Stephen Snyder

Senior Radio Producer

Stephen Snyder works in the Boston newsroom of PRI's The World. He manages a variety of tasks, but they all boil down to making news stories relevant and interesting to people.

Peabody Award-winning radio producer Stephen Snyder joined The World staff in 1998. Then the president was in the middle of impeachment and launched cruise missiles into Sudan to try to destroy Al Qaeda. India and Pakistan seemed to be on the brink of a nuclear war. The world economy was on a boom that seemed to be benefiting only the wealthy. 
Then, as now, Snyder's job was to help The World make the news beyond our borders understandable, interesting. Now, as then, he writes the daily 30-second radio ads that preview stories coming up on The World.  Sometimes he helps write and produce the stories themselves.
Snyder also helps public radio stations — maybe yours — to make The World a successful part of their broadcast day. He writes the short fundraising messages that you may hear anchor Marco Werman read on the air during public radio pledge drives. Several times a month he directs the radio program, and gets to drive our roller coaster of an hour through reports, interviews, host intros and musical bridges, all the while watching the clock to make sure we don't collide with a newscast or a station break.  
Before joining The World he was senior producer of public radio’s “Sound & Spirit."  From 1989-1995 he produced the Peabody Award-winning children’s news program “Kid Company” on WBZ in Boston. Before that he was a professional musician. He still makes music.

 
Yemeni vendors display various types of dry goods at a traditional market as food prices rise, in Sanaa, Yemen, Oct. 1, 2022.

Yemenis say their country is about more than war and humanitarian aid

Since the Yemen war began in 2014, Western journalists have been telling the world about the fighting, the human toll and the geopolitical underpinnings of the conflict. Many reports, even today, contain no Yemeni perspective. A new project is inviting Yemenis from across the country and in the diaspora to talk about their own experiences of war and daily lives. Host Marco Werman speaks with Nuha Al-Junaid, the Yemeni woman coordinating The Yemen Listening Project.

Yemenis say their country is about more than war and humanitarian aid
The smaller floats impressed the audience because they were adorned with stunning tapestries, miniature trees, and beautiful figurines. Each float had a legendary story behind it. 

1,000-year-old Gion Matsuri festival resumes in Kyoto, Japan

1,000-year-old Gion Matsuri festival resumes in Kyoto, Japan
The World

Wagner Group blamed for civilian slaughter in Mali

Wagner Group blamed for civilian slaughter in Mali
Belongings of Halima Ali Maiyanga and Maryam Ali Maiyanga, two of the young women kidnapped by Boko Haram in a boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria, in April 2014.

'The Stolen Daughters of Chibok': the impact of the abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls 9 years on

'The Stolen Daughters of Chibok': the impact of the abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls 9 years on
soldiers

50 years ago, Nixon announced the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam

50 years ago, Nixon announced the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam
Father Damion, abbot at St. Joseph's Trappist Abbey, left, and Spencer Brewery director Father Isaac walk through their new, state-of-the-art facility.

Trappist monks keep beer tradition alive despite decline in interest for monastic life

Only five Trappist breweries remain in Belgium, known for producing the famous Westmalle brand. Beer consultant Sofie Vanrafelghem had the rare opportunity to visit one of the monasteries, and she joined The World's host Marco Werman from Antwerp to share her experience.

Trappist monks keep beer tradition alive despite decline in interest for monastic life
A family prepares tea outside the Directorate of Disaster office where they are camped, in Herat, Afghanistan, on Nov. 29, 2021. The United Nations is predicting that a record 274 million people — who together would amount to the world’s fourth most-popul

US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking says the solution to the war in Yemen is diplomatic, not militaristic

The US envoy for the Yemen conflict, Tim Lenderking, tells host Carol Hills about his efforts to promote a political solution to the military conflict that is now in its seventh year, which has triggered what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking says the solution to the war in Yemen is diplomatic, not militaristic
Saudi jet fighters fly over Incirlik Air Base near Adana, southern Turkey, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016. 

