Poetic Pairings - 4/29/2011

One of Prospero's famous lines from Shakespeare's The Tempest is, "We are such stuff as dreams are made of...". His daughter is about to be married to the Prince of Naples, and as a magician he has provided some entertainment that serves to remind the young couple about the fleeting nature of mortality, and their time together.

We've been featuring 'poetic pairings' for April, the month of Shakespeare's birthday and also National Poetry Month. Today's final pairing features a reading of Prospero's passage from The Tempest, along with a selection of lively pieces performed by the modern-day Musicians of the Globe.

Today's 'poetic pairing' is the last in the series, you can hear it just after 8am this morning on VPR Classical.

Poetic Pairings - 4/28/2011

It's the second-to-last day we'll be celebrating National Poetry Month on VPR Classical, as April closes out and we welcome May this weekend. Each weekday morning this month has been opening with a 'poetic pairing': a poetry reading and a piece of music that responds to the poem in some way.

For today's selection we'll make the transition from winter to spring, starting with Robert Hayden's vivid "Those Winter Sundays", a recollection of his father and growing up in Detroit. After that it's "Winter and Spring", two selections from the "Seasons" ballet by Alexander Glazunov.

Listen tomorrow for the last poetic pairing this month, just after 8am on VPR Classical.

May Membership Drive to Promote Children's Literacy

At VPR, we pride ourselves on connecting the community with our news, music, and conversation. But occasionally, we have the opportunity to connect our community in another way - through a membership drive!

In the past, our listeners have come together during membership drives to help the Vermont Foodbank as well as the CVPS Shareheat and Warmth programs. For our upcoming May membership drive, VPR has partnered with two other Vermont-based organizations to promote children's literacy.

Here's how it works: For every pledge that VPR receives during the drive, the Children's Literacy Foundation (CLiF) will give a new book to a low-income or at-risk child in our region, thanks to Casella Waste.

CLiF is based in Waterbury and, since their founding in 1998, they have given away over 100,000 new books to children and libraries across Vermont and New Hampshire. After spending just an hour with CLiF Executive Director Duncan McDougall and his staff earlier this year, we had moved way beyond the exploratory stage and were discussing deadlines and trading email addresses.

We knew that we needed a third partner organization to agree to donate to CLiF based on the number of pledges we received during the drive. We typically receive between 5,000 and 6,000 pledges, so it would take a significant commitment. We turned to one of our underwriters, Casella Waste, who was just finishing up their holiday sponsorship of the Toys for Kids program. After talking it over with Stephen McDonnell, their director of sales and marketing, Casella decided they had to be involved. We were ready to go.

We know that our listeners don't look forward to membership drives (okay, we actually have heard from a few of you who DO look forward to them), but we hope this partnership encourages you to support your public radio station, knowing that your pledge will also help foster a child's love of reading.

But why wait for the drive to begin? Make your pledge right now, your gift will give us a head start on the drive, as well as provide a new book for a child in our region.

Please click here to make your pledge to support VPR and this important effort - and thanks!

Opera Quiz For April

This spring we've been having fun with opera quizzes on Saturday Afternoon at the Opera with Peter Fox Smith. April's quiz is one of the last two we'll have this Met opera season, and like the others it's just a matter of listening to a great operatic voice (past or present), picking up a clue or two, and taking your best guess as to who the voice is.

Our April mystery voice is someone who was seemingly destined for a life in music. His mother was an accomplished violinist and his father was a choir director. As a young man he worked at a busy bakery in his hometown in Germany and entertained the shop's patrons with his beautiful voice. At their urging he finally applied for enrollment in the Freiburg Music Academy in Breisgau, and the town fathers awarded the promising young talent a scholarship to attend. He studied both voice and French Horn at the school.

The natural lyric tenor went on to make his successful professional debut locally in the mid-1950s, and enjoyed singing roles (particularly Mozart roles) in major European opera houses including those in Bavaria, Vienna, and England.

He very much looked forward to the day he could sing on the Metropolitan Opera stage as well. That date should have been October 8, 1966, singing the role of Don Ottavio in a new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni. But, it was not to be. He died unexpectedly on September 17, 1966 (a week before his 36^th birthday) when he took an accidental fall down a stone stairway at a friend's country estate in Heidelberg.

Though his career was cut short he is still considered one of the finest lyric tenors the world has ever known. Ready to guess? ...... OK, here goes: the subject of April's opera quiz is......Fritz Wunderlich!

