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