What is a Public Editor?
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. The Public Editor strives to both listen to the audience's concerns and explain the newsroom's work and ambitions.
This office of the Public Editor was created to ensure NPR is responsive to the concerns of listeners and to help NPR remain steadfast in its mission to present fair, accurate and comprehensive information in service of democracy.
NPR's Public Editor has traditionally been an NPR staff member. In 2020, NPR entered into a unique partnership with The Poynter Institute for Media Studies to have Kelly McBride, Poynter's senior vice president and a nationally recognized ethicist, serve as the Public Editor. By going outside NPR, the aim is to further elevate the independence and visibility of the Public Editor as well as bring Poynter's highly respected brand and resources to help serve the NPR audience.
While the Public Editor position is funded by NPR, and is selected by NPR's CEO, she has complete autonomy to select topics, investigate complaints and address issues. If you would like to contact the NPR Public Editor, send an email via the NPR Contact Form or find them on Facebook and Twitter.
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How many stories should NPR do? -
Collaboration makes for the best headlines -
Violence and vandalism although rare, tend to get mentioned -
Interviewers prepare so bias doesn't seep in -
An audience member wants to hear from Jews who are concerned about Islamic connections to prejudice -
They want to connect with listeners, although it doesn't always work -
Does it matter who started it or who yelled louder?
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Power changes the way journalists work with sources -
How informed do we want Americans to be?
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Labels make for risky journalism
