Ever wonder why a National Public Radio transcript might not match what you heard on a program?
NPR ombudsman Edward Schumacher-Matos reported in recent blogpost that NPR’s versions of news programs like Weekend Edition are “edited and changed” when airing on “various stations in different time zones.” So which transcript is published?
Schumacher-Matos reported that NPR managing editor of standards and practices Stuart Seidel explained:
“Only the last feed of each show is archived and transcribed. As a result, there are times when a listener may have heard something on a first or second feed of a show and then find that the transcript does not reflect what was aired on an early feed.”
In terms of corrections made throughout different versions, Seidel said “significant errors are noted on the air in ensuing feeds of a show” and on NPR’s website “when appropriate.”