NPR Correspondent Melissa Block and the role of media

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Photo by Allison Shelley

What to look for on Smart Talk Thursday, November 15, 2018

Melissa Block has seen a lot of change in the more than 30 years she has worked for NPR. She began her career in 1985 as an editorial assistant for All Things Considered and rose to become senior producer, and eventually host from 2003 to 2015.

Block covered some of the most important people and stories of the last three decades. Her reporting following the attacks of September 11, 2001, helped earn NPR a Peabody Award, as did the coverage of the massive earthquake in Sichuan, China, in 2008. Block happened to be there and reported events as they took place.

Most recently, she completed a project called “Our Land,” profiling communities to capture how people’s identity is shaped by where they live. Block also recently completed a project on gun rights versus gun control for suicide prevention, and how to find a middle ground.

Melissa Block appears on Thursday’s Smart Talk to relate her thoughts on the role of independent media in America today.

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Melissa Block

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Scott LaMar and Melissa Block