Back in 2013, NPR envisioned the perfect podcast for 2020

We found some lessons for the future in the success of Code Switch [View this email online]( [NPR Public Editor by Poynter's Kelly McBride]( NPR got a lovely, early Christmas gift: Apple named Code Switch the best podcast of 2020. So we set out to explore the story behind the show’s success. NPR’s been very transparent about its desire to attract a more diverse audience. And Code Switch, whose tagline is “Race in your face,” is doing just that. As a team, Code Switch has been around since 2013. The podcast launched four years ago and relaunched last spring, right as the world was spinning off its axis. You could say it was a stroke of luck that NPR decided to invest marketing resources into promoting the very podcast that was going to address the three biggest stories of 2020. (A pandemic that disproportionately harms people of color, George Floyd’s killing and Trump’s fourth year and bid for re-election.) Or you could say, “About time,” as some people are. There are several lessons embedded in the Code Switch coming-of-age story that NPR and other newsrooms can apply to future innovation efforts. [Read the column]( to find out what they are. [Code Switch show logo]( Code Switch is Apple Podcasts' first-ever Show of the Year for 2020. NPR [Code Switch show logo]( NPR [Code Switch Is An Overnight Sensation 7 Years In The Making]( [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](. Audio imperfections We received two audience comments about audio, and they present two different issues. In one, a listener was distracted by the sound of beeps in the background of a Morning Edition piece. In another, a listener noticed a repeated line in a Fresh Air episode. We looked into both. Read the comments below and our corresponding responses. Michael Magee writes: In the audio version [of this story]( a smoke detector can be heard twice. How did this get past the audio editor? Please send that woman a 9V battery! Listener every morning and sincerely, Michael In an email, NPR Science Desk Senior Producer and Editor Jane Greenhalgh, who edited this piece with Health Policy Correspondent Patti Neighmond, said the faint beeps that can be heard in the audio were background noise in the apartment of the woman being interviewed. The noise is a reflection of the times we live in, with guests being interviewed remotely. As the pandemic has altered nearly everything, it has also impacted the ways NPR does interviews. If a reporter was conducting an interview in person, they could potentially address noise issues by moving to a quieter space, but in this case, the interview was not in-person and the noise was minor, not too overwhelming or intrusive to overcome. Morning Edition Executive Producer Kenya Young noted that NPR has high audio standards, and strives to do everything possible to ensure its quality. But under current circumstances, in which NPR is still trying to do quality work remotely during a pandemic that has completely changed audio-capturing capabilities, listeners may hear more things now that they perhaps are not accustomed to hearing. “It’s a pandemic, and our recording possibilities and options are not what they traditionally are,” she said. “We’re doing a lot more recording over Zoom, and remote apps over the phone.” Audio sounds best when you’re there with the source, Young said, but NPR is rightfully putting safety first for both its staff and guests, and largely choosing to interview sources remotely. Greenhalgh said that during the pandemic, “we are seeing and hearing life as it happens — whether it’s the 4-year-old yelling in the background, or a cat making a guest appearance at a Zoom meeting, things aren’t always pristine and flawless — life can be messy.” — Kayla Randall Art Persyko writes: Today (Dec. 3) while listening to the [latest Fresh Air episode]( I noticed an editing error in which an identical sentence or two in the interview with Eric Schmitt was repeated within a few minutes. It was in the last 15 minutes or so of the program. If I could have communicated this directly to Fresh Air's production staff (so they could correct this error in subsequent broadcasts or podcasts) I would have done so but I don't know how to reach them. We found this line repeated in the Fresh Air episode you reference: “We’re talking about the actions President Trump has taken in the days since the election and how those actions may affect our national security and the incoming Biden administration’s plans.” Host Terry Gross reads this introduction following short musical soundbites during her interview with New York Times journalist Eric Schmitt, according to the transcript. But we don’t hear other repetition in the audio. Danny Miller, executive producer of Fresh Air, said his team played back the interview and could not find any repeated audio. “I don’t think there were any production mistakes in that broadcast,” he wrote us in an email. “Nonetheless, mistakes happen from time to time and it is always worth double-checking. And I appreciate that our listener took the time to write to alert us to what sounded to him as a production error.” We reached out to Ellen Horne, editorial director and founder of Story Mechanics who currently teaches audio journalism at New York University and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Horne told us that, in broadcasting, “we don’t assume that listeners are sitting with an ear glued to the radio without interruption.” “It’s typical to hear a ‘reset’ from the host — an announcement