Date Posted: December 31, 2009

The Barbershop guys offer their take on some of the more prominent stories to make headlines in 2009, such as the arrest of black Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates after he was perceived as a burglar outside his home and the sudden death of music superstar Michael Jackson. This week's panel — freelance Writer Jimi Izrael, civil rights attorney Arsalan Iftikhar, syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette and NPR Political Editor Ken Rudin — also discuss stories they believe were underreported in 2009, such as the weakened state of many of the nation's public schools.

Listen to audio at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122101238