NPR News says it is exploring American culture and tradition through in-depth journalism with a six-month series examining classic fictional characters and how they reflected and affected American life.
“In Character,” a multimedia series, began Jan. 2 and will air across all NPR News programs. Most NPR News hosts, correspondents and reporters will provide segments.
Each episode profiles a fictional personality from literature, theatre, film, television or popular culture, discusses the character’s origins and looks at its impact on American life using interviews and audio and archive material.
The Jan. 2 segment on “News & Notes” featured Mudbone, Richard Pryor’s alter ego. Additional segments: Jan. 6, “Weekend Edition Sunday,” Bugs Bunny; Jan. 7, “Morning Edition,” Lassie; and Jan. 12, “Weekend Edition Saturday,” Holden Caulfield.
Listeners can make suggestions for character profiles by submitting a 150-word essay.
Also at NPR.org, “In Character” features additional audio and video material about the characters profiled, archived stories and a series blog.
