I got my first job in journalism at 16 as a copy-boy at the News and Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina. I've worked in documentary photography, print, radio and television. My radio work started in Burkina Faso in West Africa, following a three year stint with the Peace Corps in Togo. From Burkina Faso, I moved to London to produce the BBC World Service flagship breakfast program for Africa, "Network Africa."
In 1990, I moved back to the US, and helped start up a new public radio station in upstate New York in the Adirondacks where I reported, produced and hosted a daily two-hour news and current affairs show. Four years later, I moved to Rome, Italy where I was the correspondent for Monitor Radio. In 1995, WGBH and The World hired me to help begin the program. Its mission -- to bring international news to American ears in a compelling way that would make the world more relevant to them -- scratched me where I itch. And I've been committed to that mission ever since.
Along the way, I've won some awards (the National Federation of Community Broadcasters for an original radio drama I wrote; the Sony awards for an exposé on child labor in West African gold mines; the New York Festivals for a BBC documentary on the 1987 assassination of Burkina Faso’s president; the first annual Unity award from the Radio and Television News Director’s Association for coverage of diversity issues; and an Emmy for a Frontline documentary on Libya). But the most important honor for me remains the emails I get from listeners thanking us for the coverage we give to often little-known stories and voices from around the globe.
Los Lobos celebrates 50th anniversary
The iconic East Los Angeles band Los Lobos is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Their blend of rock ’n’ roll and traditional Mexican music has stayed consistent over generations. Members of the band, which formed when they were in high school, reflect with The World's host Marco Werman on their staying power.
San Diego doctor says height of the border wall is leading to more injuries from falls
Pollution from Tijuana River contaminates marine border areas
Finding home in California after fleeing war in Ukraine
'For the Sake of' song becomes anthem for protests in Iran
Musician Luke Sital-Singh finds catharsis by singing a song to God
Sital-Singh, now an atheist, has released a single, "Me & God," which gets up close and personal with his faith.
The World remembers singer Amy Winehouse on the 10th anniversary of her death
British jazz and soul singer Amy Winehouse died 10 years ago on Friday. Host Marco Werman reflects on her talents.
Brazilian Rodrigo Amarante’s solo album ‘Drama’ testifies to a rich musical career
The Brazilian songwriter’s second-ever solo album contains everything from ‘Tuyo,’ the theme song he wrote for the Netflix series “Narcos,” to the more personal, ‘Tango,’ about the people he wants to be surrounded by.
President Biden set to further regulate 'ghost guns'
The Biden administration faces pushback from Republicans as it tries to pass legislation to further regulate "ghost guns" assembled with homemade parts.
It’s been 10 years since Fukushima. What’s it like to rebuild in a city that ‘doesn’t exist’?
The World revisits the Saeki family in Ishinomaki, Japan, which was one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that devastated the country on March, 11, 2011.
Marco Werman: Your support keeps us going
Despite all the chaos and uncertainty of 2020, our end-of-year fundraising campaign has inspired over 600 listeners from every corner of the globe to support us. If you can contribute to what we're doing, then this is our message: we still need you.
Four musicians grapple with the same question: What is home?
“Movement,” a one-hour special from The World, brings you stories of global migration through music. Together, host Marco Werman and Ethiopian American singer Meklit Hadero blend song and narrative in a meditation on what it means to be American. We follow a once-undocumented singer in San Francisco on a long-awaited trip back to Mexico, reflect on the experience of exile with a Syrian DJ and hear a Sudanese American artist play his first-ever show in Sudan — all guided by Hadero as she reflects on her own American story.
Marco Werman: We are The World
Who we are matters because we bring our full selves to this job. The World newsroom gets to the bottom of every story, takes risks and highlights the communities most impacted by the headlines. I ask you to take a moment in your busy day to meet us, to see who we are. And while you’re there, please consider supporting the work we do.
Marco Werman: 'We are all connected'
Reporting in the world of COVID-19, we need your support.
Russia’s rap scene: No place for politics
Rap is now mainstream in Russia. The sound is everywhere: in clubs, on the radio and in stores. But despite a culture of speaking out on issues in the West, why do many rappers in Russia avoid talking about the country’s big problems?