Media Savvy: NPR's Schorr vital link to 'responsible journalism'

He is 91 and still cranks out his National Public Radio commentaries on an IBM typewriter. He eschews the Internet, openly disdains some bloggers and dismisses the whole "citizen journalism" idea.

But don't accuse Daniel Schorr, a disciple of Edward R. Murrow and dean of NPR pundits, of being hopelessly out of touch.

If anything, Schorr has been prescient when it comes to news analysis. His new book, "Come to Think of It" ($24.95, Viking, 382 pages), a collection of Schorr's radio commentaries from the past 17 years, shows that he often has been ahead of the cultural and political curve.

As early as 1993, before the first World Trade Center attack, Schorr warned about terrorism being the United States' greatest threat. His first reference to Osama bin Laden came in 1998, well before the al-Qaida leader was on the mainstream media radar. And here's Schorr in 1991, on the coziness of the CIA and the executive branch: "When policy drives intelligence, the chances are, both will suffer."

Schorr's longevity is so impressive – he's the only big-name nonagenarian newsman working full time – that some may overlook his current work. That's especially true, given his storied past as the CBS reporter who gained fame for being named on President Nixon's "enemies list."

So, the new book might help him gain a new audience.

Media Savvy caught up with Schorr by phone from his home office in Washington, D.C., to talk about the current state of media and the state of Schorr.

Q: In the book's introduction, you talk about adapting from one medium to another, having worked in newspapers, radio and television. I wonder what you think about the changing media landscape today.

A: At my age, I look at it and say, "Boy, I'm glad that's for other people." I couldn't stand what's going on today (as a reporter). Of course, the changes are partly technological. You no longer have to rely on a great newspaper like the Sacramento Bee or on a television network to get news. You can go on the Web and get anything you need.

And I've found that people are now deluged with information. In my day, as a newspaper man, radio man and television man, I had the feeling I was telling people something they wouldn't otherwise know. That's no longer true. I'm glad I'm not 20 years younger, because I'd be very discouraged.

Q: Are you discouraged because, in a lot of cases, we're not sure of the veracity of the information?

A: That's part of it. On a much larger scale, I'm discouraged by the fact that radio and television – and to some extent even newspapers – faced with a shrinking market, tend to go more and more for sensation, for scandal, for murders and sex stories and so on, because they're trying to entice the public with something they otherwise wouldn't have.

The assumption is, the public doesn't want to know about big issues around the around. They want to know what O.J. Simpson is doing. The result is, the economics of news tends to drive our news media into worse and worse types of stories.

Q: Would you say an exception is the place you're working at now, NPR?

A: Oh, yes. People keep asking me, what keeps you going at 91? The answer is … I have a vast sense of enjoyment for what I'm doing. Also, it's not physically very strenuous. I can read a bunch of papers, make some phone calls, get an idea of what I want to write. I can write from home, broadcast from home with a microphone here. … I know I'm not in a position where I'm competing with anybody, which I used to do a lot of, I must admit. A little place has been carved out for me that doesn't bother anybody and gives me much enjoyment.

Q: Because we get news from so many sources, some of dubious merit, is it important to have commentators to sift through it all?

A: Absolutely. In saying that, I guess I justify my own role in life. But what I've found is that people have a lot of information sometimes called data. They don't know what it means, frequently. It gives me the chance to get in there between the gap of information and actually knowing something by trying to provide meaning. The word "meaning" has become a very important word to me. If there's anything I can do to tell you the meaning of what you already know, I feel I've done my day's work.

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Sam McManis, (916) 321-1145, or e-mail smcmanis@sacbee.com. Read his blog postings at 21Q (www.sacbee.com/21q).