every few minutes which just lets the listener know what’s happening in case the listener just tuned in,” Horne wrote us in an email. “In some cases, these resets may feel very repetitive in a Web version — where the audience wouldn’t be flowing in and out of a broadcast but would be experiencing a program in an ‘on demand’ manner and so a digital editor may cut out those lines for the benefit of that digital audience.” — Amaris Castillo Is Trump’s potential run in 2024 newsworthy? Thom Dunn writes: This evening [12/2] on my commute home, the top of the news broadcast was a potential presidential run by Trump in 2024. Why is this news? Why are you covering something that might happen four years from now? An incumbent first-term U.S. president possibly running again in four years is definitely newsworthy. I reached out to NPR News Chief Washington Editor Shirley Henry, who listed a few reasons why — the first of which is that Trump is the leader of the Republican Party and “tremendously popular within its ranks.” “The possibility that Trump could run in the next election could have a huge impact right away, not just in four years, if he stays on the political scene — on things like how Republicans in Washington position themselves on issues and how they deal with Democrats,” Henry wrote me in an email. “It also means that those seeking to run in 2024 might be hamstrung in their efforts to appeal to Trump supporters if he himself decides to run.” A possible run by Trump is something that the American public should be made aware of, including other Republicans who will have to decide if they’d also like to consider bids. — Amaris Castillo 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. Music love [The 50 Best Albums of 2020 illustration]( Rae Pozdro for NPR NPR MUSIC [Best Music of 2020]( [Last]( [week]( NPR Music released its year-end lists for 2020, the [50 Best Albums]( and the [100 Best Songs](. Each list features a bevy of different writers, genres and music sensibilities, and showcases NPR Music’s broad reviewing power. While robust reviewing and storytelling is everywhere, from NPR Music’s [homepage]( to its [Best Music of 2020 page]( these year-end projects in particular reveal the range and muscle of its music coverage. It’s clear the selections weren’t made in a vacuum, as they represent and give context to the unprecedented year that was 2020. NPR Music Senior Editor Jacob Ganz is one member of the team that makes these lists during the last few months of the year, though they “start thinking about them — and writing essays and talking about them on podcasts and making playlists — when new music starts coming out in January,” he said. Along with NPR Music Senior Manager Otis Hart, Ganz helps run the layered process of picking songs and albums that make the lists, and about four dozen staff, station and freelance contributors vote for and discuss what gets on and what gets cut, he said. He also assigns and edits much of the copy for the lists, and contributes a bit of writing himself. Every year since 2016, when NPR Music began publishing ranked year-end collections of the best songs and albums, Ganz said one of the first conversations the staff has is about whether these lists are still a satisfying way to tell the story of the year in music. There isn’t a consensus on that, nor can there be a consensus on what gets chosen — “our group is too wide-ranging in our preferences for that to be possible,” Ganz said. But the multi-step process of nominations and voting features consultations with genre experts, which serves as a system of checks and balances for the raw vote totals, which may not always paint a full picture of that year’s music. “I think we end up with wildly exciting lists of music that wouldn't be celebrated if we did it any other way,” Ganz said. “The writing is great and I always discover a handful of new favorites just through my admiration for the way my colleagues look at a song or album. Given what a long process making these lists is, I also have to shout out every member of the team — everybody keeps on doing their normal job in the midst of making these lists, and we make so much amazing stuff while these lists take shape in the background. All Songs Considered, Tiny Desk, Louder Than A Riot, Alt.Latino and all the rest of our coverage keeps on rolling. Especially this year, it's been amazing to witness what everyone has been able to accomplish.” The capsule reviews for each chosen album and song are smart and thoughtful, and sure to send readers straight to Spotify in search of the feelings they capture. And the team has taken the time to [compile the 100 best songs into a playlist]( for ease of listening. These recommendations give NPR’s audience plenty of music to savor, no matter their personal music tastes. The effort to create diverse curations is apparent, as are the great care and deep listening that lists like these require. — Kayla Randall Advice for a positive COVID-19 test [Coronavirus illustration]( Malte Mueller/Getty Images/fStop THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS [What To Do If You Test Positive For The Coronavirus This Winter]( There are more than 200,000 new U.S. cases of coronavirus reported every day. What would you do if you tested positive this winter? With the holiday season underway, readers may already be pondering this scenario. NPR [enlisted family physician Kristen Kendrick]( to answer this question with the advice of other doctors. The result is an informative and comprehensive piece that serves the