US sales of missiles to Saudis signal business as usual — almost

The recent $650 million sale involves 280 air-to-air missiles known as AMRAAMs (advanced medium range air-to-air missiles) and their launch systems, to be used on Saudi fighter jets. It has raised a stir in foreign policy circles.

US sales of missiles to Saudis signal business as usual — almost
Members of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions wearing masks and costumes inspired by the Netflix original Korean series "Squid Game" attend a rally demanding job security in Seoul, South Korea

Netflix hit ‘Squid Game’ exposes the growing resentment between rich and poor, psychiatrist says

The new Netflix psychological thriller series "Squid Game" is intense and brutal — but it's also fiction. Why does it have such far-reaching impact around the world? Psychiatrist Jean Kim discusses the history of the Koreas and how it affects today's popular culture with The World's host Marco Werman.

Netflix hit ‘Squid Game’ exposes the growing resentment between rich and poor, psychiatrist says
Abdulrahman al-Sadhan poses with his sister Areej Al Sadhan

Sister of imprisoned Saudi aid worker: 'They are already calling me a terrorist'

A court in Saudi Arabia upheld a 20-year prison term imposed on Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, a Saudi aid worker who had criticized the government on Twitter, drawing a rare public rebuke from the US in another sign of tension between the Biden administration and the kingdom. Abdulrahman al-Sadhan's sister Areej al-Sadhan, a dual Saudi-US citizen, talked to The World's host Marco Werman about the situation.

Sister of imprisoned Saudi aid worker: 'They are already calling me a terrorist'
In this Aug. 22, 2021, image provided by the US Air Force and made through a night vision scope, a US Air Force security forces raven, assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, maintains a cordon around a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III in s

Taliban have acquired an 'overwhelming amount of potential weaponry,' global security expert says

Jodi Vittori, a former US Air Force officer who served in Afghanistan, joined The World's host Carol Hills to talk about the wide range of weapons — from night-vision goggles to combat aircraft — recently acquired by the Taliban since their takeover last week.

Taliban have acquired an 'overwhelming amount of potential weaponry,' global security expert says
People wait outside a shop where face masks and vitamins are being given away in Mandalay, Myanmar

6.2 million Burmese could go hungry by October. It’s the worst situation in ‘living memory,’ UN official says.

Stephen Anderson, country director of the World Food Program, spoke with The World's Marco Werman about the dire situation, from Myanmar's capital city, Naypyidaw.

6.2 million Burmese could go hungry by October. It’s the worst situation in ‘living memory,’ UN official says.
A crowd of survivors are shown standing and sitting on a bridge with several damaged buildings in the distance.

The only known photos from Hiroshima taken on Aug. 6, 1945

Yoshito Matsushige took the only known photographs of Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945, after the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city during World War II. Nearly half a century later, Matsushige told his story to Max McCoy, a reporter visiting Hiroshima from Kansas. McCoy speaks with The World's host Marco Werman about the photographer who captured the devastation on film that day.

The only known photos from Hiroshima taken on Aug. 6, 1945
Supporters of President Donald Trump, including Jacob Chansley, right with fur hat, are confronted by US Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington. Many of those who stormed the Ca

Foreign powers amplified QAnon content to sow discord that led to Jan. 6 Capitol riots, extremism expert says

Mia Bloom, co-author of "Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon," speaks with The World's host Marco Werman about the rise of QAnon, a US-based, conspiracy-fueled movement with international reach.

Foreign powers amplified QAnon content to sow discord that led to Jan. 6 Capitol riots, extremism expert says
"A Queen's Dream," illustration by Mayyu Khan, a Rohingya artist living in Kutupalong Refugee Camp, from "Rohingya Folk Tales," by Mohammed Rezuwan.

This young folklorist is on a mission to preserve Rohingya stories before it's too late

Mohammed Rezuwan, 24, lives in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp. He’s gathering Rohingya folk stories before a generation of storytellers dies off.

This young folklorist is on a mission to preserve Rohingya stories before it's too late