A good weekend to you. We often talk about the disappearance of local news. Public stations across the country try to fill that need, but I hadn’t realized until this week that the number of local reporters has actually fallen by 57% since 2004.
There are lots of news platforms, but there are far fewer reporters working out of police stations and emergency rooms, city council press rooms, zoning and school board hearings, community meetings, and criminal courts where you see life-and-death stories that can stay with you for life.
I’m convinced that all the crimes scenes, corruption, court cases and everyday acts of kindness and courage I covered in the neighborhoods of Chicago gave me invaluable grounding when I began to rove around the world to report wars, uprisings, and world events.
As I often tell students who ask: Nothing upsets your view of the world more than real reporting. Looking up-close at events and the people they affect, not just sampling strident reactions and self-confirming analysis from pundits and advocates, can shake everything you thought you knew. Certainties dissolve and what you learn, and begin to feel, grows. So many of us today are choosing to get the “news” that supports our certainties. But only the work of real reporters can give us not only the courage of our convictions, but of our skepticism and doubts.
This week, I talk about how Chinese censors changing the ending of a Minions movie might suggest new endings for some classic films. Also, Owen Kline’s debut movie, Funny Pages, is set in the rumpled world of his first artistic passion, cartooning. And science writer Gaia Vince’s new book, Nomad Century, has a blunt, urgent warning. To survive, civilization must do what it has always done: Get a move on.
Scott Simon is one of NPR's most renowned news anchors. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and one of the hosts of the morning news podcast Up First. Be sure to listen to him every Saturday on your local NPR station, and follow him on Twitter.
Newsletter continues after sponsor message
Stories you might have missed
Greg Rosalsky/NPR
Planet Money's Greg Rosalsky was stunned when his rusted, dented, 20-year-old truck was stolen. He's since gotten a crash course on the black market for stolen cars. Lesson No. 1: It's not the nice ones that are the most frequent targets. It's the clunkers.
The city of Hoboken, N.J., hasn't had a traffic death in four years. Hoboken has some advantages — it's only two square miles in size, for one — but city leaders say simple steps like eliminating blind spots and giving pedestrians a head-start at crosswalks can be implemented anywhere.
There has been little mention of race during the Jan. 6 hearings, which paused in August and are set to resume in September. But just beneath the surface is a central cause of the riot — racism and the myth of the Lost Cause.
Reader favorites
Dmitry Serebryakov/AP
The assasination of Daria Dugina's in Moscow last week could spell trouble for Putin's allies in Russia. It could also turn her into a martyr among conservative, reactionary groups around the world, experts say.
Recent events have given Democrats hope of retaining the 50-50 Senate, which they narrowly control with the vice president casting tie-breaking votes. If you want to keep track, these are the 10 seats to watch, in order of most likely to flip.
NBC correspondent Richard Engel announced that his son Henry, who had been diagnosed with Rett syndrome as an infant, died on August 9. Here's what to know about the disorder, which is so rare doctors don't even know how often it happens in male births.
The woman accused of stealing Nancy Pelosi's laptop during the Jan. 6 insurrection is only allowed to leave home for work, court proceedings and approved outings — and that apparently includes the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.
Late-stage cervical cancer cases are on the rise, and researchers think a decrease in screenings among young women is the cause.
Women are dancing on social media in solidarity with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who faced criticism when a video circulated showing her at a party with friends. They say an older, male head of state would never experience such judgment.
Listen to your local NPR station.
Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WMFE (edit station).
You received this message because you're subscribed to Best of NPR emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
