From Murrow to Mediocrity?

This content analysis compares a unique CBS radio dataset during the “golden age” of foreign correspondence (1940–1942) to National Public Radio’s (NPR’s) coverage during the Iraq War (2004–2006) to track changes in sourcing, originality, and typology of foreign news reporting on radio. Findings show that NPR outshines the golden-age performance, suggesting that we should stop taking reverential trips down memory lane when assessing broadcast reporting and instead recognize that current reporting can be even better in keeping audiences well informed about international affairs.