One story is not the whole story

Colin Powell’s death + a story sympathetic to landlords [View this email online]( [NPR Public Editor by Poynter's Kelly McBride]( When the first reports of former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s death reached the NPR audience, some news consumers heard the cause of death — complications from a COVID-19 infection, even though he was vaccinated — like a record scratch. Science tells us that for the vaccinated, even being hospitalized with COVID, let alone dying, is the rarest of outcomes. How could it be possible that a man who surely had access to the best medical care in the world died from COVID after he was vaccinated? Additional reporting revealed that other medical conditions and their treatment left Powell immunocompromised. One audience member was concerned that NPR didn’t initially say Powell had other underlying health conditions when attributing his death to COVID. We take a look at the reporting process that day, along with another recent NPR story that generated a number of adverse reactions. That story, which was sympathetic to Los Angeles landlords’ struggles with problem renters, prompted several listeners to wonder if NPR was siding with the powerful in the eternal struggle between landlords and tenants. In both of these examples, we discover that one story is not the whole story. Context and complexity sometimes take a little time. In the case of Powell’s death, it took a couple of hours. And when it comes to a massive thematic narrative like the tension between landlords and tenants, that’s just too much to ask of one story. [Nitin Bajaj and Nimisha Lotia stand with their kids inside the empty and damaged apartment unit earlier this month in Los Angeles.]( Landlords Nitin Bajaj and Nimisha Lotia stand with their kids inside the empty and damaged apartment unit in Los Angeles. Jessica Ruiz for NPR Here are a few quotes from the Public Editor's inbox that resonated with us. You can share your questions and concerns with us through the [NPR Contact page](. The cause of Colin Powell’s death Joan Enticknap writes: NPR's discussion, led by Steve Inskeep, on the death of Colin Powell was woefully incomplete concerning the cause of death. I had to go to the NYT to find out why his breakthrough Covid infection was fatal. … Why does it matter that NPR didn't feel it was necessary to provide a full picture? Because we are in a mass death event that is being exacerbated by misinformation and incomplete information — both of which are leading people to choose not to vaccinate or to "not bother because it doesn't matter." Former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s death was immediately newsworthy because of his prominent roles in the military and executive branch. Many news organizations, including NPR, reported on the morning of Oct. 18 that Powell died from complications from COVID-19, and attributed that information to the family’s statement. While those reports were not at all inaccurate, they did prompt many journalists and citizens alike to seek more information. The statement from Powell’s family “left the impression that the vaccine didn’t work and he died of COVID when there were other factors that may have led to either an ineffective vaccine response or other factors in his medical condition that should have been considered rather than just assuming that the vaccine had failed,” Joe Neel, NPR’s deputy senior supervising editor and a correspondent on the Science Desk, said in a phone interview. NPR’s breaking-news newsletter at 8:30 a.m. reported: “Powell’s family said that he died Monday of complications from COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated.” On [NPR’s Morning Edition]( host Steve Inskeep reported that Powell died from complications of COVID-19 despite being vaccinated and immediately cited statistics about the rarity of a vaccinated person dying from coronavirus. Meanwhile, reporters in the newsroom “scrambled to try to figure out and put more context around [the family’s statement] because we felt like it was incomplete,” Neel said. Before noon that day, he and other leaders issued newsroom guidance to include that Powell had been treated for multiple myeloma, and later in the day, they confirmed he also had Parkinson’s Disease, he said. Those details provided crucial context that was unavailable a few hours earlier. You were not alone in your sentiment. Al Tompkins, senior faculty for broadcast and online at the Poynter Institute, [wrote]( “Journalists will do a disservice if the story of [Powell’s] death is framed as the death of a vaccinated person. Instead, it is the death of an immunocompromised person who would have been especially vulnerable to being infected.” Journalists have a responsibility to recognize how some consumers may arrive at invalid conclusions with incomplete information. When the news broke that Powell died from the virus despite being vaccinated, “vax doubters used it to attack vaccines, which pressed the need to add more context that he had other complications beyond COVID,” Tompkins told us in an email. As with other developing stories, NPR continued to add context it knew mattered as it was able to confirm information, Neel said. The stories from last week show NPR worked to report the full context and provided a clear picture: [People who are fully vaccinated]( have a far lower risk of getting infected or dying from COVID-19 than the unvaccinated. All Things Considered [produced a piece]( specifically to dispel vaccine misinformation the very next day after the news broke. Because we are in the middle of a pandemic and many citizens are doubting science, journalists have a duty to explain how a cause of death that seems unlikely squares with what experts know to be true. As the news broke about Powell, one of the only options was to include facts about the rarity of COVID-related deaths among the vaccinated, which happened on Morning Edition, but not in the first newsletter. — Emily Barske Landlords vs. tenants Jacob Resneck [tweeted]( O, pity the landlords. What's up with this totally one-sided pandemic reporting? [In response to [this Morning Edition story]( about Los Angeles fourplex owners’ struggle with tenants who didn’t pay rent and then stole the fridge.] We’ve heard this complaint [before](. Last time we looked at the stories NPR did that mentioned landlords and tenants and we found more stories that were sympathetic to renters than to landlords. But that’s not really the point. NPR’s bias should be (and seems to be) toward documenting a complex story with data, facts and compelling narratives. Just because NPR tells a story from the point of view of a landlord does not make NPR pro-landlords. Conversely, just because NPR looks at the issue through the eyes of a [struggling renter]( does not make NPR an advocate for those who rent. Instead, think of NPR’s mission when it comes to covering housing as reporting on the expense that eats up the largest part of many household incomes. Pallavi Gogoi, NPR chief business editor, told me in an email that reporters from both NPR’s National Desk and Business Desk cover the topic. Chris Arnold, the correspondent behind the recent story that brought in objections, is on the consumer finance team. In that capacity, he has reported several stories about the impact of skyrocketing home prices and the [plight]( of folks who’ve [lost their homes]( or are at risk of losing their homes. He’s also done a number of [stories]( [examining]( government programs and their [lack of effectiveness](. “We want to bring as many sides of the story that we can,” Gogoi said. “That being said, there are millions of people who have been either afraid of losing their homes or actually have been evicted, and Chris Arnold’s stories have overwhelmingly reflected that since last year.” This story about landlords who are also facing financial stress because of the cascading effect of the pandemic was a compelling narrative worth hearing. — Kelly McBride The Public Editor spends a lot of time examining moments where NPR fell short. Yet we also learn a lot about NPR by looking at work that we find to be compelling and excellent journalism. Here we share a line or two about the pieces where NPR shines. Two bosses [Bruce Springsteen, Michelle Obama and Barack Obama in the Blue Room before the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony on Nov. 22, 2016.]( Pete Souza courtesy of the Barack Obama Presidential Library ALL THINGS CONSIDERED [In a new book, Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen envision a more unified America]( All Things Considered host Audie Cornish [interviews]( two modern-day podcasters who are both better known for their previous jobs. Former President Barack Obama and rock 'n' roll legend Bruce Springsteen released their conversation podcast, Renegades: Born in the USA, earlier this year. Now they’ve got a companion book coming out, in time for the holidays. Cornish got real with them, asking some tough questions, like, “What are the limits of optimism?” [Video clips]( are loaded to YouTube. — Kelly McBride The need for nurses Science Desk correspondent Yuki Noguchi gave [listeners]( and [readers]( a look into the state of nursing in the U.S. Noguchi outlined the challenges, from getting into and through nursing school to financial burdens to burnout. And then there’s the pandemic, which curtailed some hands-on training programs. The reporting was informative, and I appreciated hearing from those pursuing nursing careers about their experiences. — Kayla Randall The ‘Great Resignation’ All Things Considered producer Jonaki Mehta talked to some of the many employees who have left their jobs as part of the collective “[Great Resignation]( Anthony Klotz, the Texas A&M organizational psychologist who coined the phrase, says the feeling of extreme burnout is widespread at the moment. Their stories speak to a broader need for workers to feel supported and included in their roles. So often we hear from economists, business leaders and academics about why people are leaving the workforce, and I found it enlightening to hear from some of the individuals who are part of the trend and not just observing it. — Emily Barske The Office of the Public Editor is a team. Researchers Amaris Castillo, Kayla Randall and Emily Barske make this newsletter possible. Illustrations are by Carlos Carmonamedina. We are still reading all of your messages on [Facebook]( [Twitter]( 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 Kayla Randall NPR Amaris Castillo Poynter Institute Emily Barske Poynter Institute The Public Editor stands as a source of independent accountability. 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