No one correctly guessed the mystery voice this time around, but please listen in again for the next one. Our season finale Saturday Afternoon at the Opera quiz is coming up on May 21st.

Here's Herr Wunderlich singing Tamino's aria from Mozart's The Magic Flute:

Poetic Pairings - 4/27/2011

We're coming to the end of National Poetry Month, a month-long celebration of the art form. VPR Classical's starting each weekday morning with a 'poetry pairing': a poetry reading and a piece of music selected to answer to the poem in some way.

Galway Kinnell was born in Rhode Island, and his travels (including time in Paris as a Fulbright scholar) include Europe and the Middle East. These days he makes his home right here in Vermont and is a frequent participant in local readings and poetry projects.

Today's poem seemed to fit the feel of springtime, it's Kinnell's very sensual "Last Gods". After that we'll hear trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger and pianist Roland Pöntinen performing William Weide's variations on "My Love is like a Red, Red, Rose".

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

Where's George Thomas?

Bob Parlocha is filling in for George Thomas for a few days.

Bob Parlocha is a nationally recognized jazz expert and the former program director at KJAZ of San Fransisco. He started his jazz radio career as host of Dinner Jazz on KJAZ.

Bob is program director and music host for the Jazz Satellite Network at WFMT in Chicago. His favorite artists are John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Cannonball Aderly and Roland Kirk. There will be no playlist this week while Bob fills in.

Send us an email and let us know what you think of the program. George will be back soon!

Poetic Pairings - 4/26/2011

"April showers bring May flowers", and National Poetry Month brings a daily selection of poetry readings and related music to VPR Classical's mornings. Cheryl's starting each weekday morning with a poetry reading and a piece of music selected to complement the theme of the poem.

Today's 'poetic pairing' comes from a project that was created in 1994. The movie "Il Postino" had just been released to great international success. It told the fictional story of poet Pablo Neruda's exile in Italy, his friendship with a young postman in his village, and the sublime magic that poetry worked in the postman's previously unsuccessful efforts in love.

The film was produced by Miramax, and shortly after the film came out the chairmen of the company (Harvey and Bob Weinstein) began to hear from people around the world - especially the actors with whom they worked so closely - how much Neruda's poetry meant to them. So they created a recording of Neruda's poetry being read by people such as Julia Roberts, Willem Defoe, Sting, Madonna, and around 10 others. The one thing every narrator had in common was their love of Neruda's writings.

This morning we'll hear Miranda Richardson's reading of Neruda's "Poetry" paired with the deeply touching song "Amor mio, si muero y tu no mueres..." ("My love, if I die and you do not..."), one of the five "Neruda Songs" by Peter Lieberson. We learned with sadness on Saturday that Lieberson had passed away after a five-year battle with Lymphoma. He was 64, and he wrote the Neruda Songs to be sung by his wife, the late Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson.

Here's Alex Ross' remembrance of Lieberson.

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here and take a moment to enjoy Lieberson's "Amor, mio" from the Neruda Songs here.

Intelligence Squared

This week, VPR offers you the opportunity to listen to Intelligence Squared at VPR.net. These provocative debates are held monthly at New York University from June through May. Opposing panels of world re-known experts challenge your convictions on critical issues in an Oxford-style debate.

For this program, the motion on the table is "It's Time to Clip America's Global Wings". Arguing for the motion are Vermont State Senator and former foreign diplomat Peter Galbraith; and Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. Arguing against it are Elliott Abrams, foreign policy adviser to Presidents Bush and Reagan; and Eliot Cohen, Professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins University. The moderator is ABC News correspondent John Donovan.

Just two decades ago there seemed to be no limits to American power. 9/11, the financial crisis, the rise of China, are all reminders of what a different world we live in today. What should America’s role be in the new world order? Are we guilty of overreach, or have we not been ambitious enough? This debate may challenge you to rethink your point of view.

Click here for VPR Presents: Intelligence Squared.

And here's the link to learn more about Intelligence Squared and listen to past debates. We'd love to know what you think of the program.

Poetic Pairings - 4/25/2011

National Poetry Month means 'poetic pairings', on VPR Classical. Each weekday morning begins with a poetry reading and a piece of music chosen to fit the theme of the selected poem.

