Guy Raz is the host of TED Radio Hour, a co-production of NPR and TED that tackles astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems and new ways to think and create. Each radio show is based on talks given by riveting speakers on the renowned TED stage, bound together by a common theme such as the thrill of space exploration, going to extremes, the source of happiness or 'when rights goes wrong' in our justice system. Currently, he is also Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University where he teaches radio reporting.
Previously, Raz was weekend host of NPR News' signature afternoon newsmagazine All Things Considered. Raz was named host of that program in July, 2009. During his tenure, Raz transformed the sound and format of the program, introducing the now-signature "cover story" and creating the popular Three-Minute Fiction writing contest.
Raz joined NPR in 1997 as an intern for All Things Considered and he worked his way through the ranks of the organization. His first job was the assistant to NPR's legendary news analyst Daniel Schorr. Raz then served as a general assignment reporter covering stories ranging from the early 2000 presidential primaries to a profile on the Doors' song “Light My Fire.”
In 2000, at the age of 25, Raz was made NPR's Berlin bureau chief where he covered eastern Europe and the Balkans. Later, he was transferred to London as the bureau chief and covered the war in Iraq. Raz left NPR in 2004, to work as CNN's Jerusalem correspondent, chronicling everything from the rise of Hamas as a political power to the incapacitation of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Israel's 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Two years later Raz returned to NPR to serve as defense correspondent where he covered the Pentagon and the US military.
During his six years abroad, Raz reported from more than 40 countries, with a focus on Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Afghanistan, Eastern Europe and the Balkans. He profiled and interviewed dozens of world leaders, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Shimon Peres, General David Petraeus and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen.
For his reporting from Iraq, Raz was awarded both the Edward R. Murrow Award and the Daniel Schorr Journalism prize. His reporting has contributed to two duPont Awards and one Peabody awarded to NPR. He's been a finalist for the Livingston Award four times. For his reporting from Germany, Raz was awarded both the RIAS Berlin prize and the Arthur F. Burns Award. In 2008, he spent a year as a Nieman journalism fellow at Harvard University where he studied classical history.
Raz's written work has appeared in Salon, Washington City Paper, the Washington Post, the Christian Science Monitor and the German daily, Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
Photo: Kainaz Amaria
Guy Raz on KCRW
More from KCRW
‘The Great’ creator on swearing, sex and ‘fun’ violence in 1700s Russia
EntertainmentTony McNamara's viciously satirical Hulu series “The Great” follows young Empress Catherine's adventures in her adopted country: 18th century imperial Russia.
David Lynch Theater Presents: Weather Report for May 16, 2022
Los AngelesDavid Lynch Theater Presents: Weather Report for May 16, 2022.
Gold medal gardening, quick recipes, Japanese food models
Food & DrinkAfter retiring from sailing a barge down the Thames River, Gerald Stratford took a different route than most septuagenarians — becoming a Twitter sensation while imparting his…
Alex Kurtzman: ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’
EntertainmentThis week on The Treatment, Elvis welcomes back Alex Kurtzman, co-creator, along with Jenny Lumet, of the adaptation of “The Man Who Fell to Earth” on Showtime.
Kool-Aid fried chicken: Try crazy eats at LA County Fair
Food & DrinkKool-Aid fried chicken sandwich, anyone? After a two-year COVID hiatus, the LA County Fair is back with classic eats and not-so-ordinary treats.
Young Creators Poet spotlight: Meet Aiyana Sha’niel
PoetryPoetry teacher and performer Aiyana Sha’niel is the youngest graduate of the Community Literature Initiative program.
Schizophrenia: A new day in diagnosis and treatment
Mental HealthFor hundreds of years, doctors and scientists have grappled with understanding schizophrenia.
Bittersweet: Susan Cain on the joy of sweet sorrow
PhilosophyWriter and lecturer Susan Cain explores the evolutionary reasons behind sadness in our lives and how accepting sorrow can lead to greater emotional resilience and creativity.
Stories shouldn’t have to justify Blackness or womanness: Natasha Rothwell
EntertainmentNatasha Rothwell played Kelli on HBO’s “Insecure,” and the beleaguered spa manager in “The White Lotus.” Now, she’s in the hit sequel “Sonic The Hedgehog 2.”