World Events, NPR and You

The pace of news in recent weeks has been breathtaking. You’ve probably found yourself tuning in to VPR more often, turning the volume up louder, and listening longer to hear the next update on events in the Middle East, North Africa and Japan.

When you look behind the curtain and count up the NPR reporters, producers, translators and editors involved in bringing us the latest news on these concurrent situations – it’s nothing less than amazing. Every story has required agility, expertise, technical know how and dedication in the face of some pretty frightening situations.

When the earthquake hit, NPR’s Asia correspondents rushed to the most devastated areas to report on the damage and recovery efforts. NPR’s Science desk was called in to explain the scale of the quake and why it triggered such a vicious tsunami. Then, when concern about the nuclear power plants near Fukushima escalated, NPR deployed more reporters, producers and the deputy managing editor to Tokyo to coordinate reporting on the ground.

A 12-member team of NPR journalists has been providing wall-to-wall coverage of the spiraling tragedy in Japan, providing expert, round-the-clock updates on the country’s damaged reactors and the profound environmental implications. Reporters have also fanned out to the shattered cities and devastated fishing villages along the coast. They’ve delivered heartbreaking accounts of the many Japanese who’ve lost loved ones, lost their homes and businesses, and drawn a portrait of an entire nation infused with a deepening sense of despair.

NPR is beginning to send in some replacement teams, so you’ll be hearing new voices in short order. Meanwhile, NPR has teams in Libya and Egypt and Suraya Sarhadi Nelson is trying to get into Yemen.

All of these events have required an enormous mobilization of resources for NPR.
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(this post sites information provided by Margaret Low Smith, NPR Vice President of Programming and Acting Senior Vice President of News.