Nikki Giovanni is an activist, a teacher, and a cancer survivor. Every one of those attributes has served to deeply inform her poetry. Her first volume of verse ("Black Feeling, Black Talk") was published in 1967 in direct response to the civil rights movement. Since then she's published another 25, including a selection of books for children.

In 2008 National Public Radio commissioned her to write a poem for President Obama's inauguration ceremony, and, she was one of the select poets asked to read at the Lincoln Memorial ceremony commemorating the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth in 2009.

This morning we'll hear Giovanni's spirited poem, "Stardate 18628.190#", a rhythmic pastiche of familiar home images, iconic civil rights moments, and music references. After that Leontyne Price (one of the singers mentioned in the poem) sings the triumphant "Alleliua" from Mozart's bouyant concert aria "Exsultate jubilate".

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

(photo by Brett Weinstein)

Poetic Pairings - 4/22/2011

VPR Classical's 'poetic pairings' for National Poetry Month continue today. We're starting each weekday morning with a poetry reading and a piece of music that somehow responds to the theme of the selected poem.

Today's selection was made with Earth Day in mind. Dublin poet and Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney reads his "Death of a Naturalist", the story of an experience on a hot summer day at frog pond. Then we'll hear Georg Philip Telemann's own homage to amphibians in his Concerto, "Die Relinge" - "The Frogs".

As a special treat, later in the 8am hour this morning Vermont poet Major Jackson will stop by for a conversation about his latest book "Holding Company", National Poetry Month, and other topics.

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

Murrow Awards

Every spring, when awards season rolls around, we get a chance to see how we stack up against other radio news operations of our size around New England.

This year, we were humbled to learn that VPR News was honored with six regional Edward R. Murrow awards from the Radio, Television, Digital News Association.

The most gratifying was for “overall excellence,” a category that considers a wide variety of VPR’s best work from the course of the past year. Later this spring, all of the winning work in regional contests will compete for national recognition.

There’s no denying that it’s nice to win an award. It’s an ego boost. But we’ve found that these competitions are important for much more than the nice plaques that we get to put in a display case in the front lobby.

These awards make us better, because they’re an opportunity to test ourselves against the best in the field. We don’t set out to win an award when we write a story. But when we do win, it shows that we’re practicing good, solid journalism. And that’s the value for our listeners.

But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’m awfully proud of the work that we produce around here, the stuff that wins awards and the day-to-day journalism that informs and entertains. If you’d like to take a look at this year’s winning work, you can visit VPR.net. (By the way, it was recognized with a Murrow award, too)

Poetic Pairings - 4/19/2011

VPR Classical's 'poetic pairings' continue this morning in our ongoing celebration of National Poetry Month. Each weekday morning starts with a poetry reading followed by a piece of music that somehow relates to the theme of the selected poem.

Tomorrow is Earth Day, and with that in mind we turn to the inspiring writings of contemporary Greek poet Odysseas Elytis, from "The Garden with the Self-Deceptions". He won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1979 and he's considered to be one of the most important voices in Greek modernism. His verse is read by fellow Greek poet Olga Broumas.

After that we'll hear the colorful "Helios" Overture by Carl Nielsen, named after the Greek god of the sun and inspired by a real visit to Greece. The overture is a musical realization of a full day on the Aegean sea; from the gentle awakening of dawn (heard in the stirrings of the horns and strings) to the brassy fanfare of the full noontime sun, and finally the day's end with the quieting of the entire orchestra.

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

Poetic Pairings - 4/20/2011

We're celebrating National Poetry Month on VPR Classical with 'poetic pairings'. Each weekday morning starts with a poetry reading followed by a piece of music that somehow fits the theme of the featured poem.

Today we hit the open road with a rambling reading by Jack Kerouac from his era-defining work, "The Beat Generation".

I had to really think about what music might work with the picture those words paint. Would it be Harry Partch (a favorite composer of mine) and his "Barstow", a song cycle with text taken from hitchhiker inscriptions found on California overpasses? Something jazzy? Or would it be something "cool" and "hip", the very musical embodiment of all that Kerouac represented?

In the end I chose a piece that swings AND speaks to the open road with which Kerouac is so closely associated. It's John Adams' "40% Swing", from his suite "Road Movies". I hope you enjoy it.

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here. This is also a nice montage of Kerouac's "American Haiku" at YouTube.

