A Little Sports, Some Religion — Oh, and Some Politics

We know more about the elections process than we ever have [View this email online]( [NPR Public Editor by Poynter's Kelly McBride]( Welcome to election week. By the time the next edition of this newsletter comes out, we may know the outcome of this most contentious presidential race. [Or not](. Certain states may still be [counting votes]( or recounting them. Judges may be hearing legal challenges. NPR consumers cannot say that they were not prepared. For months, NPR journalists have been producing an extensive [body]( of work to [explain]( the [election process]( and how it might be [impacted]( by COVID-19, to explore the [real]( and [false]( threats to that process, and to provide an up-close look at how [citizens]( are [making]( their choices. As Americans turn out in historic numbers, several NPR shows and podcasts have delved into the long view of voting. This commitment to educating the public through engaging history and civics conversations is one of the characteristics that distinguishes public media from its commercial counterparts. As you’re waiting for results, you might find any number of these stories or shows reassuring. [Or not](. The [Throughline]( podcast released a series, "[(mis)Representative Democracy]( The first two episodes explained why we have the [electoral college]( (slavery) and whether it’s a good thing that we vote in [secret](. The third episode, on voter suppression through the eyes of Frederick Douglass, drops today. [Code Switch]( asked if President Donald Trump’s policies were [that racist]( compared with those of other presidents. Another episode explained the history of the [Black vote]( and more recently, the controversial politics of [Kamala Harris](. In the meantime, below you’ll see some ethics questions to the Public Editor about things other than the election, because the world still turns. [A voter fills out his ballot during early voting in San Jose, Calif.]( A voter fills out his ballot during early voting in San Jose, Calif. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 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](. Which Jewish community? Alexandria Akin writes: I have heard more and more news stories singling out Jewish communities as being responsible for COVID. In many communities, Christians are not following restrictions, but their religion isn’t brought into it. Referring to "Orthodox communities" as a monolith creates a false sense that most Jewish people don't follow the restrictions and inflames anti-Semitism. Historically, Jewish people have been murdered after being scapegoated for pandemics. There are other factors that play into why some ultra-Orthodox communities have additional challenges with the pandemic (overcrowding, poverty, less exposure to news, cultural differences). We'd really appreciate people being more sensitive and avoid painting this as a "Jewish" problem when so many people of other religions and ethnicities are engaging in worse conduct more often. (Many people have been protesting health restrictions, traveling to vacation spots, crowding beaches, holding large weddings, or even having house parties, and their ethnicity or religion is rarely brought into it.) I believe I've heard three different stories from NPR now that focus on Jewish people and COVID in a way that singles them out. NPR has reported on this very real issue of the community feeling singled out. WNYC reporter Matt Katz came on [Morning Edition]( in May to talk about how the Jewish community felt targeted by a statement from New York Mayor Bill de Blasio condemning the entire community. Religion News Service Senior Reporter Yonat Shimron said it is true that some religious congregations experience greater challenges combating COVID-19 or have not responded well to public health messages. Reporters can avoid scapegoating by being specific about which Jewish communities are facing these issues, she said. “If NPR were to assume that all Christians or evangelical Christians vote for Donald Trump, then I know that then a lot of people would object, and rightly so,” Shimron said. For example, in this September [Morning Edition interview]( and in this [All Things Considered]( hosts David Greene and Ari Shapiro note that the communities with high coronavirus spread are specifically in New York-based ultra-Orthodox communities, and avoid implicating the broader Jewish community. It isn’t blaming the entire Jewish population for the coronavirus if NPR is identifying the very distinct Haredi and Hasidic groups in specific locations in its reporting, Shimron said. — Meredith Roaten Financial woes from pandemic Brian Anderson writes: On today's entire front-page scroll, you devote exactly [ONE story]( to the millions of hurting Americans who are financially going underwater. How do you justify this? Only one story? You DO realize we're in a massive recession, right? I can conclude only that your corporate owners are making their influence known. They would evidently prefer that you essentially bury this story — or at least minimize it. The failed federal stimulus — and the corresponding news story that the bottom half of American income earners are drowning — should be front and center every day on your NPR scroll. Every day. I remember the days when you would really be drilling down on this story. Today, the suburban, white, neoliberal latte drinkers — who are lucky enough to still be employed — are apparently the only ones left listening to your network. And they could not care less about federal stimulus. And you're catering to them. Judging NPR’s coverage of the economy by looking at a single day on the website is sort of like judging your own financial health by looking at your bank account on a single day. You’re ignoring the breadth of coverage the news organization has been delivering consistently since the pandemic began spreading in the U.S. You mentioned the recession: NPR has a special series called "[Faces Of The Coronavirus Recession]( with more than 30 stories to date. Pallavi Gogoi, who heads NPR’s business desk, said that, from Day 1, NPR has reported stories of how the pandemic was affecting Americans’ lives in the most personal way possible. “It is deep, it is robust, we are often first in our analysis and observations, and we bring rich voices to our storytelling,” Gogoi wrote of NPR’s coverage in an email to me. “Our stories will often make you catch your breath, or stop and make you think, or connect dots and inform you and finally, even delight you. So in that sense, we bring the complicated subject of economics to you in the most accessible way.” Gogoi sent me 41 links (I like to call them receipts) to recent stories NPR has done, including this one about [“hero” pay ending for essential workers]( this one about [Americans