'The Ethicist:' Coffee Quandary

By John Ydstie,

Randy Cohen

Published March 20, 2004 at 11:00 PM CST

NPR's John Ydstie and ethicist Randy Cohen discuss the dilemma of listener Scott Williams in Palouse, Washington. Williams wants to know whether he should join the boycott of a coffee shop whose owner attends a church he finds offensive. The pastor of that church argues that the Bible justifies slavery.

John Ydstie

John Ydstie has covered the economy, Wall Street, and the Federal Reserve at NPR for nearly three decades. Over the years, NPR has also employed Ydstie's reporting skills to cover major stories like the aftermath of Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina, the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He was a lead reporter in NPR's coverage of the global financial crisis and the Great Recession, as well as the network's coverage of President Trump's economic policies. Ydstie has also been a guest host on the NPR news programs Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. Ydstie stepped back from full-time reporting in late 2018, but plans to continue to contribute to NPR through part-time assignments and work on special projects.

See stories by John Ydstie

Randy Cohen

Randy Cohen was born in Charleston, S.C., and raised in Reading, Pa. He attended graduate school at the California Institute of the Arts as a music major studying composition.