An Amazon worker who likes her job? NPR listeners were dubious

The Public Editor’s office finds a “real” person in Amazon skepticism [View this email online]( [NPR Public Editor by Poynter's Kelly McBride]( The Public Editor does three columns a month for NPR. Welcome to our first off-week. We use this week to prep for future columns that will be more in-depth. We’ve been asking a lot of questions about how citizens get local information to make decisions about returning to normal life. We’d love to hear your experience. Where do you get news that helps you decide if and when you’ll go eat in a restaurant, get your hair cut, or plan a vacation? From the Inbox 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](. Making sources anonymous Lisa Lewis writes: NPR needs to do a better job of protecting its subjects. A story identifies a subject by the initial of his first name — W. However, it also mentions that he's a seafood vendor in the Wuhan … seafood market, tells us that he's "a gruff, stocky man," that he has at least two nephews, and further tells us to which hospital he was admitted. ... Should authorities wish to prosecute W, it should be fairly easy to figure out who he is. … Yes, it adds color to a story and normally is good practice — but not when a subject’s welfare is on the line. NPR needs to change its policy to forbid even casually-identifying information in sensitive situations. You’re right that a decent investigator could probably track down W. In her story, [correspondent Emily Feng reports]( that residents are trying to avoid “reprimands” from the government. That’s not to say that other punishment isn’t possible. In general, when a journalist agrees to conceal a source’s identity, part of the negotiation is exactly how the source will be identified. Given that a named medical official who treated W was interviewed, this source seemed more interested in plausible deniability. Here’s [NPR’s policy on granting anonymity]( and [here’s a memo from 2017]( on the subject. Both guidelines state that a senior editor must approve the use of the anonymous source. The scale of a tragedy Steve Lewis writes: Please request that your program commentators refrain from making references between COVID-19 deaths and deaths from the Vietnam War. The average age at death of an American serving during this conflict was 23.1 years. While the statistics from the CDC are in flux, the age distribution of deaths from COVID-19 are distinctly different. I understand your commentators are trying to put a reference into their story telling, but the analogy to Vietnam War deaths is demeaning, degrading and misleading. Thank you. I can see how that comparison would seem inappropriate to someone who lost friends and loved ones to the Vietnam War. It’s a struggle to put the scale of the number of deaths in proper context. I’ve heard the daily numbers in New York compared with the number of people who died in the Sept. 11 attacks as well. When these comparisons are made, the intention is to help listeners understand the size of the tragedy. In the end, all tragedies are unique and impossible to compare. Most people are unarmed Deirdre Moultrie writes: I am begging NPR to stop referring to black men killed unjustly as “unarmed black man." This implies to me that if he was armed, then the killing would be justified. It also implies to me, that you’re giving the public permission to have compassion for said black man. In no other instance is a person killed referred to as unarmed — be it an Asian man, a woman, a child, a Muslim, etc. Please stop! As a black woman and a lover of black men, it hurts me every time I hear this despicable phrase on the radio. Thank you for sharing this. I agree, and will pass it along. If a person who is shot is carrying a gun, that would certainly be noted prominently in the story. The converse — that the person is unarmed — should be assumed. After you pointed it out, I realize that I rarely (maybe never) hear the phrase “unarmed white man.” On My Mind There’s so much NPR content worthy of praise, criticism or just a bit of conversation. Here I share a line or two about things that caught your attention or mine. When an Amazon employee sounded too content, NPR listeners were alarmed. By Meredith Roaten Edited by Kelly McBride Loyal NPR listeners are accustomed to fresh voices sharing their experiences. So when an [Amazon worker offered a glowing testimony]( about her employer and sounded as if she might be reading a statement rather than spontaneously answering a question, many of you raised the alarm. [Reddit noticed]( as well. Amazon worker Diana (her last name was not included) praised the corporation for prioritizing employee health and safety, a point of view that deviates from the [national narrative about Amazon]( as an employer. At one point host Ari Shapiro had to repeat his inquiry because she praised Amazon in a way that did not answer his question. All Things Considered [What Happened Today: States Start To Reopen, Workers Share Their Experiences]( While anything is possible, Amazon pressuring Diana into speaking up seems unlikely, said Monika Evstatieva, the senior producer on the show. Diana first submitted a question via email to The National Conversation about a month ago. At that time she was struggling with her personal economic opportunities. She could make extra money, or she could stay home and avoid the possibility of exposing herself and her family to the coronavirus. She wrote, “I believe my employer has cultivated great lengths to maintain the safety of the workplace regarding COVID-19. As well as taking great measures in order to satisfy the employees' psychological well being.” The show answered her question for a segment in April, then an editor circled back to her when the producers decided to run another segment on essential workers, Evstatieva said. Before booking her on the show this month, the All Things Considered editor interviewed Diana to determine if her situation had changed with Amazon. Diana told the editor that she still felt grateful for her job at Amazon, prompting the editor to book her. Evstatieva noted that it is standard NPR practice for producers to do background research on the guests booked for live radio. “It is one of our biggest mandates to make sure that people are who they say they are,” she said. Senior editor on the show Barrie Hardymon added that producers prepped Diana, but did not tell her the specific questions Ari Shapiro would be asking her. Hardymon said stiffness or awkwardness is more often a side effect of booking “real people” who lack media training rather than the product of outside influence. Because the segment on live radio was so short, the host did not have much of a chance to make Diana feel more comfortable, which might have led to more natural-sounding answers, Evstatieva and Hardymon said. Producers were looking for different perspectives, Hardymon said. NPR had already heard from many workers who had bad experiences with Amazon, and the producers knew that the other workers on the segment had gripes with their own employers. “She’s only one of the hundreds of workers we’ve talked to,” Hardymon said. “It’s meant to be a huge diversity of experience.” Was she reading her answers? Possibly. Was she coached by her bosses to do so? That seems unlikely. While it may not be popular, Diana’s enthusiasm for her employer seems genuine and consistent with her previous interaction with NPR. The point of the segment, after all, was to hear from a diversity of essential workers. NPR in the News Here's how the media are covering NPR. Jenn White is the [new host of 1A]( Those of you who are familiar with the NPR universe well know that 1A is really produced by member station WAMU in Washington D.C. But we’re excited, nonetheless. This story describes [the latest changes to staff salaries]( which come on the heels of [executive pay cuts](. NPR gets a portion of its annual budget from corporate sponsorships, which have declined as a result of the economic tailspin caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Every newsroom in the country is [facing similar challenges](. We’re keeping an eye on how this will affect newsgathering. Be sure to share your questions about NPR with us. The passion and commitment of NPR’s audience is one of the many things that sets this newsroom apart. What would you like to see us address in this newsletter? Kelly McBride NPR Public Editor Chair, [Craig Newmark Center for Ethics & Leadership at the Poynter Institute]( 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](. You received this message because you're subscribed to Public Editor emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy](