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.
-
Political violence in the African nation of Burundi has forced an estimated 200,000 people to flee. Some are musicians who are bringing the country's diverse styles together in one band. -
Paul Kagame is the only president the country has had since 2000. He's already served two terms, and voters support amending the constitution to allow him to stay in office another 17 years. -
In Ethiopia, students have been killed while protesting the government's proposals to take over territory in the Oromia region. -
Two years ago, the United Nations made a spur-of-the-moment decision to open its bases to hundreds of thousands who sought refuge from war. Today, those bases resemble permanent communities. -
Mohamud Saleh made his name by reducing crime in a lawless part of northeast Kenya. After an absence of more than a decade, he's returned to fight terrorism and argues the very same tactics will work. -
Musicians in Kenya want a law forcing radio stations to play 70 percent local music. Nigeria and South Africa have similar rules. But this kind of protectionism could backfire. -
Africa marks one year without polio on Tuesday. But there are now concerns in Kenya, where bishops have declared a boycott of the vaccine on the eve of a WHO polio vaccination campaign. -
President Obama made an official visit to the capital of Nairobi on Saturday, where he's speaking at the annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit. He also met with leaders in the region.
-
There's a festive air in Nairobi with the arrival of President Obama for his first visit since being elected. His focus is on promoting African entrepreneurs and getting electricity to rural areas.
-
When President Obama was elected in 2008, Kenyans rejoiced. U.S.-Kenya relations have had ups and downs since then. Kenyans now eagerly await Obama's first presidential visit to his father's homeland.