(photo by Tom Palumbo, circa 1956)

Poetic Pairings - 4/19/2011

Passover began yesterday evening at sundown.

This month VPR Classical is celebrating National Poetry Month by starting each weekday morning with a "poetic pairing" - a poetry reading paired with a piece of music that somehow responds to the theme of the featured poem.

Today's pairing features self-described "jazz poet" Dan Jaffe in a reading of his reflective work, "Learning About Passover and Easter". As the poem begins, the narrator recalls, "For one week and a day we eat no bread. Stop fumbling, son, and listen. I was 8."

Dan Jaffe is in his 70s now, with more than 15 books and a long history of involvement with civil rights, jazz, and friendships with fellow poets Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks.

Jaffe's reading will be followed by selections from Handel's great Passover oratorio, "Israel in Egypt".

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

[Dan Jaffe's photo is from www.allaboutjazz.com]

Poetic Pairings - 4/18/2011

VPR Classical is celebrating National Poetry Month by starting each weekday morning this month with a "poetic pairing" - a poetry reading paired with a piece of music that somehow speaks to the theme of the featured poem.

It's also tax day today, and that seemed like a great occasion to hear a humorous (and all-too-true) poetic homage to the working person. "Job Application" is a performance piece by Canadian artist and wordsmith Meryn Cadell. We'll follow that up with the music Aaron Copland wrote for tax season during the Second World War, his "Fanfare for the Common Man" premiered on March 12th, 1943. Copland said he was "...all for honoring the common man at income tax time".

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

Update: Federal Funding for Public Broadcasting

As you may have heard, Congress passed a budget bill yesterday that avoids the prospect of a government shutdown and funds the government through September. President Obama is expected to sign the bill soon.

I am happy to report that funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting survived and is included in the budget bill. Congress appropriated $445 million for public broadcasting, about the same as last year, and there are no restrictions on how the funds may be used. Unfortunately, the budget for the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP), which helps build and enhance infrastructure, was eliminated. Over the years, VPR has received approximately $300,000 from PTFP to improve and expand its network.

Thanks to everyone who stood up for public broadcasting over the past few months; it was a difficult debate. However, your ongoing support for federal funding of public broadcasting is crucial. We know that there will be renewed calls in Congress to eliminate public broadcasting funding in the coming months as deliberations begin on the FY12 federal budget.

Public broadcasting is one of the most successful public/private partnerships in America, with $6 in local support matching every $1 invested by the federal government. Cutting off federal dollars would negatively impact the millions of people who use public broadcasting every day. VPR receives approximately $600,000 a year from the Corporation from Public Broadcasting.

Despite the tremendous benefits and the support it enjoys from the vast majority of Americans, public broadcasting will continue to face a rising tide of opposition from a vocal, motivated minority determined to slash all federal support for the industry.

If you haven’t already, make your voice heard by joining 170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting, an unprecedented collaboration between American’s public radio and television stations. Its goal is to create a network of local rallying points for members, listeners, viewers and others who value public media as a source of non-partisan news, local cultural programming and non-commercial educational programs.

I encourage you to stay involved by visiting the project’s web site – 170MillionAmericans.org – and registering to receive regular updates in the coming weeks and months. The impact of your participation will be felt now and during the debates yet to come, as we continue to stand up for public broadcasting.

Thanks again for your support of Vermont Public Radio.

How Mitch Wertlieb Selects His Music

In case you didn't read Seven Days this week, we thought you'd enjoy this article about VPR's Morning Edition host Mitch Wertlieb. Learn about the science behind his music selections. And was Mitch really a Dead Head?

PS: Coming soon - the inside story on VPR Classical's Walter Parker!

Poetic Pairings - 4/15/2011

We're celebrating National Poetry Month on VPR Classical! Each weekday morning this month begins with a "poetic pairing" - a poetry reading paired with a piece of music that somehow relates to the featured poem.

Today's verse begins with the famous line, "life for me ain't been no crystal stair". In the iconic civil rights poem "Mother to Son", Langston Hughes' splintered, threadbare staircase is a vivid metaphor for the struggle not only of a mother but of a whole race, and an era.

Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri. His lifetime of travels and studies took him all over the world but he will forever be identified as a voice of the Harlem Renaissance - the place that became the final resting place for his ashes when he passed away in 1967. His works include essays, poetry, plays, short stories, and non-fiction books - all of which explored themes of cultural heritage, identity, and being black in America.

