It was an unscripted and inappropriate remark
The day after the FBI released a video of the masked man who is believed to have kidnapped Nancy Guthrie from her home in the middle of the night, Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep interviewed a former FBI profiler.
In the setup for a question, Inskeep said the man’s mask made him look “a little like a federal immigration agent.” Many people wrote in to point out that the comparison was irresponsible. Listeners flooded our inbox with concerns about this correlation.
NPR news executives would not discuss this on the record. But no one defended it either. After a sample of listener notes, I’ll share what I wish NPR had done.
In this newsletter we also praise an example of NPR’s Olympic coverage. While almost every national media outlet is covering the Winter Games, NPR offers several unique angles, including an episode of The Indicator from Planet Money that breaks down how much it costs to be a top-level figure skater. — Kelly McBride
Here are a few quotes from the Public Editor’s inbox that resonated with us. Letters are edited for length and clarity. You can share your questions and concerns with us through the NPR Contact page.
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A non sequitur with political overtones
Kevin Robertson wrote on Feb. 11: I’ve been a long time listener, but after Steve’s unnecessary commentary this morning comparing a masked man at Nancy Guthrie’s home to ICE agents wearing masks I have concerns about his integrity. I would expect better from NPR. I’ve always understood NPR to have a bias, but please attempt to not be so obvious in the future. Comparing federal employees to a masked man possibly involved with her abduction is a lazy, unnecessary, biased jab.
Steve Grossman wrote on Feb. 11: What is your take on Inskeep’s comparison of the Guthrie suspect to an ICE agent? Good journalism ethics? Bad journalism ethics?
Ken Stephens wrote on Feb. 11: I was listening to Steve Inskeep this morning and he compared the Nancy Guthrie kidnapper in the video to federal ICE agents. Can we please stop placing Trump in every story! Has no relevance to the story.
Timothy Campbell wrote on Feb. 11: While listening to Morning Edition, I heard Steve Inskeep infer that the person in the Guthrie kidnapping video looked like a federal immigration officer? NPR is the first to report this. Will there be more reporting to the link between ICE and the kidnapping?
When doing live interviews, NPR hosts are supported by a team of producers, editors and correspondents who collectively help the host script the questions. When a script contains an error, the entire team takes responsibility.
This comment was not in the script. Inskeep was asking a former FBI profiler to describe what is likely happening as the FBI looks at the newly recovered video of the suspect. His first question was straightforward: “Can you explain for people what it is that a profiler does in a situation like this?”
Inskeep’s second question was significantly longer: “So let me think about this. We have this man. He walks up to the porch. His — he’s armed and his face is covered, a little like a federal immigration agent, although it’s more covered even than that. He’s wearing gloves. His head’s down. Other times, head up. Something in the mouth. Looks like a flashlight in the mouth. Walks up to the security camera. That’s what I see. What do you see, and what do you read from that?”
The profiler didn’t directly comment on the comparison. Instead, she described how she would analyze the person’s behavior and his choices of clothing, saying he was “in very odd attire, at least from the waist up.”
Carlos Carmonamedina for NPR Public Editor
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Comparing the intruder on Guthrie’s porch to a federal immigration agent was both irrelevant and inflammatory. The short phrase was interpreted by listeners to be a commentary on the controversial tactics of federal law enforcement. Some news consumers who care deeply about the dramatic story of Guthrie’s kidnapping felt like the comment was a sign of disrespect.
An NPR news executive who would only talk on background told me that Inskeep did not intend for the statement to be political commentary. Instead, the off-the-cuff description was meant to help the audience understand what was in the video.
It was not meant to connect the scrutiny of federal officers to the intruder on Guthrie’s porch, the news executive said.
Many newsrooms have reported on concerns that masked agents make communities less safe because criminals imitate their behavior. That’s a real story that merits reporting resources.
Inskeep did not reply to my request for an interview. And other executives would only talk on background or off the record. So I don’t know what he was thinking when he made the comparison. Critics will say it was political bias. Supporters will say it was a verbal stumble.
NPR frequently fixes mistakes that air in the first hour of its live shows. They did that last November when Inskeep used an inaccurate term to describe the victims of Jeffrey Epstein. But editing a question is not an option when the interview is with a source, as opposed to another NPR journalist. So the comment lives on permanently.
That left Morning Edition with three difficult options. It could have pulled the interview from additional airings, which would have been an over-reaction. It could have acknowledged the poor comparison and explained what was intended. Or, the show could do nothing and let the interview stand.
I wish they would have chosen to explain what happened to the audience. They could have done that here, or Inskeep could have done it on one of his social media accounts. NPR chose to let the interview stand, which means that unfortunate moment will be fuel for those who accuse NPR of anti-Trump bias. — 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.
Illustration by Carlos Carmonamedina
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Illustration by Carlos Carmonamedina
Breaking down the economics of Olympic figure skating
The average cost of making it to the Olympics as a figure skater is $1 million. We know because on a recent episode of The Indicator from Planet Money, Lillian Karabaic of Oregon Public Broadcasting walked host Wailin Wong through a detailed rundown of the costs. They describe how it starts for families of young children who want to skate and how the expenses grow as the athletes get more competitive. The Indicator brings listeners a fascinating explainer behind the most-watched sport of the Winter Olympics and, in turn, scratches our curiosity itch. You can also watch Karabaic, who once skated competitively, show off her skills in this fun video. — Amaris Castillo
The Office of the Public Editor is a team. Reporters Amaris Castillo and Nicole Slaughter Graham and copy editor Merrill Perlman make this newsletter possible. Illustrations are by Carlos Carmonamedina. We are still reading all of your messages on Facebook, X and from our inbox. As always, keep them coming. And if you enjoy our work, please forward this to a friend. They can sign up for the Public Editor newsletter here.
Kelly McBride
NPR Public Editor
Chair, Craig Newmark Center for Ethics & Leadership at the Poynter Institute