NPR CEO Gary Knell: We need to “smash together the digital and so-called audio journalists” » Nieman Journalism Lab
After stepping into the big chair at NPR almost a year ago, Gary Knell says one of his first priorities was to “smash together the digital and so-called audio journalists.” That’s less of a violent collision and more of vision statement about NPR’s future. Speaking at the Nieman Foundation last week, the NPR CEO said “we should eliminate these distinctions. Because, really, the audience doesn’t view news that way anymore.”
When Knell joined an NPR that was fresh off a scandal that claimed several executives (including the previous CEO) and cast a cloud over funding from federal and private sources. In a scenario like that righting the ship would seem to be the first job. But Knell said he wanted to continue to push NPR to innovate while stabilizing its support network.