This morning we'll hear Langston Hughes reading his "Mother to Son", followed by two selections ("April in Harlem", and "Night Club") from James P. Johnson's "Harlem Symphony".

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

Poetic Pairings - 4/14/2011

VPR Classical is celebrating National Poetry Month with "poetic pairings" - a poetry reading paired with a piece of music that somehow relates to the featured poem.

Today I'll feature a piece by a man known for poetry, but his creative output also included plays, paintings, novels, and essays. His legacy is in unusually original poetic forms, his fearless experimenting with traditional meter and construction, and, his conspicuous disregard of capital letters.

e.e. cummings was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and authored around 2,900 works of different kinds. At the time of his death (September, 1962) he was one of the most read poets of the day in the U.S. along with Robert Frost.

This morning's poetic pairing features a reading of cummings' poem, "i thank you god for most this amazing day" along with Eric Whitacre's contemporary choral setting of that verse.


Listen for more poetic pairings this month, weekday mornings from 8-10am on VPR Classical. And you can find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

Attila Zoller and The Vermont Jazz Center

One of the main venues for jazz in Vermont is located in Brattleboro, not in Burlington. It was the vision and hard work of the Hungarian-born guitarist Attila Zollar who founded the Vermont Jazz Center in 1974, a space for creativity with classes in addition to vigorous and imaginative live performances from world class jazz artists.
Attila Zoller was trained classically by his father, a professional violinist. He escaped Hungary in 1948 just before the permanent Soviet blockade of the country, hiking across the mountains to Austria, carrying just his guitar and a few articles of clothing.
Encouraged by visiting American jazz musicians (especially Oscar Pettiford and Lee Konitz) Attila moved to the U.S. after winning a scholarship to study at the Lenox School Of Jazz. He studied with Jim Hall, roomed with Ornette Coleman an ended up playing in groups led by Chico Hamilton and then Herbie Mann.
He was one of the few to play across several styles, from swing to bop to free jazz.

Each year the Vermont Jazz Center offers a concert that serves to remember and honor it's founder, Attila Zoller. This year’s concert is this Saturday April 16th and features a trio led by guitarist John Abercrombie, a long-time friend of Attila Zollar, with Gary Versace on organ and Adam Nussbaum on drums.

Poetic Pairings - 4/13/2011

VPR Classical is celebrating National Poetry Month each morning at 8am with "poetic pairings" - a poet reading their own work, followed by a piece of music that somehow fits the theme of the poem.

We began last week with Hayden Carruth's "Regarding Chainsaws" paired with the Frank Nuyts marimba concerto, "Woodnotes".

This morning we'll turn to an exceptional woman who is both a Pulitzer prizewinner and a recipient of the National Medal of Arts - the nation's highest honor for artists.

Maya Angelou reads her "Phenomenal Woman", followed by Joan Tower's "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman #1".

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, weekday mornings from 8-10am on VPR Classical. And you can find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

Find Your Cabin Fever Cure Saturday Night

The Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier is holding the second annual Celebration of Storytelling Saturday evening. Last year, this was an SRO community event that people talked about for weeks – so you don’t want to miss it.

You’ll hear your neighbors and friends share stories that will make you laugh, perhaps shed a tear, and definitely leave you with a new appreciation of life’s twists and turns.

VPR will be taping the event. You can listen to the stories we broadcast last year.

Hope to see you at the Celebration of Storytelling at the Vermont College Fine Arts Chapel Saturday. The event starts at 7:30. It's free. Come early for the best seats.

The Vermont Garden Journal Is Back

The Vermont Garden Journal is back with weekly organic gardening advice from horticulturist Charlie Nardozzi. You can tune into new episodes on Friday afternoons at 5:55 and Saturday mornings at 8:55.

Last week Charlie gave us his choices of new vegetable varieties for 2011. At the top of his list were hearty, blight-resistant tomatoes and ugly-skinned squash that have the delicate subtle taste of hazelnuts (heads up to you hazelnut coffee heads!) This week Charlie shares flower varieties that are old, new, borrowed, and blue - no wedding necessary.

The Vermont Garden Journal is satisfying those springtime urges now, but will be around for the long haul through harvest season. Prepare yourself for 31 weeks of gardening insight and advice from local expert Charlie Nardozzi. Each week, Charlie focuses on a topic that's relevant to both new and experienced gardeners. From lawns and lilacs, to giant pumpkins, perennials, and pests; Charlie Nardozzi covers a lot of ground in this series.

