Who hired the person on the bench?
A self-described longtime NPR consumer and fan reached out to ask why NPR journalists often mention which president appointed which judge when reporting on federal rulings. After all, judges are supposed to be independent of political leanings, even if they have a specific legal philosophy that might predispose them in one direction or the other.
It's one of those questions to which we, as journalists, know the answer. And then, as we start to explain our thinking, a lightbulb comes on and we realize, "Maybe we should be explaining our thinking all along, rather than making you guess."
When journalists have a solid justification for their choices, but fail to let the audience in on it, listeners and readers get skeptical. But the reporter can't think of everything. That's why there are editors, producers, hosts, show directors and executive producers.
In a second letter this week, a listener was upset that a story about several political candidates who have been accused of abuse by their ex-wives and girlfriends made it to air without a single female voice or viewpoint of an advocate for abuse survivors. It turns out, the journalist behind the story recognized that flaw. She told us about a couple of dead
