Code Switch Is An Overnight Sensation 7 Years In The Making
NPR assembled a team of journalists in 2013 to plow new ground at the intersection of race and culture. In 2016, the Code Switch team launched a podcast. Last week, Apple named the show the podcast of 2020.
Rightly so. Perhaps no other news team was better prepared to address all three of the year's biggest stories: the fourth year of President Donald Trump's term in office, a global pandemic that disproportionately kills people of color and the global response to George Floyd's tragic death on video under the knee of a policeman.
What transpired at Code Switch between its birth and this appalling year is a lesson in how innovation happens at NPR. It's not a fairy tale. But it is unique to public media. I'm fairly certain that Code Switch would not have survived in a commercial newsroom.
Audience first
Code Switch was not created for NPR's audience — at least not its longtime core audience. NPR's stated goal of diversifying its predominantly white audience is an old one, although different administrations have demonstrated varying levels of commitment and success.
was conceived in 2013 as a news product specifically for people of color. The starting point for the content — the reported. Yes, white people are in the audience, but they are the bonus listeners; no need to adapt scripts or edit for them.
