Columnists
 The Justice League
NPR correspondent digs for the truth
by Jim Radosta
And you thought public broadcasting was for hippies.
Ari Shapiro, who covers the Department of Justice and legal affairs for National Public Radio, is not only its first reporter to be made a correspondent before age 30, he’s also handsome, humorous and homosexual.
Born in Fargo, N.D., Shapiro moved to Oregon at age 8 and graduated from Beaverton High School in 1996. He’s returning briefly to be interviewed by gay Pink Martini musician Thomas Lauderdale for the OPB radio variety show Live Wire! The two have been friends ever since Shapiro reported on the band in 2004 for Morning Edition.
Jim Radosta: Growing up, were there any early indications that you’d end up as an investigative journalist?
Ari Shapiro: No. As a kid, I did theater, speech and debate—I suppose speech and debate is close to journalism, but I wasn’t involved in the school paper or anything like that.
One of the important qualities of being a journalist is being inquisitive. You have to be able to approach strangers and talk to them; that was something I never had a problem with. You have to be curious and able to learn about a lot of different things at the drop of a hat, and that kind of flexibility was something that I think I’ve always valued.
I sort of lucked into journalism. When I was graduating from [Yale in 2000] one of the things I applied for was an internship at NPR, and I ended up getting an internship with Nina Totenberg, who covers the Supreme Court. I’ve been here ever since.
JR: Are there any misconceptions you think the public has about NPR?
AS: Well, especially longtime NPR listeners have historically viewed the network as an “alternative” news source, and especially in the last 10 years, I think NPR really has become a primary news source. And that is both a function of changes at NPR and a function of changes in the journalistic landscape more broadly. I think for in-depth, thoughtful coverage of local, national and international affairs, NPR is one of the very few remaining places in America where you can go to get news that is reliable.
JR: What was it like dealing with stonewalling from the Bush administration?
AS: I actually have a quote on my desk from my colleague Pam Fessler: “Why do I have to work so hard to tell your side of the story?” It was something that she said to a person she was working with in the Department of Homeland Security. I think every reporter who has covered the federal government can sympathize with that sentiment.
JR: Are there subjects where you have such strong personal views that it’s hard to hold back in reporting on them?
AS: No. I think I play a particular role as a journalist, and I understand that that role is one of a storyteller, not one of an advocate. I have chosen not to do any stories on gay marriage, not because I think I would not be able to do those stories thoughtfully and fairly and evenhandedly, but because I think the appearance of bias is so strong, it’s not even worth my wading into those waters. Generally speaking, when something is so egregious, the story conveys that and doesn’t need me to editorialize.
JR: You won an award for investigating meth use in the gay community. What did you take away from that experience?
AS: I think it’s sad, and I think it’s disturbing. I think, within a certain party scene, there is an attitude of, “I will just do the drug du jour,” whether that’s Ecstasy or ketamine or cocaine or meth. And I think there’s a fundamental difference between meth and all of those other drugs. It’s really easy to take the methamphetamine and suddenly get addicted and get sick and ruin your life. Nobody intends to do that, but I think that is what has happened to people.
JR: Now that you’ve been named to the Out 100, what’s it like switching hats from being a news reporter to being a newsmaker?
AS: It’s funny, I don’t think of myself as a newsmaker. It was very, very flattering to be in the Out 100 and to be in the company of these icons. You know, I feel like I never made a decision to be an out professional. I think when I was 16, I made a decision to be out, and everything that has followed since then—the fact that I’m gay has been incidental to all of it. So, to be publicly recognized as a gay figure is very gratifying but, I think, ultimately incidental to the work that I’m doing.
Thomas Lauderdale interviews Ari Shapiro for this month’s taping of Live Wire! 8 p.m. Dec. 19 at Aladdin Theater, 3017 S.E. Milwaukie Ave. Tickets are $15-$25 from the box office or Ticketmaster.
Arts and Culture Editor Jim Radosta needs your feedback. E-mail him at jim@justout.com.
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