The faces of the protest

Some readers of NPR.org don’t want protesters identified [View this email online]( [NPR Public Editor by Poynter's Kelly McBride]( This Week's Column Several of you in the audience have told us that you are worried about harm coming to protesters who appear in news photos that run on NPR’s website and on our social-media posts. Your suggestion is that we blur their faces, unless we have explicit permission to run their pictures. It’s a bad idea for journalists to start manipulating news photos, and in today’s column I explain why. In reporting on this, I learned that photographers working for the wire services and photo agencies that supply NPR with many of the images you see are instructed to ask for names whenever an image contains a manageable number of people. While they can’t do that for pictures with 10 people in them, it does give most protesters an opportunity to register any reluctance. When that happens, in most cases the photographer will move on to another picture. There’s a bit of nuance here and certainly an opportunity for NPR to only use images where subjects have provided their names. [protesters parch in front of the Capital building]( Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images [Should Images Of Protesters Be Blurred To Protect Them From Retribution?]( [Read the column]( 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](. Capital B Black Kelly Washburn writes: I just read Mara Gordon's article titled ["Racism, Hazing And Other Abuse Taints Medical Training, Students Say."]( She repeatedly fails to capitalize Black when referring to Black people. For example, she writes, "...including students who are black, Latino or Native American..." The proper names of nationalities, peoples, races, tribes are meant to be capitalized. This writer's lack of capitalization is inherently disrespectful and (hopefully unintentionally) reveals the White Supremacy overtones in this article. Please edit to support and respect the Black community. NPR follows AP style which instructs black and white to remain lower case when referring to race. I personally disagree with this, and I am encouraging newsrooms everywhere to make their own exceptions to the AP Stylebook. [Many]( [already]( have. But, sit tight on this. Gerry Holmes, the managing editor for enterprise and planning, said he and other editors have received many questions about this particular style point. He wrote: “We’re following AP’s guidance on this and will continue to use lower case b for black, but we’re reviewing and discussing our position.” Blacks as a plural noun Isabella Bautista writes: Hi there, While [reading this article]( something didn't sit right with me. According to the article, "blacks are dying at rates higher than their proportion of the population." Blacks, not black people. Our linguistic habits often reflect, or even reveal, our attitudes or perceptions of certain subjects. While I'm certain that the same device is used to refer to other racial demographics as recommended by the Associated Press (whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians), in referring to black people as blacks, their personhood is placed secondary. Seeing only the word black alone may subconsciously bring to mind the meanings built into the word through hundreds of years of European literary tradition — a tradition that connotes notions of danger, evil, and bad omens in just five letters. Think about cowboys in white and black hats — what information do we take away from those visual clues? You might disagree with me, and that's perfectly fine. I've been thinking critically about the way we think about and discuss our world and wanted to share my thoughts with you. I might be overthinking it, but isn't close reading important? Shouldn't we call to question long-standing habits and conventions from time to time? It feels like we're living in a time when we need to be reminded of people’s humanity, now more than ever. Small acts can lead to big changes. The AP Stylebook, which NPR follows, offers emphatic guidance on Black and White: “Do not use either term as a singular noun. For plurals, phrasing such as Black people, White people, Black teachers, White students is often preferable when clearly relevant.” (Capitalization choice was mine, because I can.) Burning books? Helen McAffrey writes: After years of being a fan of NPR I was shocked and disappointed to read your tweet [endorsing]( and advocating for BOOK BANNING, virtual BOOK BURNING. What is wrong with you? CENSORSHIP is always wrong except for small children. We are not children. We can evaluate information and knowledge and make our own decisions.This is what the National Socialists did in 1930s Germany, the USSR and Communist China. Is that where we are? I no longer feel confident in recommending you to my students. I oppose fascism in all its forms including NPR. Surely, you are being hyperbolic, or perhaps you’ve been misled by another voice. ([AP did a factcheck]( on this.) The article and tweet you link to do no such thing. Instead, NPR and this author advocate that you expand your bookshelf. I looked them both over closely. I see absolutely no suggestion that any books be banned or censored. But, thanks for your note, that Juan Vidal article led me to this [Lauren Michele Jackson Vulture piece]( which contains a fabulous final thought: “The books are there, they’ve always been there, yet the lists keep coming, bathing us in the pleasure of a recommendation. But that’s the thing about the reading. It has to be done.” 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. Tales of Loneliness [granddaughter greets her grandfather through window]( Screenshot via Twitter Morning Edition [Besides Feelings Of Loneliness, What Else Does Isolation Do To Us?]