An anti-abortion source’s talking points

…left one listener wanting a follow-up [View this email online]( [NPR Public Editor by Poynter's Kelly McBride]( It’s no secret that many sources in news reports have practiced talking points. Often, experts who contribute their voices to daily journalism have perfected the art of phrasing their views in slightly coded or opaque language, designed to gloss over a legitimate critique. These might be politicians, businesspeople or advocates for controversial laws. It seems that anybody likely to be interviewed repeatedly by news reporters hires a public relations coach to help them wiggle out of answering hard questions. One listener wrote to us frustrated by a particular interview in a recent All Things Considered story about Texas women facing agonizing choices thanks to that state’s new limits on abortion. They wanted a follow-up question to a comment from a supporter of the new legislation in response to hearing one woman’s experience. As advocates for accountability journalism, we want journalists to ask tough questions and get real answers. As we talked with NPR National Correspondent Sarah McCammon about her story, we learned that getting solid answers is just one part of the challenge. As you’ll see when you read our findings, making sure those answers don’t undermine the purpose of the story is the second part of this complicated equation. We also tracked down a response to a critique on the coverage of rising gasoline prices. Sure, a gallon of gas is a lot more expensive today than it was a few months ago. But if you adjust for inflation, gas prices aren’t as high as they seem, one reader wrote. They asked, why not make that the headline? We got some good insight on how off-putting it would be to dismiss the real pain people feel as they fill their tanks, and learned how NPR's Business Desk has covered gas prices alongside inflation reporting. [Illustration by Carlos Carmonamedina] Illustration by Carlos Carmonamedina Here are a few quotes from the Public Editor's inbox that resonated with us. Letters are edited for length and clarity. You can share your questions and concerns with us through the [NPR Contact page](. Pressing sources for better answers Jonathan Campbell wrote on March 13: I don't understand why NPR journalists interview folks and don't press them for sensible answers to the real questions. [In this piece]( [on the impact of abortion legislation in Texas], John Seago got to share his pre-scripted talking points without being pressed for an actual answer to the important question: "What should [these women do] instead?" He gets to say "[abortion] is not the best solution that we have" without being forced to describe the better solution? … In a nearly 8-minute story aired early this month on All Things Considered, NPR National Correspondent Sarah McCammon reported on the real dangers women in Texas face as they navigate access to abortion. We hear from Anna, whose water broke 19 weeks into her pregnancy, well before her baby could survive. And Dr. Andrea Palmer in Fort Worth shared the story of a patient who discovered she was pregnant after being drugged and raped at a party. Around that same time, Palmer’s patient had been trying to have a baby with her husband. The woman chose to have an abortion before six weeks, while it was legal, rather than wait to determine the paternity, at which point it would have been too late to have an abortion in Texas. McCammon interviewed John Seago, legislative director with Texas Right to Life, one of the advocacy groups that helped push SB 8 through the state legislature last year. Because of Seago’s role, there is no question whether he should have been included in this story. In the audio version of the story, we hear Seago acknowledge that the story of the woman who was assaulted is “absolutely horrific.” He added, “Even in the worst circumstances, another act of violence on an innocent victim is not the best solution that we have.” McCammon then paraphrases Seago’s belief that doctors aren’t getting clear-enough guidance from medical associations about what is allowed under the law. And then we don’t hear from him again in the audio. We reached out to McCammon for more details on her interview with Seago. In a Zoom call, she told us that she spoke to him for nearly 40 minutes, and asked many questions and pressed him repeatedly. She said she chose to include what she felt were his most relevant responses to hearing the women’s stories. “We wanted to focus on the patients and their experiences,” McCammon said. “In my opinion, it's accountability journalism to go to one of the architects, one of the promoters of a piece of legislation like this, with the reality of the impact of the legislation and ask him to respond. I don't think there’s any doubt about what he thinks these patients should do. He thinks they should give birth.” Deputy National Editor Ammad Omar, who edited this story, said the new Texas law does not contain exceptions for rape or incest. “To us, at least, it was pretty clear that [Seago] was suggesting that the rape victim carry out the pregnancy, which is consistent with what supporters