You Talk, and NPR’s Ombudsman Listens
Edward Schumacher-Matos is in charge of making sure NPR listeners' responses get heard. Photo by Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon/KUT NewsAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
NPR’s mission statement reads, in part, that it accomplishes its work by producing, acquiring and distributing “programming that meets the highest standards of public service in journalism and cultural expression.” But even NPR will admit it sometimes misses the mark. NPR Ombudsman Edward Schumacher-Matos investigates and responds to complaints about NPR’s news coverage. He talked with KUT’s Jennifer Stayton about the kind of complaints he gets, and how he handles them.
I take it to the reporter, take it to the editor, and say, can you explain this to me, why did we do what we did, are they right, is there a mistake here, or is the issue really one of fairness, or is it that they could be wrong, whoever is complaining. And then I use my judgment. But I also reach out to our audience.
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