About Fred
Fred de Sam Lazaro is director of the Under-Told Stories Project at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, a program that combines international journalism and teaching. He has served with the PBS NewsHour since 1985 and is a regular contributor and substitute anchor for PBS' Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.
He also has directed films from India and the Democratic Republic of Congo for the documentary series Wide Angle. Fred has reported from more than 60 countries: from Haiti to sub-Saharan Africa to south Asia. He has focused on stories that are under-reported in the mainstream U.S. media. In addition to regularly covering AIDS, public health concerns, development issues and social entrepreneurship, he led the first American crew to report on the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.
Fred is the recipient of two honorary doctorates, numerous journalism awards and media fellowships from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the University of Michigan. He serves on the board of Minnpost and was a trustee at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota, his alma mater. He also has served on the boards of the Asian American Journalists Association and the Children's Law Center of Minnesota.
Fred’s Recent Stories
Agents for Change Jul 27
Why India’s coronavirus numbers probably underestimate the country’s outbreakIndia has reported more than 1 million confirmed coronavirus infections -- a number exceeded only by the U.S. and Brazil. But experts say that both cases and deaths in the country are likely underestimates due to gaps in testing and…
Economy Jun 24
Why these meatpacking workers fear for their health and safety amid COVID-19Many U.S. meatpacking plants shut down this spring due to coronavirus outbreaks. Nationwide, more than 27,000 workers have become infected, and nearly 100 have died. But in late April, President Trump ordered the facilities to stay open, deeming them critical…
Nation Jun 15
How Minneapolis is trying to reimagine the future of policingSince the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, calls have grown for that city to overhaul its police department. Now, the effort to “dismantle the police department as we know it” has gained the support…
Nation Jun 01
Minneapolis’ long history of policing black and white communities differentlyThe problems with criminal justice in Minnesota’s Twin Cities extend beyond the George Floyd case. Of the 100 largest metro areas in the country, Minneapolis’ income gap between black and white families is the second largest, at nearly $50,000, and…
World May 15
Densely populated Bangladesh faces immense infection control challengeBangladesh is about the size of Iowa, but it has 50 times as many people. That extremely high population density makes containing coronavirus a huge challenge -- as does the recent influx of a million refugees from neighboring Myanmar. Special…
Agents for Change Apr 15
Developing countries’ fragile hygiene and health care raise COVID-19 risksMuch of the recent news about the coronavirus pandemic has focused on the globe's richer countries. But how is the developing world, where health care resources are strained in the best of times, preparing for COVID-19? To find out, special…
World Feb 11
India’s effort to clean up sacred but polluted Ganga RiverThe Ganga River, known as the Ganges under British rule, is one of the most revered waterways in the world -- and also among the most polluted. Stretching from the Himalayan foothills to the Bay of Bengal, it provides water…
World Jan 14
Water-stressed cities in India turn to innovation for a safe, stable supplyHalf the population of India lives in areas where water resources are highly stressed. In the coastal city of Chennai, rapid economic development and a population boom have jeopardized supplies of freshwater, prompting officials to rely on desalination of the…
Agents for Change Nov 07
What’s behind extreme air pollution in IndiaA toxic brew lingers in the skies over India, created by everything from agricultural burning to industrial pollution. Cars are also a major contributor, with roughly 1400 vehicles added to the roads daily. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro examined…
Agents for Change Oct 24
Why Cambodian orphanages house so many children whose parents are still aliveThe concept of orphanages has long been considered outdated in developed countries. In the developing world, however, these institutions still house hundreds of thousands of children. But the surprising reality is that the parents of most of these children are…
