Daniel Zwerdling


Daniel Zwerdling is an American investigative journalist who has written for major magazines and newspapers. From 1980 to 2018 he served as an investigative reporter for NPR News, with stints as foreign correspondent and host of Weekend All Things Considered from 1993 to 1999. Zwerdling retired from NPR in 2018.

Journalism career

Daniel Zwerdling was editor-in-chief at Montgomery Blair High School's student newspaper in Silver Spring, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1971.
He was a staff writer at The New Republic and a freelance reporter.
Zwerdling is most known for his work while at National Public Radio. From 1993 to 1999, he was senior host of NPR's Weekend All Things Considered. From 1999 to 2002, he was an investigative reporter for RadioWorks, NPR News. His layoff in 2002 provoked controversy among the NPR staff as the organization's decision to remove an investigative journalism line was seen as conflicting with NPR's mission. From 2002 to 2004, he was NPR's television correspondent on Now on PBS with Bill Moyers.
Some of his notable reports include investigative reports about the military's treatment of soldiers who have experienced trauma, the impact of fast food restaurants on animal rights, and the harmful substances in tobacco products. In 2006 and 2007, he reported that officers at Fort Carson were punishing soldiers, returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan with post traumatic stress disorder and other serious mental health problems.
He was an adjunct professor of Media Ethics at American University, and an associate of the Bard College Institute for Language and Thinking in New York.
His work has appeared in The New York Review of Books.
In 2018, Zwerdling retired from NPR admid several allegations of sexual harassment, though he has stated the allegations are false.

Awards