NPR audience well in this time of crisis. From Kendrick we learn about the importance of isolating yourself from others (if you’ve contracted the virus), including the most updated recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We learn from doctors about being alert to changing symptoms, the importance of walking around even while quarantined, and how adding structure to your day by way of a schedule can help you cope with staying away from others. The article breaks up the helpful advice into major points, making it a smooth read. There’s no need to Google what to do in this scenario. NPR’s got you covered. — Amaris Castillo Behind the Scenes This is how the news gets made. We want your ideas for how we can do it better. Maintaining creativity during a pandemic By Amaris Castillo When the coronavirus began to spread in early 2020, Malaka Gharib, deputy editor and digital strategist for NPR’s global health and development blog Goats and Soda, took notice and illustrated a kids’ guide based on a radio story by her colleague, Education Correspondent Cory Turner. The resulting comic was child-friendly, and could be printed and folded to share with others. Gharib, who considers herself an artist at heart, enjoys taking information and making it into something tangible that NPR’s audience members can use in their daily lives. In September, we spotlighted her printable guide on how to care for older people in a pandemic, a comic that was inspired by her own experience with a Filipino grandmother. Gharib is an editor who also does some reporting. There’s no question that the pandemic has greatly impacted the very nature of the work Goats and Soda produces. Here’s what Gharib had to say about her work, and how this global crisis has not hindered her creativity. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. How was the work Goats and Soda produces impacted by the pandemic? Almost every story that we’ve done since January has been about the pandemic and honestly, it feels like there’s just so much to say about the pandemic. There are so many stories to explore, so many different global angles to go down. It’s impacted almost everything that we cover, from education to global health topics like malaria or HIV/AIDS. It’s affected the way that money is being spent on programs in development. Our entire beat has a pandemic cast over it. You're creative in your work for NPR, and you're even the author of a graphic memoir. How have you been able to maintain this creative spirit in a pandemic? I actually think that the pandemic has given me a lot of free time. Our lives are so busy with hanging out with people, social engagements, events, going to the movies, bars. Remember the old life? I didn’t really have that much time to sit around the house and make art. At the beginning of a pandemic, I felt really distraught and I didn't really feel that creative. Once I fell into the groove about midsummer, I was really able to start creating again. I definitely am making art now in between breaks or tasks at work. If I'm listening in on a meeting in the morning, I'll actively listen and maybe make something out of polymer clay or color something just to make sure I’m doing something creative everyday. Have you always been artistic? I’ve always been interested in drawing and writing since I was a little kid. In the past five years or so, I realized that I probably am an artist at heart. I just never believed it. I think that being an artist is about emoting through creation, emoting through processing your feelings by making something and I need it to live. That’s how I go through life and process my own feelings; I make things so that I understand more tangibly myself and what’s happening to me. You use illustrations as part of your work for NPR, particularly with printable zines. What do you hope the NPR audience takes away from this type of visual journalism? I'm a big fan of taking information and making it tangible to your daily life, having it be a physical part of your daily life. Part of the reason why I was hired at NPR was to figure out ways to engage with our readers and listeners more, whether it’s through call-outs, through quizzes, just different interactive elements to get audiences to participate in content that we’re making. One really wonderful way to interact with our content is to print out a digital version of a zine of information that is being shared at home, and then fold it and have them to share with others or keep for yourself. Is there an illustration or printable zine for NPR that you’re most proud of making? I would say the best thing that I’ve made that I saw the impact on was [the first coronavirus and kids zine](. We saw that zine everywhere across the country and it exploded even across libraries and schools. It was translated into Arabic, to Braille, to Lithuanian, to Japanese, to a gazillion languages. I saw schoolchildren in India holding up the zine in class. It was insane. So it really caught on. It was very helpful for the community, for people in general at that stage of the crisis in February — to have something real to hold on, to distribute, to share information with. [We updated it](. Our first version did not have mask-wearing in it. [Malaka Gharib] Malaka Gharib's working from home selfie 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 Kayla Randall, NPR 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. [Read more]( from the NPR Public Editor, [contact us]( or follow us on [Twitter](. 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