To join the ongoing conversation visit The Vermont Garden Journal Facebook Page

And for full transcripts and audio as well as all of last seasons’ episodes, check out VPR’s Vermont Garden Journal Page.

Tune in next week for full disclosure on the Jerusalem Artichoke --- this underground operator’s neither an artichoke nor from Jerusalem.

Truth and Trust in the News

With all the changes in media, how can you be sure you’re getting the best and most trusted news from your public radio station?

Soon after I came to VPR 10 years ago, I was charged with writing the editorial policy for this station as it became more deeply involved in producing regional news.

I still have pages of notes that I used to draft that policy and in looking them over, I find they remain as relevant today as they did then. In part, that’s because professional journalism has widely accepted standards of excellence and accountability.

The standards rise from the station’s mission to be “essential and trusted” and an independent voice for news. They also rise from VPR’s stated values, which include best practices of journalism. Bill Keller, the executive editor of The New York Times, refers to these best practices as “first principals.”

Behind the scenes, that means that VPR’s news team carefully chooses what stories to cover. This starts with a “beat” system that assures that VPR pays attention to a wide range of topics important to listeners. At daily news meetings, reporters, producers and editors gather to discuss the possible stories of the day, how the station can provide depth and meaning to them, and what the various points of view might be in a given story. There are a number of ways to tell a story – an interview, a produced piece by a reporter, online text or audio or video, or a call-in program, for example. We aim to choose the format that tells the story most effectively.

Here are a few more examples of best practices…

• The news staff strives for objectivity.
• Stories are based on facts.
• Accuracy is paramount and errors are corrected.
• A virtual firewall separates news and development departments.
• Stories go through a robust editing process, often by more than one editor or producer.
• VPR does not use anonymous sources.
• Sources are always told when the tape is turned on.
• Accuracy and meaning are more important than being first with the news.
• Conflicts of interest are disallowed.
• All communications with listeners are read and answered.
  

But what about the various “sides” of a story? This is one of the areas that puts the professional journalist to the test. What information is the closest to the truth? How many different points of view are there? Is the truth of a story served only if all points are represented equally?

While VPR seeks balance, we try not to practice “she-said, he-said” journalism, where for every point made an equal and opposite reaction is reported that leaves the listener unable to determine where the true meaning of a story lies. Likewise, finding the extremes and picking the point in the middle is not good journalism. So we make professional judgments, and they are fact-based. The goal is to get as close to the truth as possible.

Hosts are encouraged to ask strong follow-up questions when they are interviewing news guests. The host is there to ask the questions the listener might have and to be aware of other opinions that might challenge the point of view at hand. However, they are not there to be adversaries. During the political debates of 2010, some listeners thought our hosts were too soft on the candidates; other listeners thought our hosts were much too aggressive. We strive for the right amount of push-back that gets at the truth without badgering a guest on our shows.

All people have beliefs and life experiences, from doctors to plumbers to journalists. But as professionals those experiences must not sway the quality of their work.

In my many years in journalism, I have seen Republican and Democratic governors tested and pressed by the media. I recall circumstances when the late Governor Snelling was challenged on his unwavering confidence in his own truth. But it wasn’t long before the same journalists were pressing former Governor Kunin on her what they perceived was too much circumspection.

Is this a perfect science? It is not. Yet we continually strive for that - the perfect story, the best information, the deepest meaning, the real truth, the most public service.

Public radio is well known for testing itself and for putting its policies and practices under a microscope. I think one of the best statements about fairness in journalism comes from the public radio guidebook, “Independence and Integrity:”

"Reporting that is fair, accurate and balanced is true to the ideals of journalism. Such reporting filters out bias in the traditional spirit of objectivity, while allowing reporters to apply their personal insights and engagement with the issues they cover. It results in the healthy skepticism, tempered by the positive pursuit of truth that marks the best journalists."

It’s one of the guiding principles of VPR’s Editorial Policy.

John Van Hoesen
VPR Vice President for News & Programming

Poetic Pairings - 4/7/2011

Dorothy Parker is the featured poet today as VPR Classical's month-long celebration of National Poetry Month continues. I'm opening each show this month with a "poetic pairing": a poet reading their own work, followed by a piece of music that somehow fits the theme of the poem.

