Alicia Shepard
Encyclopedia
Alicia C. Shepard http://www.npr.org/ombudsman is an American journalist, author, media writer and expert on the work and lives of Bob Woodward
and Carl Bernstein
. Shepard joined National Public Radio (NPR) in October, 2007, for a three-year appointment as the Ombudsman
for the nonprofit public media organization that ended May 31, 2011.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16616870 In that role, she claimed on June 21, 2009, that waterboarding
, as practiced by Americans on terror captives, should not be called 'torture',http://www.npr.org/ombudsman/2009/06/harsh_interrogation_techniques.html although she later mentioned in an interview that "I think that it does... constitute torture." http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2009/06/26/02 On this matter she claims she was supporting an NPR policy originated by Managing Editor David Sweeney.
Shepard taught media ethics at Georgetown University to its masters program from 2007 until 2010. She also taught journalism at American University
. She was a Times Mirror Visiting Professor at University of Texas at Austin
for the 2005-2006 academic year, where she taught a class she designed on Watergate and the press. She spent the last four years interviewing more than 175 people connected to Bob Woodward
and Carl Bernstein
and sifting through the new archival materials that UT bought from Woodward and Bernstein for $5 million in 2003.
and People
magazines, and has written for The New York Times
, The Washington Post
and the Chicago Tribune
. For nearly a decade, she wrote for American Journalism Review on such things as ethics, the newspaper industry and how journalism works - or doesn't. For that work, the National Press Club awarded her its top media criticism prize three different years. In 2003, she was a Foster Distinguished Writer at Penn State. From 1982 to 1987, she was a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News
in California.
to Paris
. In 1987, Shepard, her husband and one-year-old son, Cutter, set sail on their 32-foot sailboat, “Yankee Lady”, for the South Pacific. They spent three years cruising in the islands, and she wrote about their adventures. They sailed to Japan and stayed for two more years writing, editing, teaching English and learning Japanese.
Shepard graduated in 1978 from George Washington University
, with honors in English, and received a masters in journalism from the University of Maryland
in 2002.
She lives with her family in Arlington, Virginia.
Shepard herself stated that she believed waterboarding was torture in an interview with Bob Garfield
of On the Media
. http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2009/06/26/02
Bob Woodward
Robert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist and non-fiction author. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post....
and Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein is an American investigative journalist who, at The Washington Post, teamed up with Bob Woodward; the two did the majority of the most important news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations, the indictment of a vast number of...
. Shepard joined National Public Radio (NPR) in October, 2007, for a three-year appointment as the Ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
for the nonprofit public media organization that ended May 31, 2011.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16616870 In that role, she claimed on June 21, 2009, that waterboarding
Waterboarding
Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over the face of an immobilized captive, thus causing the individual to experience the sensation of drowning...
, as practiced by Americans on terror captives, should not be called 'torture',http://www.npr.org/ombudsman/2009/06/harsh_interrogation_techniques.html although she later mentioned in an interview that "I think that it does... constitute torture." http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2009/06/26/02 On this matter she claims she was supporting an NPR policy originated by Managing Editor David Sweeney.
Shepard taught media ethics at Georgetown University to its masters program from 2007 until 2010. She also taught journalism at American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
. She was a Times Mirror Visiting Professor at University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
for the 2005-2006 academic year, where she taught a class she designed on Watergate and the press. She spent the last four years interviewing more than 175 people connected to Bob Woodward
Bob Woodward
Robert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist and non-fiction author. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post....
and Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein is an American investigative journalist who, at The Washington Post, teamed up with Bob Woodward; the two did the majority of the most important news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations, the indictment of a vast number of...
and sifting through the new archival materials that UT bought from Woodward and Bernstein for $5 million in 2003.
Awards and recognition
Shepard contributes to WashingtonianWashingtonian (magazine)
Washingtonian is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, DC area since 1965. The magazine describes itself as "the magazine Washington lives by." The magazine's core focuses are local feature journalism, guide book-style articles, and real estate advice.-Editorial Content:Washingtonian...
and People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazines, and has written for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
and the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
. For nearly a decade, she wrote for American Journalism Review on such things as ethics, the newspaper industry and how journalism works - or doesn't. For that work, the National Press Club awarded her its top media criticism prize three different years. In 2003, she was a Foster Distinguished Writer at Penn State. From 1982 to 1987, she was a reporter for the San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
in California.
Personal
Shepard has traveled extensively in the U.S. and abroad. In 2002, she bicycled 517 miles from AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In 1987, Shepard, her husband and one-year-old son, Cutter, set sail on their 32-foot sailboat, “Yankee Lady”, for the South Pacific. They spent three years cruising in the islands, and she wrote about their adventures. They sailed to Japan and stayed for two more years writing, editing, teaching English and learning Japanese.
Shepard graduated in 1978 from George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
, with honors in English, and received a masters in journalism from the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
in 2002.
She lives with her family in Arlington, Virginia.
Torture Controversy
In June 2009, Shepard, acting in the capacity of NPR Ombudsman, deflected objections to NPR's use of euphemisms such as "enhanced interrogations" as a replacement for the word "torture" in their reporting about waterboarding, stating: "No matter how many distinguished groups — the International Red Cross, the U.N. High Commissioners — say waterboarding is torture, there are responsible people who say it is not. Former President Bush, former Vice President Cheney, their staff and their supporters obviously believed that waterboarding terrorism suspects was necessary to protect the nation's security. One can disagree strongly with those beliefs and their actions. But they are due some respect for their views, which are shared by a portion of the American public. So, it is not an open-and-shut case that everyone believes waterboarding to be torture."Shepard herself stated that she believed waterboarding was torture in an interview with Bob Garfield
Bob Garfield
Bob Garfield writes the "Ad Review" TV-commercial criticism feature in Advertising Age. He is also the co-host of the On the Media show on National Public Radio. Before that, he was a frequent contributor to All Things Considered. He is the advertising analyst for ABC News...
of On the Media
On the Media
On the Media is an hour-long weekly radio program, hosted by Bob Garfield and Brooke Gladstone, covering journalism, technology, and First Amendment issues. It is produced by WNYC in New York City...
. http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2009/06/26/02
Books and articles
- Woodward & Bernstein: Life in the Shadow of Watergate - about the personal and professional lives of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein during and post-Watergate; (2006) ISBN 0-471-73761-5
- Running Toward Danger: Stories Behind the Breaking News of 9/11 - about how journalists covered 9/11 and the role they played as modern-day keepers of calm on America's most terrifying day. (2002) ISBN 0-7425-2316-0
- Narrowing the Gap: Military , Media and the Iraq War - Conference Report for the McCormick Tribune Foundation, 2004
- Washingtonian article written by Shepard on Woodward & Bernstein
- Los Angeles Times article written by Shepard regarding Woodward & Bernstein
- Alicia C. Shepard: A belated scoop
- A's for Everyone! (The Washington Post article about grade inflationGrade inflationGrade inflation is the tendency of academic grades for work of comparable quality to increase over time.It is frequently discussed in relation to U.S. education, and to GCSEs and A levels in England and Wales...
) - Thinking Clearly (Shepard wrote a chapter in this book on the Columbine Shootings)
- Uncivil War - article written for the American Journalism Review
- Preparing for Disaster - article written for the American Journalism Review
- Appointment in Somalia - article written for the American Journalism Review