Gregory Warner
Gregory Warner is the host of NPR's Rough Translation, a podcast about how things we're talking about in the United States are being talked about in some other part of the world. Whether interviewing a Ukrainian debunker of Russian fake news, a Japanese apology broker navigating different cultural meanings of the word "sorry," or a German dating coach helping a Syrian refugee find love, Warner's storytelling approach takes us out of our echo chambers and leads us to question the way we talk about the world. Rough Translation has received the Lowell Thomas Award from the Overseas Press Club and a Scripps Howard Award.
In his role as host, Warner draws on his own overseas experience. As NPR's East Africa correspondent, he covered the diverse issues and voices of a region that experienced unparalleled economic growth as well as a rising threat of global terrorism. Before joining NPR, he reported from conflict zones around the world as a freelancer. He climbed mountains with smugglers in Pakistan for This American Life, descended into illegal mineshafts in the Democratic Republic of Congo for Marketplace's "Working" series, and lugged his accordion across Afghanistan on the trail of the "Afghan Elvis" for Radiolab.
Warner has also worked as senior reporter for American Public Media's Marketplace, endeavoring to explain the economics of American health care. He's used puppets to illustrate the effects of Internet diagnostics on the doctor-patient relationship, and composed a Suessian poem to explain the correlation between health care job growth and national debt. His musical journey into the shadow world of medical coding won a Best News Feature award from the Third Coast International Audio Festival.
Warner has won a Peabody Award and awards from Edward R. Murrow, New York Festivals, AP, and PRNDI. He earned his degree in English from Yale University.
-
Earlier this month, South Sudan teetered on the brink of a return to civil war. The government cites a Facebook post for sparking the violence.
-
Just before President Obama's visit to Ethiopia last year, jailed bloggers and journalists were suddenly released from prison — a welcome gesture of openness. But their freedom goes only so far.
-
Ethiopia has long been associated with extreme drought that leaves millions in need of food. That's still the case, as the Horn of Africa suffers its worst drought in 50 years. But experts say that is exactly why the world needs to rethink its approach to aid in the age of climate change.
-
A new study of the speech patterns of gelada monkeys in the Ethiopian Highlands suggests that linguistically humans aren't as unique as we think. So why has it taken us thousands of years to realize that? NPR has the story of how we listen to noises we don't understand.
-
China plans to open its first overseas military base in the African country of Djibouti. It's the same place where the U.S. has had its major African intelligence gathering base for the last 15 years.
-
A diplomatic tangle in East Africa underlines China's growing might on the continent. Kenya faces a lawsuit from Taiwan over the "illegal abduction" of nationals deported to China. China says it's a matter of national security.
-
Infrared thermal cameras have revolutionized the way rangers can see into the dark. But sometimes, experience trumps technology.
-
After steady complaints by taxi drivers in Kenya that the ride-sharing service Uber is stealing their business, six men were arrested last week and charged with attempted murder of an Uber driver.
-
Nearly 1,000 women were raped in election violence in Kenya eight years ago. Campaigners say the victims are being deliberately ignored.
-
Amnesty International says that Apple, Samsun and Sony are failing to do basic checks to make sure that minerals in their products are not mined by children in the Democratic Republic of Congo.