of that bill have said,” he said. We routinely hear from NPR audience members who are frustrated when they don’t hear reporters or hosts press sources for more clarity and specificity, particularly when those sources seem to be leaning on well-rehearsed talking points. Journalists are faced with tough choices in these situations. It’s possible to devote another minute or so in the story to try and get a source off-script and talking in plain language. Another option is to include a back-and-forth between the reporter and source to demonstrate that source is stubbornly sticking to a script. Both of those choices come at the expense of getting other voices into the story. McCammon again emphasized that the focus of this piece was the experiences of these women. “The more minutes of John Seago I put in a story, the fewer minutes we hear of the patient stories. On radio, we have at most eight minutes,” McCammon said. “This was not a piece about John Seago. This was a piece about the impact of this law.” — Amaris Castillo Gas prices and inflation Stacy Remiszewski wrote on March 8: I understand that gas prices are reaching record highs, but why not point out in the headline [“[Sticker shock]( Gasoline tops $4.17 a gallon, a new record”] that gas has not kept up with inflation since I started driving in 1977. Alternate headline: “After being kept artificially low for decades, gas prices inch up to match inflation.” … It was noted in this story that the new record average price was not adjusted for inflation and if it had been, the price would have been higher in 2008. We talked with Rafael Nam, NPR senior business editor, about the piece and how the Business Desk has been covering gas prices and other inflation stories. Record gas prices in the U.S. are inherently newsworthy because they affect the majority of Americans. “Having gas prices come up a lot in the middle of [high inflation on other products] is very psychologically important,” he said. “It’s an important aspect of life, filling up your gas, being able to go to work and driving is such an important part of the day to day.” The goal of this story was to chronicle the record price and to provide context on the current economic equation and how it is affecting people, he said. Even outside this particular time period, gas prices are newsworthy for other reasons: The energy markets make a big impact in the [global economy]( the costs are directly related to [inflation]( and what people pay at the pump affects how Americans [view the current party]( in power, whether or not it has anything to do with their policies. NPR has covered how the high gas prices hurt those with [low incomes](. It has reported on high inflation only being an [annoyance]( for some, while it’s painful for others. There have been stories about how the high prices present [another hurdle]( for getting workers back to the office, [how states]( are trying to help motorists, the political history of [energy wars]( why the U.S. may [look to Venezuela]( for oil imports and [how inflation]( got to the highest it’s been in 40 years even before gas prices were affected. Your suggested headline about how gas prices are actually artificially low at the particular moment when people are facing steep hikes at the pump dismisses the very real impact the prices are having on Americans. This is particularly true for people who live paycheck to paycheck. That said, there will be more stories to come, Nam noted. In a follow up email, he added, “There’s absolutely scope for us to examine important issues such as why gas prices haven’t kept up with inflation and how adjusted-for-inflation, we are paying less for gas than in 2008. But when we do cover this, we are just mindful not to downplay the economic and financial pain people are going through right now and that we reflect how gas prices are impacting people based on today’s reality.” NPR’s story was a good one to capture a particular moment in time. Your idea is also a good one to pursue down the road. — Emily Barske 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. Mothers’ agony in Ukraine Weekend Edition Sunday brought listeners [the heart-wrenching stories]( of two Ukrainian mothers who are worried for their children at the front line of Russia’s invasion. From Kalyniv, Ukraine, NPR Justice Correspondent Ryan Lucas spoke to Dana Luhanovych, a woman whose daughter is in the Ukrainian military and hasn’t been able to tell her mother much about her whereabouts. We’re also introduced to Tetiana Protsek, whose 18-year-old son is studying at a military university and is struggling through his first year of school. [Millions of Ukrainians]( have been displaced because of Russia’s invasion. Lucas’ report provided a glimpse at the disrupted lives of those who remain in Ukraine. — Amaris Castillo The Office of the Public Editor is a team. Editor Kayla Randall and reporters Amaris Castillo and Emily Barske make this newsletter possible. Illustrations are by Carlos Carmonamedina. 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 Emily Barske 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. 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