Ina Jaffe
Ina Jaffe is a veteran NPR correspondent covering the aging of America. Her stories on Morning Edition and All Things Considered have focused on older adults' involvement in politics and elections, dating and divorce, work and retirement, fashion and sports, as well as issues affecting long term care and end of life choices. In 2015, she was named one of the nation's top "Influencers in Aging" by PBS publication Next Avenue, which wrote "Jaffe has reinvented reporting on aging."
Jaffe also reports on politics, contributing to NPR's coverage of national elections since 2008. From her base at NPR's production center in Culver City, California, Jaffe has covered most of the region's major news events, from the beating of Rodney King to the election of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. She's also developed award-winning enterprise pieces. Her 2012 investigation into how the West Los Angeles VA made millions from illegally renting vacant property while ignoring plans to house homeless veterans won an award from the Society of Professional Journalists as well as a Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media. A few months after the story aired, the West Los Angeles VA broke ground on supportive housing for homeless vets.
Her year-long coverage on the rising violence in California's public psychiatric hospitals won the 2011 Investigative Reporters and Editors Award as well as a Gracie Award. Her 2010 series on California's tough three strikes law was honored by the American Bar Association with the Silver Gavel Award, as well as by the Society of Professional Journalists.
Before moving to Los Angeles, Jaffe was the first editor of Weekend Edition Saturday with Scott Simon, which made its debut in 1985.
Born in Chicago, Jaffe attended the University of Wisconsin and DePaul University, receiving bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy, respectively.
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The fashion industry is sometimes criticized for unrealistic portrayals of young women. But if you're a woman older than 60, there are almost no portrayals, realistic or otherwise. Now a fashion blog called Advanced Style has made stars of some of these older fashionistas, including a 93-year-old who says the spotlight makes her feel like she's "part of the world." -
The West Los Angeles VA Medical Center is a nearly 400-acre campus whose onetime sole purpose was to house veterans, but some say it has lost sight of that mission. The Department of Veterans Affairs has been renting chunks of the land, mostly to enterprises that have nothing to do with helping veterans. -
As the contests in Iowa and New Hampshire near, the Republican presidential hopefuls are no longer keeping their sniping focused on President Obama. In the past few days, the contenders have shown themselves to be ready to fight each other. -
Atascadero State Hospital in central California was built to treat criminals who are mentally ill. But since 2006, assaults on staff have risen markedly. Employees blame the increase on a federally enforced plan that they say requires them to spend more time on paperwork than treating patients. -
When a psychiatric technician at Napa State Hospital was murdered last fall, allegedly by a patient, staffers began going public with their safety complaints. More than 80 percent of the patients at the hospital arrived by way of the criminal justice system — deemed either not guilty by reason of insanity or just too dangerous to be paroled. -
At 92, film legend Kirk Douglas has returned to live theater for a one-man show that's a biography of his life and career. The last performance is Sunday at, fittingly enough, the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, Calif.
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Democrat Barack Obama was in three states, telling crowds that Republican John McCain's campaign had taken "the low road." McCain was in Ohio telling crowds Obama is from the far left and has unexplained ties to a convicted felon.
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Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has re-energized her party's ticket. The GOP is also hoping the Alaska governor will attract the all-important female vote, especially in battleground states like Missouri. A group of women in the Show Me state explain how they feel about Palin.
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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama lifted the curtain on his vice presidential choice Saturday, introducing Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware at a rally in Springfield, Ill. In comments about his new running mate, Obama focused extensively on Biden's character and personal history.
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Democrats are gathering for their national convention in Denver with the party divided and the country mired in an unpopular war. The situation was similar 40 years ago when Democrats convened in Chicago, amid battles between protesters and police. What happened then still influences political protests today.
