Bill Chappell Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, DC.
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Bill Chappell

Bill Chappell

Reporter, Producer

Bill Chappell is a writer, reporter and editor, and a leader on NPR's flagship digital news team. He has frequently contributed to NPR's audio and social media platforms, including hosting dozens of live shows online.

He has gone to two Olympics for NPR (Rio and Pyeongchang), and has been the lead editor for several others. This work focused on finding the human aspect of the Games — and sharing that fascination through text, video and images on NPR's Instagram and other branded accounts.

Because of his contributions, Chappell is also named on NPR's Peabody-award winning team for its Ebola coverage. Years ago, he established the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps' presence on NPR.org.

At NPR, Chappell has trained digital and radio staff in how to tell compelling stories online, promoting more collaboration between departments and desks. He was previously NPR.org's homepage editor, and has worked with shows such as Morning Edition, Fresh Air, and All Things Considered.

Prior to NPR, Chappell was an editor on the Assignment Desk at CNN International, handling coverage in areas from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. He also edited and produced stories for CNN.com's features division.

Story Archive

Friday

Guard Caitlin Clark is leading No. 2 seed Iowa Hawkeyes into the Sweet 16, where they'll face sixth-seeded Colorado at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Matthew Holst/Getty Images hide caption

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Matthew Holst/Getty Images

Thursday

The Sweet 16 includes Desi Sills (#13) and the Kansas State Wildcats, in an NCAA men's tournament that lacks any of the four top "blue blood" programs, such as Kentucky. Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images hide caption

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Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

The men's Sweet 16 tips off Thursday, as basketball fans enjoy a wild March

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Wednesday

A Google Maps image shows the stretch of road where Stephen Smith's body was discovered in Hampton County, S.C. Investigators say they believe his death was a homicide, not a hit-and-run as initially reported. Google Maps/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

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Google Maps/Screenshot by NPR

Tuesday

Vladislav Goldin of the Florida Atlantic Owls dunks in front of Demetre Roberts of the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. FAU dispatched the Cinderella Knights from the 2023 NCAA tournament. Andy Lyons/Getty Images hide caption

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Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Saturday

John James Audubon inspired generation with his Birds of America compendium. But his legacy also includes racist views and the owning and selling of enslaved people — bringing calls for the National Audubon Society to change its name. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Thursday

A Russian Su-27 fighter jet releases fuel as it approaches the rear of a U.S. Air Force MQ-9, in what the Pentagon says was "an unsafe and unprofessional intercept" over the Black Sea. U.S. European Command video / Screenshot by NPR hide caption

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U.S. European Command video / Screenshot by NPR

The U.S. military releases footage of Black Sea drone crash with Russian jet

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Wednesday

Abortion rights advocates gather in front of the J. Marvin Jones Federal Building and Courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, on Wednesday. U.S. abortion opponents are hoping to get a national ban on a widely used abortion pill through their lawsuit against the FDA. Moises Avila/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Moises Avila/AFP via Getty Images

Federal judge in Texas hears case that could force a major abortion pill off market

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Tuesday

Plows, at right, try to pass crawling traffic in the snow on Route 93 South in Londonderry, N.H., Tuesday. The storm is expected to continue into early Wednesday. Charles Krupa/AP hide caption

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Charles Krupa/AP

Monday

An FDIC sign is posted on a window at a Silicon Valley Bank branch in Wellesley, Mass., on Saturday. The bank was caught in a meltdown, forcing a government takeover. The FDIC guarantees accounts up to $250,000. Peter Morgan/AP hide caption

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Peter Morgan/AP

"We must get the full accounting of what happened and why," President Biden said of the banking crisis, speaking in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Monday. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption

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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Friday

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference in January, after a sentencing hearing of the Trump Organization. Bragg's office has invited former President Trump to testify before a grand jury — a step that often precedes an indictment. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

What we know about Trump possibly facing criminal indictment in New York City

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Thursday

Former Seattle SuperSonics forward Shawn Kemp (center) was booked into jail Wednesday, on a felony charge stemming from a shooting. He's seen here last year, at a WNBA game between the Seattle Storm and the Chicago Sky. Ted S. Warren/AP hide caption

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Ted S. Warren/AP

Wednesday

Medical tourism numbers are on the rise in Mexico, after the practice was curtailed by COVID-19 restrictions. Here, foreign patients are seen at the hospital Oasis of Hope in Tijuana in, 2019, in Mexico's Baja California state. Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images

Tuesday

New York no longer has a face mask mandate — and New York City Mayor Eric Adams is telling stores to get customers to lower their mask before entering, to help prevent crime. It's a reversal of previous guidance for shops: Here, a face mask sign is seen on a cafe's door in December of 2021, when the state mandated the wearing of masks. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

An aerial map of Atlanta's southeastern metro area shows the location of the Old Prison Farm, at right, in a 2017 planning document. The site was slated to be folded into a network of public parks — but a large public safety training center is now poised to take up a chunk of that real estate. Atlanta City Design hide caption

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Atlanta City Design

Friday

Alex Murdaugh was hit with a punishment of two life sentences on Friday, over the double murder of his wife and son in 2021. He's seen here being led into the Colleton County Courthouse by sheriff's deputies for sentencing in Walterboro, S.C. Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, Pool hide caption

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Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, Pool

Thursday

The legal team for Alex Murdaugh (center) presented their closing argument in his double murder trial on Thursday. He's seen here listening to prosecutor Creighton Waters make his closing arguments at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C. Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, Pool hide caption

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Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, Pool

A jury finds disbarred lawyer Alex Murdaugh guilty in the deaths of his wife and son

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Wednesday

Alex Murdaugh faces life in prison for the double murders of his wife and son. He's seen here being escorted into the the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C., on Monday. Jeff Blake/The State via AP, Pool hide caption

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Jeff Blake/The State via AP, Pool

Tuesday

Patricia Cole (left) strove to make every NPR story she touched better, and she embraced the silliness that sometimes breaks out in a newsroom. She's seen here with her friend Maquita Peters. Maquita Peters/NPR hide caption

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Maquita Peters/NPR

Friday

Disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh faced hours of cross-examination by prosecutor Creighton Waters during his murder trial in the 2021 deaths of his wife and son. Joshua Boucher/The State via AP hide caption

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Joshua Boucher/The State via AP

Thursday

Alex Murdaugh is testifying in his murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, S.C. He is seen here on Tuesday, listening to his defense attorneys Phillip Barber, left, and Dick Harpootlian. Jeff Blake/AP hide caption

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Jeff Blake/AP