By Mitch Bode
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
NPR journalist Ari Shapiro told an audience of about 200 people at Towson University Wednesday that reporters must be willing to go outside the newsroom to find the sources needed to tell a good story.
Shapiro, who is a co-host of NPR’s popular newsmagazine All Things Considered, discussed his career and journey in professional journalism and the experience he has gained along the way.
“Journalist always know what to do: tell the story,” Shapiro said. “But telling the story can be difficult at times.”
Shapiro said he developed his passion for journalism soon after he began his career at NPR as an intern for the station’s Supreme Court reporter Nina Totenberg.
“During my internship with NPR I covered my first inauguration, I ran sandwiches and supplies from our main office to our headquarters at the White House,” Shapiro said. “Twelve years later I watched another inauguration from the stands but this time as NPR’s White House correspondent.”
Through his years working as a journalist and an employee of NPR, Shapiro has been able to travel the world.
“One of my best experiences throughout my work has been flying on Air Force One with President Obama to Afghanistan,” Shapiro said. “The coolest thing was I was able to ask President Obama a question on my first flight on Air Force One.”
“To really be able to tell the story, you have to get out there and talk to people,” Shapiro said. “Telling the story isn’t always easy. Answers can be hard to find.”
Shapiro said he has covered wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Ukraine and Israel. He covered the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, the Paris terrorist attacks, the water controversy in Flint, Michigan, and many other news stories.
By traveling to these places and meeting new faces, he said he has been able to get the best sources to tell the best stories.
“As a journalist, we try and make certain stories relatable to our audience by putting a human face in it,” Shapiro said. “It also helps us journalist tell the story better.”
Shapiro said it’s important to put a human face on war stories because many Americans are so far from the actual war.
“Because Americans are so removed from war zones, it is hard for them to relate to those who live in a war zone,” Shapiro said. “Making a story relatable allows the audience to comprehend the message better.”
Shapiro said that working at NPR is the best job he can imagine.
“NPR offers news on the radio – and news only,” Shapiro said. “This is the best job in the world.”
The free event was part of Towson University’s “TUJDAY16,”celebrating journalism and new media on campus. The speech was organized by the Department of Mass Communication and Communication Studies and held in Ballroom C in Towson’s West Village Commons.