Impeachment Edition: How’s NPR doing?

NPR coverage of impeachment 2.0 — the good and the bad [View this email online]( [NPR Public Editor by Poynter's Kelly McBride]( NPR is covering the Senate’s trial of former President Trump’s impeachment charge in as many ways as you can imagine, including live on the radio, live on Facebook, on the website, in several podcasts and in summary stories on the magazine shows, just to name a few. In the midst of this coverage, you will often hear hosts and reporters remind the audience that in order to convict Trump of the charge, 17 Senate Republicans will have to join Democrats, which is unlikely. Some listeners take issue with this caveat. No one knows for sure how the individual senators will vote. Listener Janet Rogozinski believes it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Well no one expects him to be impeached, so it’s ok to vote against impeachment despite the compelling evidence presented,” she said. She’s got a point. Probably better to simply say that it will take 17 Republican votes to convict, and so far, only six have voted to proceed with the trial. Rogozinski pleaded, “Let’s give the process a chance.” One of the most impressive acts of journalism connected to the impeachment is [a database]( of every person arrested in connection with the Capitol riot on Jan. 6. The idea for this comprehensive and searchable list came together shortly after the insurrection, [Monika Evstatieva]( a senior producer on the newly created breaking news investigations team, told me. (Also on the project were these NPR staffers: Tom Dreisbach, Dina Temple-Raston, Arezou Rezvani, Meg Anderson, Barbara Van Woerkom, Austin Fast, Emine Yucel, Connie Hanzhang Jin, Alyson Hurt, Emily Bogle and Di’Amond Moore). Databases like these are incredibly valuable, because they reveal information that can’t be obtained anywhere else, like the fact that [15% of the people charged]( so far have military experience. Reporters pored over charging documents for every individual in the database, and fact-checked every element, calling the military and local law enforcement and other sources to confirm each detail. The New York Times tapped into a [similar database]( created by an outside academic. While the NYT presentation looks prettier, NPR’s is more comprehensive. And NPR’s is public-facing, meaning you can search it yourself. What sets public media apart from commercial media is an obligation to involve the public. NPR’s database will be updated every week. So [dig in]( and discover the truth for yourself. [An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of then-President Donald Trump gather in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.]( An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of then-President Donald Trump gather in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. Leah Millis/Reuters 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](. A primer on the world of public media By Kelly McBride If you’ve followed this Public Editor team for any amount of time, we hope it’s clear that all ideas and critiques are welcome. Journalism is a democratic pursuit, after all. That said, we want to manage your expectations. We really love Judy Woodruff of the [PBS NewsHour]( but she is outside of our domain. That’s because we work for NPR, not [PBS](. What’s the difference, you ask? NPR is radio, PBS is television. NPR is predominantly news, including shows like Morning Edition and podcasts like Up First, and a killer mobile app, NPR One. PBS is news and entertainment, including the NewsHour, Antiques Roadshow and Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. PBS is most famous for its children’s programming, originally anchored by Sesame Street. Sometimes we are a little jealous of PBS [Public Editor Ricardo Sandoval-Palos]( because, in addition to news, he gets to tackle entertainment questions, including whether [Kim Haas can be the next Rick Steves]( whether the season finale of the unfinished Jane Austen story, [Sanditon]( was a letdown, and if Grover [dropped an F-bomb](. (Here’s the [clip]( on YouTube, which is what you’re really looking for.) So, just to review, Judy Woodruff (whom we adore) and Grover are affiliated with PBS. Sam Sanders and Steve Inskeep work for NPR. Politics Correspondent Tamara Keith works for NPR, but also appears on PBS [most Mondays](. So that’s confusing, if you’re keeping a roster, which nobody is. Journalism isn’t marriage — you can work for more than one company. But the NPR Public Editor just works for NPR. You might think we’re kidding, but we’re not. Here’s a couple of notes from our inbox received over the past few weeks: “For the love of mercy! Almost ALL of your commentators with possible exception of Judy Woodruff on PBS are BUTCHERING the English language! PLEASE pronounce "censure" correctly…” “Just moved to Portland from California.......when can I hear Judy Woodruff and the news team, especially Amy Walters and Tamara Keith, David Brooks and Mark Shields.” So just remember: PBS – Public Broadcasting Service (not us.) NPR – National. Public. Radio. ‘President Biden’ or just ‘Biden’? Judy Lykins writes: Please have your reporter refer to our new President as President Biden and not just Biden. It is the respect he deserves. The second reference, in a news story, is all about efficiency. The AP Stylebook, which NPR and many other news organizations use as a style guide, advises that a president should be referred to by his last name on second reference and beyond. In this case, according to AP Style, it would be President Joe Biden on first reference and Biden on subsequent references. NPR often drops the first name and says “[President Biden]( on first reference in broadcast stories, and then “Biden” on the following references, though there are [some unique cases]( in which a story might eschew that tradition, or only use “[Biden]( When there is a choice between efficiency and courtesy, journalism will pick the former. It is more efficient on second reference to refer to an individual by second name only, whether it’s [Tom Brady]( or [Pope Francis](. Journalists usually rely on style for clarity and consistency. It seems natural, then, that following first references in articles, adults are almost exclusively referred to by their last names. — Kayla Randall Are wrestling and singing COVID-19 spreaders? Cindy writes: Please urge reporters to NOT use off-the-cuff anecdotes or examples when it comes to what's safe during COVID, especially when it comes to choirs and music. (I'm a musician). Anya Kamenetz's [story this morning]( mentioned at the very end that wrestling might not be able to come back, and it was unclear to me whether that was actually in the CDC report, or if it was her own example. Us musicians have been hyper-aware about people making assumptions that you can't make music safely, and that's just not true. What got my attention when I first heard the segment on the radio, was just the fact that a specific activity was being singled out that CAN'T be done, isn't allowed, etc., and that's happened a lot with music/concerts (especially choir) throughout the year. Even if music is in a scientific report (and reports are constantly changing!), when the media brings attention to it, it sets us back. We know it’s been an incredibly trying year for educators. What you heard on Morning Edition may have sounded like an anecdote, but it wasn’t. Wrestling was not a random example pulled out of thin air by the reporter. The CDC in late January [reported on an outbreak]( traced to two high school wrestling tournaments in Florida. One COVID-positive person attended both tournaments; 38 positive cases were later identified after testing. According to the report, “high-contact school athletic activities for which mask wearing and physical distancing are not possible should be postponed during periods with substantial or high levels of SARS-CoV-2 community transmission.” Wrestling is considered a high-contact sport and specifically mentioned in the report. I reached out to Anya Kamenetz, an education correspondent for NPR, about this. In an email she told me that she was referring to “specific, new CDC published findings about wrestling.” “According to my reporting, experts identified high-contact sports, including wrestling, as a COVID risk back in the summer,” Kamenetz wrote. “Anecdotally, I have personally spoken to many teachers who fear or suspect that transmission is happening in their schools due to sports, which are operating in many districts, in some cases even when schools are doing virtual-only learning.” — 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. Riffs on Langston Hughes [Child chalk drawing]( Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday via Getty Images MORNING EDITION ['This Is Our Dream': A Crowdsourced Poem To Inspire Hope]( Last month, Morning Edition Host Rachel Martin and Morning Edition poet-in-residence and author Kwame Alexander [challenged NPR listeners]( to write a poem that begins with “I dream a world.” The challenge was inspired by the famous speech by Martin Luther King Jr. and the work of Langston Hughes. NPR’s audience delivered. More than 2,500 responses came in; it was so many that staff had to close submissions. Alexander sorted through the poems and pieced together the community poem titled “This Is Our Dream.” It’s a stirring piece of work that touches on our society’s most pressing issues and the hope that we are still clinging to during this pandemic in which we continue to live. You can read the full poem [here](. And more than 3,000 people are in the Facebook group called NPR Poetry with Kwame Alexander. — Amaris Castillo The impostor phenomenon [Impostor illustration]( Jasjyot Singh Hans for NPR LIFE KIT [5 Steps To Shake The Feeling That You're An Impostor]( On Life Kit, psychologist Suzanne Imes perfectly captures the doubts and thoughts of inadequacy that many professionals experience — “a feeling by many high-achieving people that they’re not as intelligent, as bright, as creative, as able, as other people think they are. They live in a constant fear that somebody’s gonna find that out.” While many people have heard of impostor syndrome, [this Feb. 1 episode]( is dedicated to overcoming it in five steps. Awareness is the first step to healing: You might feel worrisome, immobilized and then procrastinate, or you may overprepare. Then, you must work on understanding your specific skills and talents. Next, the show powerfully acknowledges our society’s role in this, how race, gender and cultural identity in general can hugely shape how people feel about themselves and their abilities, sometimes without them even realizing it. Asking for help, and talking with friends and colleagues, is another tip. And the final tip is take a break when you need to, and be kind to yourself. It’s an episode full of advice and truths, and hearing them might quell some of persistent negative feelings. “You don’t have to be perfect, you can just be good,” Imes said. Episodes like this make Life Kit a valuable addition to your media diet — the show that can articulate how you feel, and help you become at least a little less anxious knowing that so many other people feel it, too. — Kayla Randall 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](. 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]( [NPR logo]