Elissa Nadworny on Vulnerability and Collaborative Reporting

Today we’re joined by Elissa Nadworny, an NPR correspondent, regularly reporting on international conflict, focusing on children and families. She has spent several months in Ukraine covering the war with Russia and most recently in Israel, covering the war with Hamas and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Elissa also guest hosts acclaimed radio shows, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition.

Today, we discuss how to lean into the vulnerable side of storytelling, navigating desensitization in media, and how technology has impacted her reporting on the ground. Elissa also shares insights on collaborating with unique creative partners and adapting to the fast-paced nature of modern content production. #storytelling #journalism #reporting

Guest Bio:

Elissa Nadworny is an NPR correspondent covering reproductive rights and abortion.

She also regularly reports on international conflict, with a special focus on children and families. She has spent several months in Ukraine covering the war with Russia and in Israel, covering the war with Hamas and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

She guest hosts NPR radio shows such as All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and special election coverage.

In 2023, she tracked down a classroom of kindergarteners from eastern Ukraine, displaced by the war. The project took eight months, spanned multiple countries and continents, and told the story of children and families dealing with the trauma, loss, and fear that conflict brings.

Her work has won awards including a James Beard Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in innovation, and several Gracie Awards.

She's a Livingston Award finalist for a story about college students getting their degrees from inside a state prison.

Other stories that have resonated with her include crawling in the sewers below a college campus to test wastewater for the coronavirus, sitting with the elderly living along the front lines in Ukraine's east, and the story of a pregnant woman in Gaza who gave birth amid abysmal and fast deteriorating hospital conditions.

In 2018, she went on an epic search for the history behind her own high school's classroom skeleton.

Before joining NPR in 2014, Nadworny worked at Bloomberg News, reporting from the White House.

Originally from Erie, Pa., Nadworny has a bachelor's degree in documentary film from Skidmore College and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Social Media

• Elissa Nadworny's Instagram
• Elissa Nadworny's Twitter

Additional Resources

• Elissa Nadworny's story about kindergartners in Kharkiv
• Elissa's story about mothers in Gaza
• Elissa Nadworny's Brief Stint newsletter on Substack
• NPR's Morning Edition
• All Things Considered
• Weekend Edition