The managing editor for digital news for National Public Radio, Mark Stencel, was with us in class today.

“It’s kind of hard to say anything you’ve been doing for 16 years ‘new,’” Mark began.

According to Mark, NPR only works nowadays because people are stuck in traffic for hours, especially in the District. People can’t do anything while stuck in traffic, so their only choice, if they’re not listening to music off of a CD or an mp3 player, is the radio.

When deciding which stories to cover, Mark states that the challenge of figuring out which stories to tell and which stories not to is the biggest challenge of all. He wonders about which part of the story the readers want to hear about most and exposes it prominently.

Students said they listen to NPR instead of their favorite other station to seek a “more professional” atmosphere.

“Cover the implications, not the events.”

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