National Public Radio www.npr.org

Organization Overview:

National Public Radio (NPR) is an internationally acclaimed producer and distributor of noncommercial news, talk, and entertainment programming. A privately supported, not-for-profit membership organization, NPR serves a growing audience of 26 million Americans each week in partnership with more than 800 independently operated, noncommercial public radio stations. Each NPR member station serves local listeners with a distinctive combination of national and local programming. With original online content and audio streaming, npr.org offers hourly newscasts, special features, and 10 years of archived audio and information.

Projects:

1. NPR Library: Research on Diversity and the Media (One Student)
NPR would like to find out what has happened to the media during the past 40 years after the Kerner Report in order to propose a plenary for the UNITY 2008 conference. UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc., is a strategic alliance advocating fair and accurate news coverage about people of color, and is aggressively challenging the industry to staff its organizations at all levels to reflect the nationŐs diversity. Student needs a knowledge of online databases, an interest in diversity issues, and knowledge of the role of the media in the U.S.

The Kerner Report was released after seven months of investigation by the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders and took its name from the commission chairman, Illinois Governor Otto Kerner. President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the commission on July 28, 1967 while rioting was still under way in Detroit. The long, hot summers since 1965 had brought riots in the black sections of many major cities, including Los Angeles (1965), Chicago (1966), and Newark (1967). Johnson charged the commission with analyzing the specific triggers for the riots, the deeper of the worsening racial climate of the time, and potential remedies.

The commission presented its findings in 1968, concluding that urban violence reflected the profound frustration of inner-city blacks and that racism was deeply embedded in American society. The report's most famous passage warned that the United States was "moving toward two societies, one black, one white -- separate and unequal." The commission marshaled evidence on an array of problems that fell with particular severity on African Americans, including not only overt discrimination but also chronic poverty, high unemployment, poor schools, inadequate housing, lack of access to health care, and systematic police bias and brutality.

The report recommended sweeping federal initiatives directed at improving educational and employment opportunities, public services, and housing in black urban neighborhoods and called for a "national system of income supplementation." The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., pronounced the report a "physician's warning of approaching death, with a prescription for life." By 1968, however, Richard M. Nixon had gained the presidency through a conservative white backlash that insured that the Kerner Report's recommendations would be largely ignored.

One section of the report focused on the role of the media leading up to and during the riots. A lack of diversity within the media was cited as a factor in the lack of coverage of issues affecting Black Americans prior to the riots.

Participant Comments

"I actually did the above. It was sort of broad, and required some resourcefulness on my part to locate some of the government reports I was supposed to be reviewing, but aside from that, I was reading and summarizing the recommendations of two commissions about the issue of news coverage and diversity and developing a sense of the changes on the issue in the years since the first report was issued.

"I liked that I had major autonomy over what I was doing, my coordinator assigned me a topic and little else, so I was able to determine what form my deliverable would take and how in-depth to go on each issue based on availability of resources.

"When I had occasion to interact with my coordinator (mainly at research delivery) she was very appreciative, interested, kind and helpful.

"Just going behind the scenes at NPR had a huge effect on me, bringing a little more reality into my perception of how the reference library there must operate. This trip resulted in a very important contact in news libraries for me, and I hope as a result of this internship, I may come into knowledge of new opportunities in news libraries that I otherwise may have not encountered.

"NPR was wonderful to their students, Laura Soto-Barra was the main coordinator there and then delegated us out to the specific people in the departments who volunteered projects for us. Laura was engaging, interesting, concerned, and brilliant. She is an amazing example of a modern librarian and was a great role model. Walt was good to work for, and Laura's assistant Karen took care in setting me up and checking in on me on my first day. I was very comfortable asking them questions when I needed to. Primarily though, Laura Soto-Barra deserves great credit for introducing us to the organization, familiarizing us with the necessities (projects, supervisors, cafeteria), and taking the time to have personalized 'exit interview' chats with each of us.

"Seeing NPR behind the scenes was huge for me (I saw Neal Conan broadcasting 'Talk of the Nation'!) but I also definitely enjoyed interacting with and learning from Laura. I am interested in news librarianship and it's hard to find mentors or role models in that field, especially on a high level at a respected news organization. Meeting her was good for me as a student and great for me as a job seeker."


2. NPR Library: Election 2008 (One Student)
NPR is already compiling information on the 2008 presidential election. NPR needs help in designing and constructing Wiki pages and finding information from reputable sources. It is also working closely with npr.org to develop material for the public Web page. The ideal candidate for this project would be someone with open-source software experience who is interested in U.S. politics and familiar with reference materials and sources.

Participant Comments

"I phoned campaign offices and asked for detailed information about their staffs. Combed the Web for other information about election dates, potential candidates, debates, etc. The work itself was similar to things I've done in the past. Being in the building and sensing the atmosphere of a national news organization was incredible.

"I made good contacts with the librarians and met people that I wouldn't have otherwise. I was able to demonstrate my capabilities in a meaningful way throughout the week. This is not something that could have been conveyed in a cover letter or interviews.

"NPR is great. Everyone knows that. My supervisor described the project to me and checked in daily, but completing it and deciding how to complete it was up to me. She also took time to explain other roles she fills throughout the day and to introduce me to people she works with on a regular basis."


3. NPR Library: Intranet (One Student)
One student will work in updating and redesigning the library intranet Web site. The purpose of the Web site is to provide a one-stop shopping for reporters, producers, and editors to find reference sources and services provided by the library. The intern in this position will assist in refining text, researching content, and designing the Web site. The design may include the use of the library Wiki. Prior experience with Web development/design is desired.


4. NPR Library: Journalism and Breaking News (One Student)
Research names and contact info of the top reporters around the country covering the beats that NPR covers, who's breaking stories that the national media jump on, who's consistently writing front-page stories or leading news broadcasts, and who's winning the top journalism awards. Student should have an interest in current news.


5. NPR Digital Media: Mobile Phone Industry Research (One Student)
Each year NPR Digital Media prepares an in-depth presentation on the state of the mobile phone industry with a focus on content services on mobile phones. The student's goal will be to update the presentation with relevant data and determine and synthesize the latest trends and the key developments. The ideal candidate for this project is someone with an interest in technology, business, digital media, or telecommunications.