Michel Martin

Michel Martin is curious about many things. "I wonder what it's like to leave everything and everyone you know for the promise of a better life, to run for President, to be a professional athlete, to parent children of a different race," she notes. "I am fascinated by people who live lives different from my own. And at the same time, I feel connected to all of these lives being a journalist, a woman of color, a wife and mother."

All these topics — from immigration to parenting in a multicultural family — are part of Tell Me More, the one-hour daily NPR news and talk show that made its national premiere on April 30, 2007, on public radio stations around the country.

Martin, who came to NPR in January 2006 to develop the program, has spent more than 25 years as a journalist — first in print with major newspapers and then in television. Tell Me More marks her debut as a full-time public radio show host. "What makes public radio special is that it's got both intimacy and reach all at once. For the cost of a phone call, I can take you around the world. But I'm right there with you in your car, in your living room or kitchen or office, in your iPod. Radio itself is an incredible tool and when you combine that with the global resources of NPR plus the commitment to quality, responsibility and civility, it's an unbeatable combination."

While working on the development of Tell Me More, Martin also served as contributor and substitute host for NPR newsmagazines and talk shows, including Talk of the Nation and News & Notes.

Martin joined NPR from ABC News, where she worked since 1992. She served as correspondent for Nightline from 1996 to 2006, reporting on such subjects as the Congressional budget battles, the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, racial profiling and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. At ABC, she also contributed to numerous programs and specials, including the network's award-winning coverage of September 11, a documentary on the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas controversy, a critically acclaimed AIDS special and reports for the ongoing series "America in Black and White." Martin reported for the ABC newsmagazine Day One, winning an Emmy for her coverage of the international campaign to ban the use of landmines, and was a regular panelist on This Week with George Stephanopoulos. She also hosted the 13-episode series Life 360, an innovative program partnership between Oregon Public Broadcasting and Nightline incorporating documentary film, performance and personal narrative; it aired on public television stations across the country.

Before joining ABC, Martin covered state and local politics for the Washington Post and national politics and policy at the Wall Street Journal, where she was White House correspondent. She has also been a regular panelist on the PBS series Washington Week and a contributor to NOW with Bill Moyers.

Martin has been honored by numerous organizations, including the Candace Award for Communications from The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Joan Barone Award for Excellence in Washington-based National Affairs/Public Policy Broadcasting from the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association and a 2002 Silver Gavel Award, given by the American Bar Association. Along with her Emmy award, she received three additional Emmy nominations, including one with NPR's Robert Krulwich, at the time an ABC contributor as well, for an ABC News program examining children's racial attitudes.

A native of Brooklyn, NY, Martin graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College at Harvard University in 1980 and has done graduate work at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

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NPR Story
11:53 am
Wed August 1, 2012

Does Access To Good Health Trickle Down?

Credit istockphoto.com

I got a chance to travel a little bit recently — and no I won't be showing slides, no matter how much you beg me. And call me a nerd but on our little car trip I found myself thinking about health care.

Certain provisions of last year's health care overhaul are going into effect today and they remain controversial...but that's not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about something deeper, about our country's attitudes about health and wealth, which are in front of us even when we aren't looking for them.

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Can I Just Tell You?
10:53 am
Wed July 18, 2012

Columnist Raspberry Never Lost Humor, Hope

Credit Denis Paquin / AP
William Raspberry celebrates after it was announced that he won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for commentary.

Originally published on Wed July 18, 2012 11:29 am

It grieves me to tell you something you might already know. The Pulitzer Prize-winning, much loved columnist William Raspberry passed away Tuesday at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 76 years old.

If you followed his work — columns that cut to the quick of difficult issues but were never mean — then you don't need me to tell you why he's already missed. But if you didn't know his work — or him, for that matter — please give me the privilege of telling you what you missed.

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Election 2012
10:42 am
Wed July 18, 2012

Candidate Wants To Green Up The White House

Credit Paul J. Richards / AFP/Getty Images
Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein delivers remarks during a press conference on July 11 in Washington, D.C.

Originally published on Wed July 25, 2012 10:51 am

President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are dominating the airwaves, but they aren't the only people running for president. Dr. Jill Stein is running as the Green Party nominee. She started her career as a medical doctor and is now campaigning on issues like the economy, education and health care. Host Michel Martin speaks with Stein about her "Green New Deal" and why she says choosing a third party is anything but a wasted vote.

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Economy
10:48 am
Mon July 16, 2012

AFSCME: Attacks On Public Sector Harm Middle Class

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, one of the country's largest unions, is facing a difficult climate. Local governments are slashing employee pensions and state governments are considering measures to curb collective bargaining rights. Host Michel Martin talks with Lee Saunders, AFSCME's new president.

Election 2012
10:48 am
Mon July 16, 2012

Romney Strikes Back Against Bain, Tax Attacks

Mitt Romney is defending criticism of his record at Bain Capital and attacks for not releasing more extensive tax records. Romney has accused President Obama of running a "campaign based on falsehood and dishonesty." Host Michel Martin checks in with NPR's Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving.

Arts & Life
10:48 am
Mon July 16, 2012

A Writer's 'Cold, Calculated Acts Of Kindness'

After he was laid off in 2008, writer T.M. Shine adopted a unique approach to finding a job. He says his new goal is being nice to people, and he put that right at the top of his resume. Host Michel Martin speaks with Shine about his journey from unemployment back to work, which he wrote about for this week's Washington Post Magazine.

Music Interviews
10:48 am
Mon July 16, 2012

Gospel Singer Regina Belle Reaches 'Higher'

Originally published on Wed July 18, 2012 9:18 am

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. For nearly 25 years, Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Regina Belle has been wowing audiences with her powerful voice. Much of that recognition has been for her work in R&B, but in 2008, after an award-winning career in secular music, Regina Belle went back to her roots and released her first gospel album, "Love Forever Shines."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LOVE FOREVER SHINES")

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Music
10:34 am
Fri July 6, 2012

Coldplay Sharpens Fencer's Game

World class fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad talks about the music that keeps her sharp for competition for Tell Me More's series, "In Your Ear." Muhammad and the rest of the U.S. women's team recently won gold at the Korfanty Sabre World Cup competition.

Faith Matters
10:34 am
Fri July 6, 2012

Evangelicals Preach Unity On Immigration Reform

More than 150 evangelical leaders, from across the political spectrum, have come together to call for immigration reform. Host Michel Martin looks at the crusade for reform with Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

Barbershop
10:34 am
Fri July 6, 2012

Will Same-Sex Romance Sink R&B's Ocean?

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin, and this is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. Now it's time for our weekly visit to the Barber Shop, where the guys talk about what's in the news and what's on their minds.

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