A Few Questions for NPR's Ari Shapiro
The host of All Things Considered talks journalism and singing
I first met Ari Shapiro in Berlin in 2014, at a panel event that he was moderating right after the U.S. Midterm Elections. He gave me a sliver of his time at the event along with some helpful advice, to which my mom freaked out when I told her I met Ari Shapiro. I, like most Americans, are familiar with Ari Shapiro's name and voice. He's a radio journalist for National Public Radio (NPR), and I can remember listening to his report on NPR after school in middle school, as my dad always has his car radio affixed firmly to NPR. A native of Portland, Oregon, Ari was firstly a Legal Affairs Correspondent intern for Nina Totenberg.
Having covered a couple of presidential administrations and elections- from President W. Bush's Administration, as NPR's Justice Correspondent; to Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign; to President Barack Obama's first and second terms, Ari has a journalistic understanding of American domestic issues. In 2014 Ari was NPR's International Correspondent in London where he traveled the world covering various news topics for NPR's national news programs. Currently, Ari is a weekday co-host of All Things Considered, NPR's award-winning afternoon newsmagazine, with Kelly McEvers, Audie Cornish and Robert Siegel. When he's not reporting, Ari can be found on tour with the music group, Pink Martini.
So once again, Ari gave me a sliver of his time so that I could ask him some more questions, but this time for Seele Magazine.
Seele Magazine: The best work day is...
Ari Shapiro: ...one where I get to learn about something new. Fortunately, that's most days in this job.
SM: Technology device you can't live without?
AS: I realized the answer to this question when I started feeling a phantom buzz in my pocket, even when my iphone was sitting on the counter.
SM: When you're touring with Pink Martini, what's a typical day like?
AS: It's a bit like "The Amazing Race," but with music, and nobody gets kicked off at the end of the day.
SM: Biggest risk that paid off?
AS: Applying for an NPR internship
SM: In all of the interviews that you've done, what's one thing that has inspired you, or that you have learned about the human spirit?
AS: I keep learning the importance of perspective and resilience. Whether I'm talking to refugees or movie stars, the themes of perspective and resilience come up again and again.
SM: What's one of the most memorable interviews that you've ever done?
AS: I've just finished a big reporting project on India, so those conversations are in the forefront of my mind. The last story in our series was about an island called Ghoramara that's being swallowed up by rising tides. The first man we met on the island just burst into tears as soon as we started asking about his future.
SM: The best thing a mentor has told you that you still live by?
AS: "Grow a pair."
