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Illustration by Carlos Carmonamedina
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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. |
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Listeners react to a friendly exchange |
Michelle Fox wrote on Sept. 23: Steve Inskeep’s interview with Peter Navarro was far too chummy for my taste. It doesn’t matter that Navarro is a Trump adviser - I don’t want anyone on the right or left calling his or her interviewer ‘brother.’ Please edit those asides out. I don’t want to hear Steve Inskeep sucking up to the people he interviews by telling them what a pleasure it was to speak to them, especially when they are being as nasty and uncooperative as Navarro was. It all struck false and sounded like Important People Talking to Other Important People. Please keep it professional. |
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This interview was conducted in an NPR studio on a Monday morning. Navarro had just returned from Arizona, where he had attended the memorial service for Charlie Kirk. It was recorded on video for use on NPR’s site and on YouTube.
Listeners and viewers heard Inskeep first introduce Navarro and then jump into the interview, saying, “Peter Navarro is a longtime adviser to President Trump. He is an architect of Trump’s approach to trade and also a former prison inmate. He spent four months in jail last year for refusing to testify before a House investigation of the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Navarro has written a book about his experience called ‘I Went To Prison So You Won’t Have To.’ Welcome to NPR, Mr. Navarro. It’s good to talk with you again.”
Navarro responded, “You can call me Peter, I know you, Steve. We go back a long ways, brother.”
That introduction was added after the interview was completed. Navarro didn’t hear that part. He heard Inskeep start the interview with his “Welcome to NPR” statement, which explains the colloquial reply.
In the Morning Edition edit of the interview, listeners then hear a voiceover from Inskeep explaining that Navarro had been at the memorial, and a jump to a clip of Navarro describing his experience.
A couple of days after the edited version was broadcast, NPR posted a 20-minute edit of the interview on its site and on YouTube, where viewers can see the opening exchange. In response to Navarro's comment about "going way back", Inskeep says, “We do, thank you, thank you very much.”
It’s the kind of familiarity that happens in Washington all the time. People casually establish their bona fides. Inskeep had interviewed Navarro a handful of times before. Over the last two decades, Navarro has written several books on U.S. trade with China, a topic Inskeep has covered during his 30-year tenure at NPR. They have both been around for a long time.
From a journalistic perspective, the exchange was slightly awkward. NPR could have edited it out, but hiding the exchange isn’t in the audience’s interest. Journalists are generally not friends with their sources. And Inskeep is not personal friends with Navarro.
This interview wasn’t about Navarro’s expertise in trade with China, though. Instead, Inskeep was focused on Navarro’s book, which is about the danger of political prosecutions.
It was a timely subject, given that the Justice Department would indict former FBI Director James Comey later that week. NPR editor Luke Garrett, who works on booking high-profile guests, told me he noticed that Navarro’s book was coming out and pursued an interview.
“As a senior counselor to President Trump, Navarro influences domestic policy and the lives of the American people,” Garrett wrote in an email. “Therefore, he is a fit for an on-the-record, sit-down interview with NPR News.”
Garrett’s team mentioned the book in passing to Inskeep, who said he was interested in doing the interview.
Conducting these interviews on video is a new strategy for NPR as it tries to reach wider audiences on YouTube, Instagram and other social sites. In a live interview for broadcast, the host would be very cognizant of the time, keeping the guest on topic in order to keep the show on track, Eric Marrapodi, vice president for news programming, told me.
“We’ve seen really good success with longer interviews,” he said. "There seems to be a real appetite for listening in those spaces” like YouTube.
When I heard the interview on Morning Edition, my first reaction was that I wished it were longer. After listening to the entire interview on YouTube, I was grateful for the edit. Navarro wandered quite a bit, despite Inskeep’s efforts to get him to directly answer questions.
Other listeners were frustrated as well. Nicole Bailey tweeted on Sept. 24 in response to an Inskeep tweet: “You tried with this interview but he blatantly ignored your questions and equivocated.”
Dave Rizz commented on Sept. 27 under the YouTube post: “Yeah, Navarro is a Trump sycophant trying to sound tough and loyal for daddy Trump. Couldn’t answer a single question without trying to take the NPR audience down some Maga rabbit hole. Inskeep did a decent job from giving that too much oxygen, but not sure anyone would be able to get a straight answer out of Navarro.”
Inskeep wraps up the interview with this sign off, "Peter Navarro, it was a pleasure talking with you, thank you so much." Being polite, even during a contentious interview, is vital to civil discourse. While Inskeep didn't participate in my reporting, there's nothing to indicate he was disingenuous.
In the end, the audience that heard the interview on the radio and the audience that saw the interview on the internet got a solid exposure to Navarro, one of the voices influencing President Trump. Whether one agrees or disagrees with his ideas and his worldview, Navarro explains the thinking behind the president’s desire to see some of his critics criminally prosecuted.
There’s clear news value in that. And it took a skilled interviewer to draw it out. — Kelly McBride |
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The Office of the Public Editor is a team. Reporters Amaris Castillo and Nicole Slaughter Graham and copy editor Merrill Perlman make this newsletter possible. Illustrations are by Carlos Carmonamedina. We are still reading all of your messages on Facebook, Instagram, Threads 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 |
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Amaris Castillo
Poynter Institute |
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Nicole Slaughter Graham
Poynter Institute |
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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 social media. |
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