NPR: Freelancer Recycled interviews in 157 Reports - iMediaEthics

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(Credit: NPR)

NPR completed its review of Danielle Karson’s freelance work for the organization. It found “at least 157 of those reports” included recycled interview clips without disclosure that they had been reused. NPR noted it would no longer use Karson’s work.

Last month, NPR revealed it found recycled interviews in “at least 30 reports” since 2011, as iMediaEthics previously reported. At the time, Karson told iMediaEthics she didn’t have a statement prepared but argued, “there’s a huge difference between violating company policy and ethical violations. So the punishment should fit the crime.” iMediaEthics has written to Karson to ask for her response to the review’s findings.

“The network examined all stories filed by her that are still available in its audio management system — 1,429 separate files from the years 2011 into 2018,” NPR’s report read. “As best as can be determined, all were short reports for the NPR Newscasts that are broadcast once or twice an hour throughout the day.”

In addition, two online stories of Karson’s featured recycled information, so NPR added editor’s notes disclosing that information has now been removed, NPR said.

NPR said the recycling broke NPR standards, explaining:

“Listeners would not have known the speakers had been recorded months, or sometimes years, earlier. Instead, the reports were presented as if they included new comments from those speakers about such things as wildfires, droughts and severe weather. Karson did not tell NPR editors that the audio clips she was including in those reports were recycled material.”

NPR said Karson did not respond to the network’s inquiries about the review’s findings.

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NPR: Freelancer Recycled interviews in 157 Reports

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