美国国家公共电台 NPR--Remembering NPR's Ken Barcus, a tough editor with a big heart

Remembering NPR's Ken¹ Barcus, a tough editor with a big heart

Transcript²

Ken Barcus, longtime Midwest bureau chief for NPR's National Desk and a revered³ mentor⁴ to public radio journalists, died Tuesday in Cleveland. He was 67.

His death from complications resulting from throat cancer was confirmed by his family.

Over an NPR career that spanned three decades, Ken made an indelible imprint⁵: He brought in countless⁶ stories and trained dozens of reporters and editors across the Midwest, from Ohio to the Dakotas.

"Ken was a passionate⁷ advocate for coverage⁸ of the Midwest," says NPR's managing editor for news, Vickie Walton-James, who was Ken's supervisor⁹ for 14 years. "He never stopped pushing for stories that illuminated¹⁰ life away from the coasts. Even after decades in his job, he wanted to make sure no one ever thought of the region as 'flyover¹¹ country.'"

Or as Ken put it, "[I wanted] to make sure that people would choke on the words 'Rust¹² Belt' or 'flyover' when they think about my region."

So many of the voices you hear on NPR will tell you that Ken shaped them into the reporters they are today — by mentoring¹³, cajoling and sometimes critiquing with blunt, painful truths when a story was weak or a description cliché.

"Tough and gruff!" is how NPR correspondent Tovia Smith describes her first impression of Ken as an editor. She still clearly remembers one of her first edits with him, decades ago.

"He said he wanted my story to sing," she recalls. "And when I gave him what I wrote, he just went silent for a second. And then he blurts¹⁴ out at me, 'I was asking for a symphony. This is like elevator music!'" She pauses. "That stung."

But it didn't take Tovia long to discover Ken's big-hearted side.

"Just below that prickly exterior¹⁵, he really was a total mushball," she says. "He was really nurturing¹⁶ by nature. And it's no wonder he loved his job, working with young journalists and bringing them along."

In the early 1990s, one of those young journalists was Eric Westervelt, now a veteran NPR correspondent.

"He was a great mentor to scores of young and up-and-coming reporters. He was to me," says Eric, who grew to value Ken's forthright¹⁷ style. "He would completely cut through the BS. And I'd hear him in my head, years later. If I was overseas on deadline, covering a war or conflict, here's Barcus in my head asking the 'So what?' question: 'Is this new?' And 'Why would some listener in Miami or Des Moines want to hear this?'"

NPR correspondent David Schaper, who is based in Chicago, calls Ken "unforgettable" and says, "I owe my career to him."

In the process of editing his reports, David says, "we butted¹⁸ heads every now and then, but it was always to make the story better. And he pushed me in that way. He really put the listener first. He wanted to create vivid scenes and bring our listeners to the place where the story is. ... Radio is creating pictures in the mind, and he brought that home to me and to others so intensely and so well."

Ammad Omar, chief editor on NPR's National Desk, counts himself lucky that Ken took him under his wing when he was a young producer in his early 20s working in Chicago. "I wouldn't be here today without his support and kindness," Ammad says.

An ardent¹⁹ defender²⁰ of the Midwest

Ken was born on Jan. 18, 1955, in Cleveland and grew up there. He graduated from Cleveland Heights High School and received his B.A. in liberal studies from Sonoma State University in Northern California. Ken nearly went to law school but had a change of heart and instead entered American University's graduate program in journalism²¹ in Washington, D.C., from which he received his master's degree.

Prior to joining NPR, Ken reported for member station WAMU in the District of Columbia, and he worked for nearly eight years at Monitor Radio, the now-defunct broadcast arm of The Christian²² Science Monitor newspaper, where he covered the White House and served as Washington bureau chief.

Ken's NPR career initially²³ included a stint²⁴ as an overnight editor for Morning Edition ("NPR's version of hazing," he later joked).

He went on to become an editor on the National Desk, and in 1998 he persuaded NPR to move his job from D.C. to his beloved native Cleveland.

That's where he and his wife, Ellen, whom he married in 1988, raised their daughters, Julia, now 29, and Kate, now 27.

Ken and his wife, Ellen, dressed up for a wedding in June. Ken would joke that he "spent his daughters' inheritance" buying hundreds of plants for his gardens each year.

Ken took immense pride in his Ohio roots, and he championed coverage of his region, the Midwest, through NPR's robust²⁵ network of member stations.

In 2002, on NPR's call-in show Talk of the Nation, he took pains to counter some stale misconceptions about his region:

"The Cuyahoga River," he said, "which caught on fire as you all know in the '60s or '70s — 'the river that burns' was the big joke for Cleveland — is a river that I now take my children out on kayaking, and we see eagles every time we go out. It's just different than the perception, different than the stereotype²⁶ and different than that old New Yorker cartoon of a flyover Midwest area."

This approach was warmly welcomed by the many reporters at NPR member stations in Ken's region.

"Ken really understood that not everything is as it appears in Washington," says Maryanne Zeleznik, news director at WVXU in Cincinnati. "He felt it was really important to hear stories of people who are living their lives not on the coasts, not in the biggest of cities, but just people living across the country, and he thought it was very important to get those stories out."

Because he prized and fought for these regional stories, Maryanne says, Ken was "always slammed. The joke always was that when he'd answer the phone, it was 'Ken-Barcus-please-hold,'" blurted²⁷ out in one quick burst.

It was thanks to Ken's inspiration that NPR now has five regional bureau chiefs based around the United States.

