Ashley Westerman
Ashley Westerman is a producer who occasionally directs the show. Since joining the staff in June 2015, she has produced a variety of stories including a coal mine closing near her hometown, the 2016 Republican National Convention, and the Rohingya refugee crisis in southern Bangladesh. She is also an occasional reporter for Morning Edition, and NPR.org, where she has contributed reports on both domestic and international news.
Ashley was a summer intern in 2011 with Morning Edition and pitched a story on her very first day. She went on to work as a reporter and host for member station 89.3 WRKF in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she earned awards covering everything from healthcare to jambalaya.
Ashley is an East-West Center 2018 Jefferson Fellow and a two-time reporting fellow with the International Center for Journalists. Through ICFJ, she has covered labor issues in her home country of the Philippines for NPR and health care in Appalachia for Voice of America.
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Dozens of American parents who were in the process of adopting children from Ukraine are stuck in limbo as the war with Russia grinds on with no end in sight.
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The rural town of Balaklia was liberated as part of Ukraine's recent counteroffensive against Russia in the east. NPR was among the first group of journalists to go there.
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The Ukrainian town of Balaklia was the first to be liberated as part of Ukraine's recent counteroffensive. The work to understand what happened there during six months of occupation is just beginning.
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The Carpathian Mountains are a wildly popular domestic getaway spot for Ukrainians in the summer. But Russia's invasion has deeply affected the tourism industry there this year.
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Andriy Tuz was at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant when it came under Russian control in March. Now in Switzerland, Tuz talks about work and life at the complex under Russian occupation.
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After Russia's invasion, Ukraine announced martial law in February and issued a travel ban, so most men couldn't leave the country. Many have since felt trapped and worry they'll be drafted to fight.
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Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska was criticized for not looking ladylike in a recent Vogue photoshoot. Her supporters pushed back, creating an online campaign asking what it means to #SitLikeAGirl.
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With permanent burial too costly for many, a priest launched a project to exhume victims, cremate them and find a lasting resting place for their ashes — all free of charge to the families.
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Boracay Island, the most popular beach in the Philippines, is making a comeback after nearly two years of pandemic restrictions. It comes as the Philippines finally reopens its borders to tourism.
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The Philippines has only one entrant in the Beijing Olympics: Asa Miller, who will take part in the men's giant slalom Sunday. But there's growing interest in winter sports in the tropical country.