Introducing today's guest seems almost like an exercise in absurdity. For fifteen years, Steve Inskeep has anchored what is now the most listened-to news radio program in the United States. Hosting NPR’s Morning Edition requires a daily wake-up time of 2:45 AM. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, he’s written two books and expects to see his third published in early 2020.
He also hosts the morning news podcast Up First, along with Rachel Martin, David Greene, and Noel King.
Steve Inskeep is known for his interviews with high-level political leaders – including an exit interview with President Barack Obama. He’s written for publications including The New York Times, Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic.
His collection of awards includes a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for "The Price of African Oil" and a National Headliner Award for investigating a military raid gone wrong in Afghanistan. He has twice been part of NPR News teams awarded the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton for coverage of Iraq; he received that same award a third time for conversations on race with Michelle Norris for The York Project.
On this edition of CoastLine, we learn how Steve Inskeep responds to President Barack Obama's assertion that the news media, including NPR, is partly responsible for the lack of substantive debate during the 2016 presidential campaign -- staying focused instead on "shiny objects". We also find out whether the culture at NPR is changing in any tangible way after accusations of sexual harassment forced out News Executive Michael Oreskes. And we hear why Steve Inskeep isn't audibly choked up every single Friday after Story Corps (hint: he takes off the headphones).