( This week, my partner and his siblings moved their mom from an independent apartment into an assisted-living apartment in the same complex. We all believe the move was hastened by her social isolation due to COVID-19. This story starts off with a bittersweet conversation through a window between NPR staffer Ashley Westerman and her grandpa, who lives in a facility in Western Kentucky. More media layoffs [APM/MPR eliminates 28 positions, ends ‘Live From Here’]( This is a great time to remind you that your donations support public media. A month ago, NPR got the tough news that even after executive pay cuts, officials would have to [cut salaries and benefits to stave off layoffs]( in the newsroom. Now, our fellow public radio organization [American Public Media Group has laid off almost 30 positions]( from Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Radio. The show that replaced the long-running A Prairie Home Companion, [Live From Here, will also cease production](. Just like NPR, the executives of American Public Media Group are taking pay cuts ranging from 25% to 35%. We know you know the difference between NPR and APM, but if you need to explain it to your friends, here's some language: NPR and American Public Media are separate organizations that both create and distribute content for public radio. American Public Media creates Marketplace and The Splendid Table. Minnesota Public Radio and Southern California Public Radio are both affiliated with APM. Behind the Scenes This is how the news gets made. We want your ideas for how we can do it better. NPR Music producer finds comfort in silence By Meredith Roaten The job of producer Kara Frame, 34, has completely turned upside down since she started working from home in mid-March. She’s usually behind the camera on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, producing and coordinating videos of the big names and undiscovered talent that come through NPR’s headquarters. Now, NPR has ditched the professional videography for the new series [Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts]( which features artists filming themselves performing from their couches, their home offices and even their attics. While Frame still does some video editing from concerts that were recorded before the coronavirus pandemic and the home concerts, most of her time these days is spent talking to you all, listeners who love NPR Music. Frame says she prefers to work “with the sun,” sitting outside at her parents’ home in Bucks County, Pa., as much as she can while she interacts with the Tiny Desk Concerts’ online audience. Here’s how Frame is working from home: How has your job changed since you left the office? I've been really focusing on being in the comments on YouTube, posting to the [community tab on YouTube](. I've been in the [comments on Instagram](. I'm engaging the audience as much as I can. And I'm trying really hard to just give NPR Music a personality on their Instagram account and on YouTube. And so I would say that my role has changed almost like 90 percent because I am still helping to produce a little bit for Tiny Desk. What is the most challenging aspect of working from home? It's just challenging because I'm not educated in social engagement. I think I have a good idea of what will work on social, but I'm not Gen Z. I'm a millennial. I work on social media and I have my own social media accounts. But I remember a world without it. There are always going to be blind spots for how to engage an audience that is younger than me. I'm growing a lot. So I'm thankful for it, even though it is really challenging sometimes. The Tiny Desk Concerts have changed for the socially distant era. What has that switch been like for your team? Well, the Tiny Desk team used to meet once a week to talk about the tiny desks, the upcoming tiny desks for the week ahead. And since going into quarantine, we've been meeting every single day. And when we first started with the Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts was when we thought we were at home for four weeks. At first we wanted it to be low touch, just use your phone to record it really nicely. Then as we realized this is going to be a reality for a lot longer, we've taken the time to really help inform artists if they don't know how to record something in a nicer way. We're trying to help them with that and really create something. It's never going to be the Tiny Desk, but it can keep working from home. It gives you access to so many more artists, because we would be looking at artists who are coming through D.C. on tour. And now everybody's stuck at home. And I think one way that people are really mentally getting through all of this is by producing art. And so it just feels really natural to be able to give musicians a platform to speak to the times. What’s your go-to quarantine playlist or album? I feel like when I get really overwhelmed, I need quiet. I take a lot of walks and I enjoy the quiet because it helps me really just process all the emotions that go into quarantine and the world kind of being on fire at the moment. One thing that is a big joy is a living room dance party. And so I picked out a couple different Tiny Desk Concerts that I just feel like you can not help but get up and dance to. And it was really fun picking those because a lot of them have just a big brass band feeling and it just takes me back to high school, when I used to love watching and listening to the marching band. What’s the future of Tiny Desk? I can’t speak to the future of Tiny Desk Concerts in the office, but I have been loving the Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts and the other virtual events NPR has been hosting. I do look forward to working with artists at the Tiny Desk again, whenever that may be. It's been really amazing to be able to engage with the audience on such a level. That's why I think I can be so hopeful for the future of Tiny Desk, because it's always been about the community and the fact that we have all this time, that my job has changed so much. Where I get to focus so much on the community is really special. And I think it will help inform us when we do get back into the office about, you know, just remembering we're doing this for. Coverage of the pandemic and racial injustice remain the two issues that dominate the news cycle and, therefore, dominate our evaluation of NPR’s work. And we couldn’t do it without your ears and eyes. We see your shout-outs on other issues, but it’s hard to look away from the main events. Keep your ideas coming on all fronts. 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](. 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