| A group of demonstrators hold signs as they protest against mandated vaccines outside the Michigan State Capitol on Aug. 6, 2021 in Lansing, Michigan. Emily Elconin/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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Giving voice to the vaccine resistant |
Rick Kimpel writes: Covering three different anti-vaxxers in one story is entirely inappropriate. The number of employees who are choosing to lose their jobs and put their communities at risk, rather than take the free, safe and effective vaccine, is miniscule. Giving them an entire four minute segment without any balance to the story is an inexcusable waste of resources. … |
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Ed Forgotson writes: I'm a network television news producer, but I am writing in a personal capacity. I listened to the 10/24/21 report from Andrea Hsu on workers who are quitting rather than complying with vaccine mandates. I'm concerned that even though journalistic guidelines for reporting on COVID-19 have been widely shared for months, this report and its introduction failed to give proper context to vaccine refusal and failed to thoroughly question the reasons given by the interview subjects. … In the piece, there are soundbites from each interviewee giving their explanation for refusing vaccination, but there are no soundbites featuring the reporter challenging their assertions. Any challenges are offered in narration. ... |
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There is news value in hearing from people who would rather lose their job than get vaccinated. And giving voice to the vaccine resistant can become kindling for the fires of misinformation, if not done with care. Framing and nuance are key as journalists report these stories. We spoke with Hsu about her approach. As a labor and workforce correspondent for NPR, she has been covering vaccine mandates since the vaccination rollout started a year ago. She previously reported on corporate vaccine mandates largely working, even among the hesitant. “As the deadlines [to get vaccinated] were coming up, I was interested in knowing who are the people who weren't getting vaccinated because even though ... it's a small percentage, it does represent what's happening,” Hsu said in a phone interview. “And anytime we would see that many people leaving their jobs, it is noteworthy to know why — it’s people’s livelihood.” Hsu points out in her story that these workers represent only a tiny fraction of overall employees. But it can add up to thousands of people in many states. “I was trying to understand the circumstances of their departure from their jobs, and what they were doing now and next,” she said. We also talked with Bara Vaida, the Association of Health Care Journalists’ core topic leader on infectious diseases, about the story. Those who are hesitant or are resistant to the vaccine should have some voice within coverage, she said. But stories should be framed as public-health stories, not individual-rights stories. This story didn’t seem to do that, she said. “There was nothing at all countering any of the assertions that were made by these three individuals [quoted],” Vaida said. While the story included information in the narration about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine in protecting yourself and others, Vaida said it would have been better to include a public-health voice, hear from the sources’ employers about why they implemented the mandates or incorporate one of the many religious leaders who have endorsed the vaccine to counter the woman who said God told her not to get vaccinated. “We want to hear from some of these people [who are vaccine hesitant], but why make it an entire piece just completely very sympathetic with not a single person in the story explaining why this is happening?” Vaida said. Hsu told us she didn’t directly question the sources’ assertions about the vaccine because she was more curious about what happened after losing their jobs, but “didn’t want the conversation to get stuck on a debate over civil liberties or about vaccine misinformation — that has been well covered.” She wanted to hear their individual stories because lumping the unvaccinated into a monolithic group oversimplifies a complex issue. Hsu let the individuals talk about choosing to be terminated, but said she was careful to avoid giving them a platform to share false information about the vaccines. She used her own voice and expertise to insert information about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. But because another source did not contribute that perspective, the story may feel lopsided. Journalists have a duty to explore multiple facets of important stories — and thousands of workers choosing to get fired rather than vaccinated is certainly significant. If the goal is to get more people vaccinated, then we have to understand why some people are refusing the vaccine. Hsu’s reporting gives us that information. Including an additional voice to give weight to the public-health implications to worker safety would have changed the framing of this story to a more contextual exploration of what happens when individual rights clash with the collective health of a workplace. — Emily Barske |
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Colin Oatley tweeted: @NPR refers to Manchin as a “moderate”, a word that does not fit the facts. “Moderate” is a loaded word that connotes wisdom and caution. To be conflicted by ties to the coal industry is not moderation. |
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Ted Pease writes: I would like to share a beef with NPR news programs that prompts me to complain at the radio every time I hear it. Why has NPR decided that Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema are “moderate Democrats"? They are swing votes on a power trip, hardly moderate anything. (Actually, Sinema defies definition, but Manchin has always been a conservative.) It is lazy shorthand for journalists to use these labels, and even to lump Sinema and Manchin together just because they are holding up the Dems'/Biden's spending bill. … |
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Recently, our office has seen an uptick in messages concerning NPR stories describing Sen. Joe Manchin as a “moderate.” After reading these letters, it’s clear to us that the word “moderate” means different things to different people. Back in July, All Things Considered produced the 8-minute story “Understanding The Politics Of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.” During that story, host Michel Martin acknowledged the many labels used to describe Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Martin said, “With a 50-50 split in the Senate, Manchin and Sinema — variously described as moderate, conservative, pragmatic or eccentric, depending on who’s talking — are the key votes Democrats need to pass legislation.” NPR has described Manchin in various ways as well. This month, in a digital story adapted from an All Things Considered piece, he was “West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat.” In another digital story this month, he and Sinema were described simply as “moderate Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.” We reached out to Krishnadev Calamur, NPR’s deputy Washington editor, to gain some insight into why Manchin is described as moderate in some stories. “Sen. Joe Manchin describes himself as a moderate conservative Democrat and our description of him — as a moderate — is reflective of that,” Calamur wrote in an email. “Similarly, we call self-described progressives ‘progressive’ and self-described conservatives ‘conservative.’ ” As for Manchin’s politics, Calamur said, “Manchin is politically moderate compared to the rest of the U.S. Senate — and relatively moderate compared to his fellow Democrats. And while he might buck his party on some issues, he still votes with Democrats on an overwhelming majority of occasions.” NPR will likely continue calling Manchin a moderate. There is a perhaps less contentious approach, and that’s to eschew short descriptors when introducing someone in a story in favor of informing readers more thoroughly with relevant details. It’s a technique that we find occasionally in NPR’s work. In October, we read, “Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat with personal financial ties to the fossil fuel industry” and we heard just last Saturday on All Things Considered, “Joe Manchin, the West Virginia senator who's been blocking some of Biden’s key climate measures.” There is often a tension between brevity and clarity. At the very least, when the word “moderate” is simply removed, it doesn’t hurt the news consumer’s ability to comprehend the story. When it comes to understanding Manchin, we have discovered that more thorough explanations are usually more helpful. — Kayla Randall |
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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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Since today is Veterans Day, take a listen to this PBS podcast series American Veteran: Unforgettable Stories hosted by Phil Klay, a Marine Corps veteran and author. The series explores the ways in which the military reflects American culture through the individual stories of veterans. Each has a unique perspective, but I found the podcast on Shoshana Johnson’s story to be particularly compelling. Johnson served as an Army cook in Iraq. Her intention was to serve in the military for income and to get fit — but it didn’t work out that way. She ended up being the first Black American woman to be held as a POW. Hers was just one of the compelling stories told in the series. A new podcast in the series drops every Tuesday until Dec.14. — Emily Barske |
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Earlier this month, reporter Joe Hernandez explored how we often want simple yes or no answers to big scientific questions, such as is there life on other planets? But, it’s not that simple. So, NASA Chief Scientist Jim Green proposes “a scale to better contextualize new findings in research about extraterrestrial life and help explain those discoveries to the public,” Hernandez writes. This is a great example of a story that is at once brief, informative and fascinating. — Kayla Randall |
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| | The Office of the Public Editor is a team. Researchers Amaris Castillo, Kayla Randall and Emily Barske make this newsletter possible. Illustrations are by Carlos Carmonamedina. 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 |
| Emily Barske 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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