“‘What’s advocacy and what’s not?’ she asked. ‘It’s very easy to present both sides and let it go at that. Maybe you become biased because you did all the research and you could come to no other conclusion.’” ~Barbara Newman
Steve Oney's intensely researched tome relies heavily on interviews with scores of former and current NPR employees. As a result, "On Air" can feel rather dense, with attributions occasionally handled clunkily and the prose bogging down with incessant clauses.
The story itself, however, is sublime and well told. The organization's perseverance through a litany of setbacks and obstacles -- continuing to this day -- is inspiring for anyone who values precise, passionate journalism.
“I think the fundamental advantage of narrative is that you can create a context where it’s possible to imagine being someone different from yourself.” ~Ira Glass
Oney's work serves as a timely reminder of the vital presence NPR holds in our culture and in a democracy under siege. While he underplays the role that government plays in undercutting and undermining the organization's efforts, the efforts put into articulating its origin story are instructive, important, and invaluable as the very nature of independent journalism becomes a daily question.
“‘The job of the reporter is to listen to all these distortions and pick up a little bit here, a little bit there. The other stuff you discard. The writer’s job is to search for truth in a world of deception and lies.’” ~Loren Jenkins
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