Talking to Ourselves: A Content Analysis of NPR's Use of Journalists as Sources

Abstract

National Public Radio (NPR) has built its reputation on in-depth analysis and unbiased reporting of information based on questions its reporters ask, the ways reporters tell their stories, and NPR's use of journalists as sources within their stories. This article focuses on understanding how these journalist-sources are used and how this practice contributes to the larger issues of source credibility facing media today. A content analysis of NPR's All Things Considered programming from 1999 to 2009 shows that NPR journalists are used as sources more often in stories about philosophical topics and significantly less often in stories that contain more hard data.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sara Magee

Sara Magee (Ph.D., Ohio University, 2008) is Assistant Professor of Communications at Loyola University Maryland. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in electronic media and studio production, media ethics, and journalism history. Her research interests include the “news versus entertainment” debate, pop culture in the media, social media and journalism, and growing global news organizations.

Howard Fisher

Howard Fisher (Ph.D., Ohio University, 2012) is Assistant Professor of Communication at The University of Scranton. He teaches journalism and broadcasting courses, specializing in broadcast communication and production, writing, and electronic media history. His research interests include entertainment media, credibility in the mass media, videogames, and gender studies.