Natural gas well. Photo by Long Haul Productions.
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A little bit of criticism is okay. It’s good to hear constructive (and, sometimes, not-so-constructive) feedback.
However, a LOT of criticism, especially if it’s pointed, well…. that’s just plain hard to take.
National Public Radio received a slew of listener complaints about Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister’s July 8 story “The Natural State” which aired on All Things Considered. Robert Siegel and Michele Norris even read a few ‘jabs’ on-air.
“The Natural State” is part of Dan and Elizabeth’s on-going series Song+Story where they meld traditional reporting and song writing — an adventurous approach to storytelling. But, apparently, it’s too adventurous for NPR’s listeners.
Dan and Elizabeth talk about the public reaction to the story on this edition of HowSound. And, of course, we feature the piece, too. Have a listen.
Cheers,
Rob
PS – Here’s a link to all of Dan and Elizabeth’s work posted at PRX.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 21:42 — 20.0MB)
Rob is a radio teacher and freelance producer. He taught radio at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies for eleven years. In the fall of 2011, he's teaching a seven-week, radio storytelling workshop with Transom.org. Currently, he's producing audio slideshows for the Open Society Institute.
I think the reaction would have been less severe had the singer/songwriters chosen for this particular piece been less awful. I object far less to the style and content of the piece than to the poor quality of the music created/chosen to accompany it.
The Natural State was not too adventurous for this NPR listener. I think Elizabeth is right: critics are more motivated to comment. I loved this piece; the music created a reflective space that helped me weigh and understand what I was hearing. There is a place for dry reporting but we shouldn’t confuse a lack of obvious artfulness with truth or integrity. Surely there is a place for this type of storytelling. If not on ALL Things Considered, where? Please carry on Dan and Elizabeth!
The themes covered (now and with the Saltcast) always seem to touch on something that I have been thinking about at the time. Thanks!
NPR listeners expect even-handed journalism presented in a thoughtful but objective manner. When I first heard this piece on ATC, I immediately found it emotionally manipulative rather than journalistic. It felt like a melancholy disaster montage more likely to be played on an “American Idol Gives Back” episode than on NPR. Something so subjective would be better suited for a show like This American Life where such clear opinions and creative storytelling are expected. That being said, I am a songwriter in Nashville, and was completely confused by this music. It started out ok, but the lyrics and vocals got weirder as the piece progressed. At times, the lyrics, music and speaking began to feel like a spoof, almost like a “real men of genius” budweiser ad. Almost laughable in parts. It wasn’t the “creativity” that listeners were objecting too. I’d suggest sticking with Sufjan.
Agreed, its not so much the style as it is the music itself… here’s an example of a news-song, and it happens to be on the same exact subject “fracking,” that is done really well (think: school house rock). http://explainer.net/thefrackingsong/
[...] Sound” podcaster Rob Rosenthal later interviewed the producers, Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister, about the experience. The upshot? It sucked, but [...]