Maureen Pao Maureen Pao is an editor, producer and reporter on NPR's Digital News team.
Maureen Pao, photographed for NPR, 17 January 2019, in Washington DC.
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Maureen Pao

Mike Morgan/NPR
Maureen Pao, photographed for NPR, 17 January 2019, in Washington DC.
Mike Morgan/NPR

Maureen Pao

Producer, Digital News

Maureen Pao is an editor, producer and reporter on NPR's Digital News team. In her current role, she is lead digital editor and producer for All Things Considered. Her primary responsibility is coordinating, producing and editing high-impact online components for complex, multipart show projects and host field reporting.

She also identifies and reports original stories for online, on-air and social platforms, on subjects ranging from childhood vaccinations during the pandemic, baby boxes and the high cost of childcare to Peppa Pig in China and the Underground Railroad in Maryland. Most memorable interview? No question: a one-on-one conversation with Dolly Parton.

In early 2020, Pao spent three months reporting local news at member station WAMU as part of an NPR exchange program. In 2014, she was chosen to participate in the East-West Center's Asia Pacific Journalism Fellowship program, during which she reported stories from Taiwan and Singapore.

Previously, she served as the first dedicated digital producer for international news at NPR.

Before coming to NPR, Pao worked as a travel editor at USA TODAY and as a reporter and editor in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

She's a graduate of the University of Virginia and earned a master's in journalism from the University of Michigan. Originally from South Carolina, she can drawl on command and talk about dumplings all day. She lives with her family in Washington, D.C.

Story Archive

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Tuesday

Monday

Serena Williams, of the United States, makes a heart with her hands after defeating Danka Kovinic, of Montenegro, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, in New York. Charles Krupa/AP hide caption

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Charles Krupa/AP

Thursday

Various/Emily Bogle for NPR

Travel the world without leaving your home with these 10 books

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Wednesday

Here are 100+ books to learn about all 50 states (and then some)

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Friday

A sign requiring face masks and COVID-19 protocols is displayed at a restaurant in Plymouth, Mich., on March 21. Coronavirus cases in Michigan are skyrocketing after months of steep declines, one sign that a new surge may be starting. Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Thursday

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo says the U.S. is clear "clear-eyed on the magnitude of the threat that China poses." Susan Walsh/AP hide caption

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Susan Walsh/AP

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo: U.S. Devising Strategy To Push Back On China

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Thursday

Colleagues, family and friends attend the August funeral of Los Angeles police Officer Valentin Martinez, the agency's first sworn officer to die of complications from COVID-19. Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images hide caption

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Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

As COVID-19 Ravages His Force, LAPD Chief Looks To Boost Confidence In Vaccine

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Monday

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves explains his rationale for not ordering a statewide mask mandate on Nov. 24 in Jackson, Miss. Health officials are encouraging a statewide mandate. Rogelio V. Solis/AP hide caption

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Rogelio V. Solis/AP

Health Officials Call On Mississippi Governor To Implement Statewide Mask Mandate

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Thursday

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams demonstrates how to use a COVID-19 self-test kit during a press conference in Atlanta in August. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images hide caption

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Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

U.S. Surgeon General: 'We Are Absolutely Ready' To Distribute COVID-19 Vaccine

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Wednesday

Protesters call for support for tenants and homeowners at risk of eviction during a demonstration on Oct. 11 in Boston. A federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire at the end of December. Steven Senne/AP hide caption

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Steven Senne/AP

'These Are Deaths That Could Have Been Prevented,' Says Researcher Studying Evictions

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Monday

Alaska Brewpub Owner On How He Hopes To Keep His Business Open As Winter Arrives

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Thursday

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says he expects the company will produce enough of its COVID-19 vaccine to reach 25 million people by the end of the year. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Pfizer CEO On Next Steps For Coronavirus Vaccine And His Controversial Stock Trade

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Tuesday

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (shown here on Nov. 10) has ordered new statewide restrictions to head off a resurgence in coronavirus cases. Cathy Cheney/AP hide caption

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Cathy Cheney/AP

Oregon Governor: Mitch McConnell Should 'Get Off His Duff' And Deliver Relief Funds

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Monday

Chuck Hagel, then U.S. defense secretary, speaks during a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels in 2015. Virginia Mayo/AP hide caption

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Virginia Mayo/AP

Ex-Defense Secretary Hagel Says GOP Hesitation On Election Is 'Hurting Our Country'

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Tuesday

A health care worker prepares to screen people for the coronavirus at a testing site in Landover, Md., in March. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Health Care Workers Ask Therapist: 'Why Aren't More People Taking This Seriously?'

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Tuesday

A man waits to cross the street in the largely Latino neighborhood of East Los Angeles on Aug. 7. California has implemented a new health equity metric to help address the outsize effect of coronavirus on the state's communities of color. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

To Tackle Racial Disparities In COVID-19, California Enacts New Metric For Reopening

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Tuesday

Anita Hill, shown in 2017, is chair of the Hollywood Commission, which intends to combat sexual misconduct and gender inequities across the industry. Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP hide caption

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Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

Anita Hill On Sexual Harassment In Hollywood And Beyond

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Monday

A memorial to Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind outside the apartment where Greywind lived with her parents in Fargo, N.D., pictured in 2017. Savanna's Act requires the Department of Justice to strengthen training, coordination and data collection in cases of murdered or missing Native Americans. Dave Kolpack/AP hide caption

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Dave Kolpack/AP

Savanna's Act Addresses Alarming Number Of Missing Or Killed Native Women

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Friday

Gettysburg College has ordered all of its students to remain at their residences and moved all classes online in measures that began Tuesday. John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

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John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

Friday