Jennifer Ludden
Correspondent, National Desk
Jennifer Ludden covers immigration and immigrant issues, filing stories that reflect the changing demography of the U.S. Her pieces can be heard on all NPR News programs, including All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition.
Previously she covered the Middle East for NPR, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the collapse of the decade-long Oslo peace process. In between breaking news, Ludden also traveled from Egypt to Iran, reporting on cultural issues such as the dying tradition of storytellers in Syria or the emergence of Persian pop music in Iran.
Before taking up the Middle East beat, Ludden was based in Paris, reporting on France as well as traveling to Turkey, Kuwait, and India, among other places. From 1995 to 1997, Ludden covered West and Central Africa for NPR, coverage that included chronicling the devastating effects of civil war in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Her reports from Mali, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, and elsewhere also provided slices of everyday life in a region that is little covered by the international media.
Ludden won the Robert F. Kennedy award for her coverage of the fall of Zaire's Mobutu Sese Seko and the rebellion of Laurent Kabila (who changed the country's name to the Democratic Republic of Congo). Ludden was also part of the NPR team which won two awards for coverage of Kosovo in 1999: the Overseas Press Club Lowell Thomas Award and the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Before joining NPR, Ludden filed freelance reports for the network from Canada, and worked at public radio stations in Boston and Maine.
