Barbara Bradley Hagerty
Barbara Bradley Hagerty is the religion correspondent for NPR, reporting on the intersection of faith and politics, law, science and culture. Her New York Times best-selling book, "Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality," was published by Riverhead/Penguin Group in May 2009. Among others, Barb has received the American Women in Radio and Television Award, the Headliners Award and the Religion Newswriters Association Award for radio reporting.
Before covering the religion beat, Barb was NPR's Justice Department correspondent between 1998 and 2003. Her billet included the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton, Florida's disputed 2000 election, terrorism, crime, espionage, wrongful convictions and the occasional serial killer. Barbara was the lead correspondent covering the investigation into the September 11 attacks. Her reporting was part of NPR's coverage that earned the network the 2001 George Foster Peabody and Overseas Press Club awards. She has appeared on the PBS programs Washington Week and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
Barb came to NPR in 1995, after attending Yale Law School on a one-year Knight Fellowship. From 1982-1993, she worked at The Christian Science Monitor as a newspaper reporter in Washington, as the Asia correspondent based in Tokyo for World Monitor (the Monitor's nightly television program on the Discovery Cable Channel) and finally as senior Washington correspondent for Monitor Radio.
Barb was graduated magna cum laude from Williams College in 1981 with a degree in economics, and has a masters in legal studies from Yale Law School.
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NPR's series on new religious movements looks at the popularity of Wicca, or witchcraft, among young people. Teens seem to be drawn to Wicca because, among other reasons, it can be tailored to individual needs. Some of the teens' parents are Wiccans themselves. Other parents are alarmed that their children are practicing witchcraft. NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports.
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NPR's series on new religious movements continues today with the fastest growing Christian church. The Toronto Blessing is a Pentecostal church, in which the worshippers display a personal, physical connection with God through manifestations such as speaking in tongues and barking like dogs. NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports.
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NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports on the call for Jihad among international Muslim communities. Jihad by definition means "Holy War," but some experts say the idea of jihad is open for interpretation.
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A U.S. intelligence official says it was Saddam Hussein, and not a double, who appeared in a taped recording on Iraqi TV shortly after he was targeted by a U.S. air strike. But the official says it is unclear when the tape was made and whether Saddam was harmed. NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports.
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NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports on how a potential war with Iraq is being viewed by American Muslims and others. Viewed through the filter of religion, some see echoes of crusades, others see the conflict as driven by politics and economics.
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NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty has an update on a string of lawsuits regarding the posting of the Ten Commandments on government property.
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NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports on the status of President Bush's plan to bring religious groups into government social service programs. The initiative bogged down in Congress, so the president issued executive orders allowing faith groups to get government contracts to offer such services as housing and substance-abuse treatment. Now, those groups face issues, including whether they can use government money to hire only members of their own faith, or to build facilities that might be used for worship.
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America's Catholic Bishops overwhelmingly approve new rules for handling cases involving the sexual abuse of minors. The policy was crafted at the Vatican, and is expected to receive quick approval from the pope. NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports.
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U.S. bishops meet in Washington, D.C., to discuss changes to their proposed policy for dealing with sexually abusive priests. The Vatican seeks revisions to items it says conflict with church law. Hear NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty and Kathleen McChesney of the church's Office for Child and Youth Protection.
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NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports on the ongoing meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, where the discussion is focused on child abuse by the clergy. Among the votes planned for tomorrow is one on a statement that bishops will hold one another responsible for implementing the policies by fraternal correction. One bishop also said public pressure will hold the bishops accountable. But lay groups pushing for stronger protections for minors say the bishops promised 10 years ago they would be accountable, but went on placing offending priests in parishes.