Among them is NPR's Northeast bureau chief, Andrea de Leon, based in Maine, who counted Ken as a close friend as well as a trusted colleague — "my work husband," as she puts it.

"Most especially I think he loved stories that were very human," she says, "and that took us to places that we might not otherwise go. It wouldn't have to be exotic war zones. They could be much quieter places. But just sort of expanding how we see our country and our fellow Americans and our fellow humans."

Ken always pushed for moments of joy

Ken had a rich sense of humor and was always looking for ways to inject lightness into stories, especially when the news could be so dark and distressing²⁸.

"One of the things he always pushed for," says Maryanne, "were moments of joy. These moments of joy could be so uplifting, and he really pushed for that. 'Look for that,' he said. 'Look for those moments of joy.'"

This summer, when Ken announced his upcoming planned retirement²⁹, he wrote in an all-staff email, "I'd like to retire as the king of what have now been branded 'Moment of Joy' pieces."

Outside of work, Ken adored being outdoors; he loved to kayak, hike and bike. He converted his daughters' swing set into a fancy coop for his backyard chickens and could never resist adopting rescue dogs. His Cleveland garden was, and is, a glorious profusion³⁰ — every inch covered with plants.

"Oh my gosh, he has the most amazing garden!" says Annie Wu of Ideastream Public Media in Cleveland, who lives nearby. "There is a water feature of a bicycle where the water makes the tire spin. There's a tire swing off of a giant tree in his front yard, and he has always invited children around the neighborhood to swing on that at any time."

Ken working in his vegetable bed in May 2019, supervised by Arlo, his dear late golden retriever.

The Barcus family

This tells you something about Ken: He delighted in sharing both what he knew (he was an excellent source of office gossip) and what he had.

Random³¹ gifts, like the purple hyacinth bean seeds that Maryanne found in her mail one day, culled³² from his garden.

Or the perfect gift he once sent to Andrea, his National Desk colleague.

"He was in Montreal," Andrea remembers, "and he was like, 'I found these great, cheap tomato knives! I'm sending them to everyone I know who grows a lot of tomatoes, so here's one for you.' That's just who he was."

1 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

4 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

5 imprint   

n.印痕，痕迹；深刻的印象；vt.压印，牢记

参考例句：

• That dictionary is published under the Longman imprint.那本词典以朗曼公司的名义出版。
• Her speech left its imprint on me.她的演讲给我留下了深刻印象。

6 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

7 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

8 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

9 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

10 illuminated   

adj.被照明的；受启迪的

参考例句：

• Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
• the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市

11 flyover   

n.立交桥，天桥

参考例句：

• It took workers more than one year to build this flyover.建造这座立交桥破费工人一年多时间。
• All that came to his bakery should go over a flyover first.所有来他店的人都必须先经过一座立交桥。

12 rust   

n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退

参考例句：

• She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
• The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。

13 mentoring   

n.mentoring是一种工作关系。mentor通常是处在比mentee更高工作职位上的有影响力的人。他/她有比‘mentee’更丰富的工作经验和知识，并用心支持mentee的职业（发展）。v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• One of the most effective instruments for coaching and mentoring is the "role rehearsal" . 辅导和教学的最有效的手段之一是“角色排练。” 来自辞典例句
• Bell Canada called their mentoring system a buddy-buddy system. 加拿大贝尔公司称他们的训导系统是伙伴—伙伴系统。 来自互联网

14 blurts   

v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He blurts out all he hears. 他漏嘴说出了他听到的一切。 来自辞典例句
• If a user blurts out an interesting idea, ask "What problem would that solve for you?" 如果用户不假思索地冒出一个有趣的想法，则询问他：“这可以解决哪些问题？” 来自互联网

15 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

16 nurturing   

养育( nurture的现在分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• These delicate plants need careful nurturing. 这些幼嫩的植物需要精心培育。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

17 forthright   

adj.直率的，直截了当的 [同]frank

参考例句：

• It's sometimes difficult to be forthright and not give offence.又直率又不得罪人，这有时很难办到。
• He told me forthright just why he refused to take my side.他直率地告诉我他不肯站在我这一边的原因。

18 butted   

对接的

参考例句：

• Two goats butted each other. 两只山羊用角顶架。
• He butted against a tree in the dark. 他黑暗中撞上了一棵树。

19 ardent   

adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的

参考例句：

• He's an ardent supporter of the local football team.他是本地足球队的热情支持者。
• Ardent expectations were held by his parents for his college career.他父母对他的大学学习抱着殷切的期望。

20 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

21 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

22 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

23 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

24 stint   

v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事

参考例句：

• He lavished money on his children without stint.他在孩子们身上花钱毫不吝惜。
• We hope that you will not stint your criticism.我们希望您不吝指教。

25 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

26 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

27 blurted   

v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She blurted it out before I could stop her. 我还没来得及制止，她已脱口而出。
• He blurted out the truth, that he committed the crime. 他不慎说出了真相，说是他犯了那个罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 distressing   

a.使人痛苦的

参考例句：

• All who saw the distressing scene revolted against it. 所有看到这种悲惨景象的人都对此感到难过。
• It is distressing to see food being wasted like this. 这样浪费粮食令人痛心。

29 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

30 profusion   

n.挥霍；丰富

参考例句：

• He is liberal to profusion.他挥霍无度。
• The leaves are falling in profusion.落叶纷纷。

31 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

32 culled   

v.挑选，剔除( cull的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The herd must be culled. 必须有选择地杀掉部分牧畜。 来自辞典例句
• The facts were culled from various sources. 这些事实是从各方收集到的。 来自辞典例句