struggling to pay rent and bills]( and this one from June about [Americans skipping payments]( as a tidal wave of defaults and evictions loomed. Gogoi also mentioned the most recent project her team was working on, a series of stories titled "[Enough Already: How The Pandemic Is Breaking Women]( which launched earlier this week. More: NPR’s Planet Money has [this episode from March]( titled “America Unemployed,” about the spike in people filing new claims for unemployment (3,283,000) in a week. In July, Consider This from NPR produced [a story]( about how unemployment benefits and added relief was about to get cut off. The suggestion that NPR’s corporate donors discourage robust coverage of the economy is inaccurate. Previous public editors have tackled [this topic](. NPR’s published policies around corporate sponsorship state that, while the organization greatly appreciates the financial support it receives from individuals, foundations and corporations, it [makes its own decisions]( about what stories to cover and how to report them. I also reached out to Ceci Rodgers, assistant professor and director of global journalism learning at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, for input. She told me it’s critically important that journalists do more than just regurgitate numbers. “There are lots of business publications and media outlets that depend on that,” Rodgers told me over the phone this week. “But for media and for journalists attempting to cover the economy and business outside of that sort of bubble, it's critically important to get those real people and to talk to actual people and to be on top of the trends. Economics is a social science. It's not just numbers and it rests on human behavior. So from that standpoint, it's fascinating, actually.” Americans continue to struggle as the pandemic drags on, and NPR has been there to tell their story. — Amaris Castillo More women’s sports, please Barbara Hart writes: The sports segment is exclusively focused on men! Again! Women athletes and sports must be part of your week in review. Otherwise call it what it is “Men in Sports.” The segment is short but there is so much more than the NFL and MLB. Do it right and include women every week or just stop. Figuring out why sports departments struggle to cover women’s sports is a chicken-and-egg dilemma, exacerbated by the pandemic. With professional basketball — both men’s and women’s — hockey, baseball and football all airing during the same two-month span, the coverage gap is likely worse. [Many outlets]( [have examined]( the dearth of visibility and awareness of women athletes, [including NPR]( Sports Correspondent Tom Goldman. Women’s professional sports leagues attract fewer fans than their male counterparts. The media give those leagues less coverage. As a result, women athletes have fewer professional opportunities. It’s a complicated problem. Goldman and host Scott Simon are the NPR journalists who discuss sports for the Weekend Edition Saturday segment, and they're well aware of this vicious cycle. Both men told us they are intentional about finding gender diversity in their sports stories. And yet, in the week prior to your note to us, there was a big story missing from “[The Week In Sports]( The Seattle Storm won the WNBA championship that week. Simon and Goldman talked about the NBA Finals Lakers-Heat game, the Tampa Bay Rays sending the Yankees home for the season, and Whitey Ford’s death. Simon acknowledged in an email that timing plays a role in what gets covered during the weekend segment: “... they won the title on a Tuesday. It is hard to make that news on a Saturday.” Simon pointed out that he and Goldman did, however, [comment on the Storm’s advance toward the title]( [a new WNBA commissioner]( and [the injury that sidelined the WNBA’s Breanna Stewart]( among other stories. He also highlighted the broader NPR [coverage]( of [women’s sports](. The duo views the segment more as a column than a complete review of that week’s sports news, Simon wrote, “especially in these days of ceaseless news cycles.” Simon added they’ve even faced criticism for covering more of the women’s tennis game than the men’s, “which may be true because of the dominating presence of Serena Williams in recent years.” Even though NPR has vastly fewer resources devoted to sports than most newsrooms, it might have more freedom. Simon and Goldman can cover whatever they want, within reason. There may not be a women’s story every weekend, but as a percentage of coverage, they are striving to clear a high bar. “We are pledged to make women’s sports an important, equal area of coverage, and as women’s sports expands, so will our conversations,” Simon wrote. “We also want to include identity and racial diversity, geographic diversity, and a variety of topics. We want to do better, and intend to.” — Kayla Randall and Kelly McBride Spotlight on 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. Bringing climate change home [Ryan and Jennifer Montano search through the remains of their Vacaville, Calif., home, destroyed in an August fire.]( Lauren Sommer/NPR SPECIAL SERIES [Climate Risk Hits Home]( Climate change may seem far away, but it’s actually closer than many realize. The "[Climate Risk Hits Home]( series from NPR’s science desk could reach people who might usually get turned off by climate coverage. Listeners want to know what is buried in the fine print, and what the government isn’t telling them. NPR’s Climate Change Correspondent Lauren Sommer [reports]( that 15 million properties are at significant risk for flooding, and an additional 4.5 million homes are at risk of wildfire. The project takes a deep dive into how the most vulnerable are affected disproportionately by climate change. But unlike some climate change stories, this one is not all bleak. NPR reporters [balance]( the devastation of families losing their homes — using touching audio and visuals — with the expert voices looking toward solutions. The reporting also [arms]( NPR’s audience with ways to avoid high-risk properties. What makes this project an example of strong climate coverage is who it targets. It doesn’t just appeal to nature lovers and activists, but makes a case for why everyone should see climate change as an existential threat. — Meredith Roaten The Office of the Public Editor is a team. Researchers Amaris Castillo, Kayla Randall and Meredith Roaten 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]( [Kayla Randall, National Public Radio]( Kayla Randall, National Public Radio [Meredith Roaten, National Public Radio]( Meredith Roaten, National Public Radio [Kelly McBride, Public Editor]( Kelly McBride, Public Editor [Amaris Castillo, Poynter Institute]( Amaris Castillo, 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. 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