12
FISCAL YEAR
Fiscal Year 2012 | 3
WELCOME TO THE 2012 ANNUAL REPORT FROM NPR
IN 2012, NPR reporters were on the scene no matter
where the news took place, chronicling moments in
history with rich, in-depth reporting that placed our
listeners in the heart of every story. Throughout 2012,
we remained committed to bringing the most dynamic
and informative content to the air and on NPR.org
in accordance with our mission: to create a more
informed public.
In the newsroom, our mission was clear in the depth and
context we brought to the major news events of the year,
both internationally and domestically.
As other news organizations continued to pull back from
international coverage our commitment remained strong.
Our team of international correspondents covered the
important stories around the globe from some of the
most challenging and dangerous regions. Kelly McEvers
delivered gripping coverage from Yemen. In Syria, amid
a rising tide of violence, NPR’s Deborah Amos kept
recording, even as the United Nations ceased operations.
Guiding NPR’s work was our new Supervising Senior
Editor for international coverage, Edith Chapin, a longtime
CNN VP and Bureau Chief who joined NPR in 2012.
In the U.S., we partnered with the Center for Public
Integrity and ProPublica to bring our audience major
investigations on topics including the black lung
resurgence in portions of Virginia, West Virginia, and
Kentucky, and new insights into the housing crisis.
Our election year coverage began with a hotly contested
battle for the Republican nomination for president. With
a new frontrunner every week, our experienced team
of political analysts and reporters were on the ground
covering every angle, from the debates, to updates from
campaign headquarters the night of the primary, to the
equally intense general election.
The year was notable for collaborations between NPR
and our local Member Stations as we pivoted together
to provide national audiences with the latest from
breaking news events including the tragedy at Sandy
Hook Elementary and the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado.
When Superstorm Sandy struck, NPR tackled the story
with the full power of our newsroom, bringing together
coverage by our National, Washington, Science, and
Planet Money teams. On the ground in the aected areas,
our Member Stations were lifelines for their audience and
brought essential perspective to NPR’s national coverage
as the storm progressed.
And NPR continued to look for ways to tell stories
in distinct ways. For example, our Olympic coverage
engaged audiences with the NPR Poetry Games, which
invited poets to compose original works celebrating the
Olympics, and invited listeners to select their favorites.
Over the year, NPR told the stories that need to be told
and celebrated the human experience through music,
art, and culture.
NPR Music partnered with our NPR Member Stations
to once again bring live broadcasts from the SXSW
conference, but this time as the exclusive content
provider for the first ever live worldwide broadcast of
the keynote address from SXSW, given by Bruce
Springsteen. NPR Music was there at other landmark
music events throughout the year, including the Celebrate
Brooklyn! Performing Arts Festival, Newport Folk and
Jazz Festivals, and Alt. Latino’s not-to-be-missed concert
with Puerto Rican hip hop duo Calle 13 and Chilean
MC Ana Tijoux.
Our storytelling across platforms was evident in our
launch of several new technical advances. NPR expanded
its online reach by collaborating with the Ford Motor
Company to launch a first of its kind app that enables