Ask the Editor - Living up to our name

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Friday, March 4th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. Coming next, our Executive Producer for WORLD Radio answers a blunt question from a listener. Here’s Paul Butler.

PAUL BUTLER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Last month we ran a 6-minute feature on Australia’s Great Ocean Road. A few days later we got an email from a listener who took exception to the story. Here's part of what he wrote:

Dear Editor,

Is the World and Everything in It, living in reality???..it is hard for us to continue to listen to this nonsensical reporting of “news”.

Times are changing…Do you really want to be known for running “tourist” pieces on Australia during this time in history?

Do some investigative reporting.

Unbelievable…

First of all, I understand the reaction. In light of Australia’s draconian COVID restrictions, the story may have seemed out of place and we probably could have done a better job setting it up. Plus, this listener felt that by covering this story we weren't addressing a more important one. A story he was passionate about and that added to his frustration. So that raises the question, why do we cover lite stories at all, when there’s so much hard news to follow every day?

First a little about the program. The World and Everything in It is what we call a “magazine format podcast.” We explore a wide range of topics—from breaking news to human interest stories.

Our program is divided into four major segments. The first two focus on the news of the day. We begin with a 6-minute newscast on the most breaking news, and then follow that up with 10 minutes of features and interviews—providing deeper exploration and analysis. Together, these two segments cover the obligatory news.

The second half of the program usually includes a humorous news story, a human interest feature, and a commentary. For these discretionary features, we have freelancers all over the world who submit stories from their own backyards.

We believe that everything in the world is the Lord’s. God has given us wonderful gifts—for our delight and for His glory. And with that in mind, I accepted Amy Lewis’s piece on an interesting part of Australia that most of our listeners have probably never heard of. Amy and her family emigrated to Australia last year so her husband could teach at a Bible school there. She’s in the process of discovering her new home and taking our listeners along with her on that journey.

I scheduled her piece as part of our occasional “Destinations” series. I picture these stories as opening the mailbox and finding a friendly postcard from somewhere unusual or exotic. And these pieces aren’t about tourism, they’re about our Creator. Here’s how Amy ended her piece:

LEWIS: “The psalmist put it this way, ‘Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music....Let the sea resound and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.’ Reporting from Australia’s Great Ocean Road, I’m Amy Lewis…

So everyday we attempt to live up to our name: The World and Everything in It. That includes war in Europe, religious liberty struggles in Canada, American politics, as well as rock formations, waterfalls, and the surprising Redwoods of Australia.

And as to the encouragement to do “some investigative reporting.” Well, we do. Here are a few recent examples from WORLD Radio: Kim Henderson worked for nearly a year on her Truth be Told series on abuse. We’re currently in the midst of the third season of Effective Compassion. With that, last summer we sent three reporters across the country to cover poverty fighting—and their investigations can be heard right now in our 10-part series on prison ministry.

Looking ahead, we’ve spent the last year and a half investigating thoroughly what really happened to Terri Schiavo for our upcoming 14-part True Crime series: Lawless. And that starts March 31st. And I would like to commend the excellent investigative work done by our magazine and digital staff available online and in print.

So as the Executive Producer for WORLD Radio I can assure you that we will continue to look for more ways to expand our investigative reporting—but we will also continue to include stories that take our eyes off the current problems of the day, and inspire our readers and listeners with the beauty of God’s creation and His work in the world.

I’m Paul Butler.

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