Mark Memmott
Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
As the NPR Ethics Handbook states, the Standards & Practices editor is "charged with cultivating an ethical culture throughout our news operation." This means he or she coordinates discussion on how we apply our principles and monitors our decision-making practices to ensure we're living up to our standards."
Before becoming Standards & Practices editor, Memmott was one of the hosts of NPR's "The Two-Way" news blog, which he helped to launch when he came to NPR in 2009. It focused on breaking news, analysis, and the most compelling stories being reported by NPR News and other news media.
Prior to joining NPR, Memmott worked for nearly 25 years as a reporter and editor at USA Today. He focused on a range of coverage from politics, foreign affairs, economics, and the media. He reported from places across the United States and the world, including half a dozen trips to Afghanistan in 2002-2003.
During his time at USA Today, Memmott, helped launch and lead three USAToday.com news blogs: "On Deadline," "The Oval" and "On Politics," the site's 2008 presidential campaign blog.
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A chemical used to wash coal seeped into the Elk River near Charleston on Thursday. Customers in more than 100,000 homes and businesses that get their water from one local company have been advised not to drink, wash or bathe with what's coming from their taps. More than 480,000 people live in the affected area. -
In the wake of revelations about the National Security Agency's surveillance programs, there have been calls for changes in oversight of the agency. The outgoing deputy director tells NPR that the NSA believes some of those suggestions can be implemented. -
The results are in and the honors go to former Atlanta Braves pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine as well as slugger Frank Thomas. He's the first Hall of Famer who mostly served as a designated hitter. -
As the tiny town in Michigan has gotten colder, few could seem to resist having some fun with its name. The frigid fame will be short-lived. Hell may be frozen over now, but it's expected to thaw this weekend. -
A Russian ship that had been taking scientists and passengers on an expedition got stuck. So did a Chinese icebreaker that tried to help. The U.S. Coast Guard sent its biggest icebreaker on a mission to help. But the ships have been able to get out on their own. -
Weather-related traffic accidents have accounted for some of the deaths. Others have collapsed while shoveling snow. Several victims are said to have been homeless people who either didn't want to go to shelters or didn't get to one in time. Thankfully, more moderate weather is about to arrive. -
This super cold air is usually whirling around the Arctic. But a big piece has plunged further south than normal. One way to think about what's happening: If a spinning ice skater extends her arms, she slows down. Sometimes, she wobbles and falls. The polar vortex has sort of stretched out an arm. -
The Hong Kong movie mogul's films included 1972's Five Fingers of Death, which was a kung fu classic. With his brother Ronnie, Shaw produced more than 1,000 films over five decades. He also helped produce some American films, including Blade Runner. Later, he became a prominent philanthropist. -
Bitterly cold temperatures and storms have already caused at least 15 deaths in recent days. Authorities remind everyone that it's important to be prepared and to stay inside if you can. That advice may seem obvious, but people do continue to take risks. -
A dominant downhill skier, Vonn has been trying to recover from a knee injury. "But the reality has sunk in that my knee is just too unstable to compete at this level," she announced Tuesday.
