Alicia C. Shepard
Alicia C. Shepard was appointed NPR's ombudsman in October 2007. In 2000, NPR was the first U.S. broadcast news organization to create an Ombudsman position.
In this role, Shepard serves as the public's representative, and is responsible for bringing transparency to journalism decision-making processes. She responds to queries and comments from listeners, writes a blog, appears on NPR programs to discuss listener concerns, and provides guidance on journalism practices to NPR Member stations. She sees her job as explaining NPR to listeners, and listeners to NPR.
She also teaches a graduate-level course in Media Ethics at Georgetown University, where she won the 2009 Dean Service award for teaching in the journalism program.
Before coming to NPR, Shepard spent four years teaching journalism and contributing to Washingtonian magazine, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Newark Star Ledger and The Washington Post while working on a book.
That book, Woodward & Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate (2006, Wiley), chronicles the lives of the two journalists during and after their landmark investigation. She is the co-author of Running Toward Danger: Stories Behind the Breaking News of 9/11 (2002), about how journalists covered the tragedy and the public roles they played. She also wrote Narrowing the Gap: Military, Media and the Iraq War (2004).
She is on the boards of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism awards, the Fund for Investigative Journalism, and the Organization of News Ombudsmen.
From 1993 to 2002, Shepard was a principal contributor to American Journalism Review on such topics as ethics and the newspaper industry. Her work was recognized three times with the National Press Club's top media criticism prize.
In 2003, Shepard served as a Foster Distinguished Writer at Penn State.
She was a staff reporter with The San Jose (CA) Mercury News from 1982 to 1987. Shepard has also taught English in Japan.
Shepard holds a B.A. in English from The George Washington University and received a M.A. in Journalism from the University of Maryland.
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NPR has chosen Edward Schumacher-Matos as its new ombudsman. Alicia Shepard's last day is May 31. -
Listeners have a lot of questions about NPR sponsors and underwriters. Here's a Q&A we put together to help answer some questions.
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It drives listeners crazy when NPR doesn't clearly identify a think tanks' mission or point of view. Too often, a think tank uses a non-descriptive name that tells listeners nothing.
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An NPR member station pulled Planned Parenthood funding spots. Some questioned whether NPR had ordered the spots off the air. Not true. Read on.
