Yet another wonderful science piece this past weekend on NPR's Radiolab, hosted by the very inventive Jad Abumrad and the great Robert Krulwich. During the time I was researching and writing my book, I would quite often turn on the radio and hear these guys nibbling on the same piece of research or a similar idea. And it's always fun to hear how they make complex science accessible to the common ear. This particular piece is on the surprising genetic realities of racial difference, which is also something I tackle in my upcoming book.
Krulwich is a broadcast legend whose name I used to hear whispered in hushed tones when I was a young producer working for NPR. Early on, I think he was mostly known as an economics correspondent. But over the years his purview seems to have become Big, Difficult Ideas. Unpacking complex ideas has always been an important part of journalism, but I would argue it is more important than ever now. It's easy now for the public to track events and get raw facts -- but harder than ever to put them into a meaningful context. As a print guy, I have admit that radio may be the best medium of all to make this happen. (I wrote an essay on this years ago for Technology Review.) Another great example of radio's fertile idea landscape is the recent award-winning series on the economic meltdown by Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson. (Blumberg's family is friendly with mine from Cincinnati, and it's been a treat to watch him develop into a first-class storyteller and journalist.)
