Episode Information

Fair Coverage on NPR
Where We Live - with John Dankosky
Aired:
11/13/2008
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In this episode:

Do you think NPR's election coverage was balanced?

 

Host:
John Dankosky
Guest(s):
Contributor(s):
Catie Talarski
Episode Audio

52:00 minutes (24.96 MB)
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NPR News gets its' share of listener complaints - coming from both the left and the right.  So how does the network achieve the right balance? 

Alicia Shepard is an award-winning media critic, university lecturer on media ethics and a former reporter.  She's now NPR's Ombudsman - dealing with questions about the network's objectivity and fairness - but also with basic journalistic questions.   

How do you "balance" a news report?  Is it enough to just hear from "both" sides?  What if there are more than two?

And, can you really count up the minutes you hear from candidates to paint an accurate picture of fairness? 

Join the conversation!  Add your questions, suggestions and comments below. 

 

Block Photo by NCinDC, Flickr Creative Commons


 
Related Content:
Links for this Episode:
Alicia Shepard's Blog

Listener Email from Maryellen Brindel

Submitted by ctalarski on November 13, 2008 - 11:29am.

 listen to NPR throughout the day and my news sources are All Things Considered, PBS and BBC America.
 
I do want to be informed about the conservative viewpoint but am not aware of any outlet that I would consider similar to NPR or PBS. What disturbs me are the radical conservative views that are on radio talk shows as Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage. Last night I saw Bill O'Reilly stating that it was the "black vote" that was the determining factor in supporting the proposition to ban gay marriage in California.  Then I heard on Jon Stewart's show that it was the "older" voters that were the deciding factor.
 
What can I listen to or watch on TV that will give me an intelligent, conservative viewpoint? Can you also discuss what I heard of very recently as the high conservatives versus the low conservatives, the former being embarrassed by Sarah Palin and the latter loving her. 
 
I am really enjoying today's program. Please repeat the web site for the ombudsman.