This morning we'll feature an unexpectedly introspective poem by the extroverted "grand dame" of the famed Algonquin Round Table group of writers and wits. Dorothy Parker's "Afternoon" finds the legendary wit in a rare reflective mood, considering what old age may be like. We'll follow the archival 1928 recording with Claude Debussy's languid "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun".

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, weekday mornings from 8-10am on VPR Classical. And you can find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

Poetic Pairings - 4/6/2011

VPR Classical's month-long celebration of National Poetry Month continues today with another "poetic pairing". I'm opening each show at 8am this month with a poet reading their own work, followed by a piece of music that somehow fits the theme of the poem.

For today's poet we look just over the state border - the Eastern border - to the man who was named the 2006 Poet Laureate of the United States. Donald Hall was born in 1928 in Connecticut, and he moved to New Hampshire in 1975. Since that time he's made his home at Eagle Pond Farm, finding unending inspiration in the years behind him and the landscape around him.

This morning's poetic pairing is actually more of a threesome. We'll hear Hall reading his early spring poem, "Love is Like Sounds", accompanied by Claude Debussy's "Snow is Dancing" from the Children's Corner Suite. Then it's a magical moment from Tchaikovsky's 'Nutcracker' ballet, with the "Waltz of the Snowflakes".

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, weekday mornings from 8-10am on VPR Classical. And you can find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

A Conversation With Robin Turnau

On Wednesday, April 6th at 2:00 I’ll be taking listener calls, and I welcome your thoughts and ideas. Every day we get email messages and Facebook comments about our programming. I thought I’d share a sampling of comments that we’ve received in the past few weeks to get you thinking about what you like and don’t like about VPR, VPR Classical, and VPR.net.

“Please get rid of “Speaking of Faith, “The Story”, and that bad space music show on Saturday night.”

“VPR is a wonderful community resource and an honest source of accurate, unbiased news.”

“Please dispense with the mind-numbingly vapid local commentaries.”

“As much as I have loved My Place over the years, it seems like it’s become more and more common to hear music from the 40’s and 50’s. Is that really what listeners care about??”

“The best of VPR Classical are the local programs. The worst is Bill McLaughlin. Second worst is From the Top. Performance Today is so-so.”

“I am very upset that you have not yet provided the whole state with the classical music station except for HD radio.”

“I find the idea of VPR as “too liberal” to be totally false. In fact, it seems to me that conservative viewpoints get more coverage than liberal and no one at all covers anything that might be considered “radical”."

“I really love NPR but I find the on-air fundraising SO annoying. Anything you can do to shorten or eliminate fund drives would be enormously appreciated.”

“When (not if) your public funding is cut, you need to get rid of your duplicate radio service for classical music. This is exactly why I haven’t joined NPR – though I listen A LOT – if you have $$ to double the # of stations that you used to have, you don’t need additional funds.”

“During the recent pledge drive, we were told that Car Talk is your most expensive program. If you ever have to cut any programming to save money, Car Talk should be the first to go.”

“Garrison Keillor is tiresome and smug. Please drop Writer’s Almanac and the Prairie Home Companion.”

“Why so much jazz?”

“Your local news is too fluffy and not that newsworthy. Stop talking about having a feed from the floor of the legislature – boring.”

“The Statehouse stream is great to listen to when I'm interested in a vote but can't get there.”

“I think that having a daily Vermont Edition was a very good idea; Jane Lindholm does a terrific job. I also really enjoy Mitch Wertlieb in the morning.”



Let me know your thoughts by emailing me in advance at conversation@vpr.net, or call Wednesday afternoon between 2:00 and 3:00. And thanks!

Robin Turnau, VPR President

Poetic Pairings - 4/4/2011

It's National Poetry Month. I'm going to open each show this month with a poet reading their own work, followed by a piece of music that somehow fits the theme of the poem.

Our first poetic pairing features verse from someone who had deep Vermont roots. Hayden Carruth wasn't born here, but the three+ decades he spent on his farm in Johnson proved gritty inspiration for many of his most beloved and iconic poems, such as "Emergency Haying", "The Cows at Night", and this morning's selection: "Regarding Chainsaws".

After the poem we'll hear from Frank Nuyts' 1987 concerto for marimba and orchestra, "Woodnotes".

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, weekday mornings from 8-10am on VPR Classical. And you can find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.