About Jeffrey
Jeffrey Brown is the chief correspondent for arts, culture and society at PBS NewsHour.
In his 30-year career with the NewsHour, Brown has served as co-anchor, studio moderator, and field reporter on a wide range of national and international issues, with work taking him around the country and to many parts of the globe. As arts correspondent he has profiled many of the world's leading writers, musicians, actors and other artists. Recently, Brown presented a multi-year series, "Culture at Risk," about threatened cultural heritage in the United States and abroad. He created and hosts the NewsHour's online "Art Beat" and also hosts the monthly book club, "Now Read This," a collaboration with The New York Times.
Brown is author of a collection of poetry, titled "The News" and serves as an advisor to the Sun Valley Writers Conference. His numerous honors include a News & Documentary Emmy Award and multiple CINE Golden Eagle Awards. He earned a bachelor's degree in classics from the University of California, Berkeley, a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, an honorary degree (D.H.L) from Wesley College, and attended the UC Berkeley School of Law.
Jeffrey’s Recent Stories
Arts Jul 23
Latino immigrants brought baseball to America. This new exhibition aims to recognize thatAs ballparks fill up around the country due to an easing of pandemic restrictions, Jeffrey Brown looks at a new exhibit on the long history of Latinos playing baseball and how they changed the sport fundamentally in the U.S. It’s…
Arts Jul 21
Need a new summer read? Here’s a diverse list to pick fromWith summer in full swing, you may be wondering what books to take along on vacation — or enjoy right at home. Jeffrey Brown talks with two writers who have answers to that question. It’s part of our arts and…
Arts Jul 15
How artist Firelei Báez transforms spaces to build connectionsDominican-American Artist Firelei Báez’s new installation in Boston is an enormous, transformed space meant to connect her native Caribbean culture with the port-side city. Using everyday materials she reconstructed a ruined Haitian palace and introduces visitors to symbols to bridge…
Arts Jul 06
Bernd Heinrich on his ‘unusual’ life as a runner and biologist in MaineA new book out Tuesday, "Racing the Clock: Running Across a Lifetime," explores a life of scientific research and discovery in nature, and some extraordinary feats of the human body. And the author himself, Bernd Heinrich, is the subject of…
Arts Jul 05
Artists reimagine monuments through augmented realityIn a time of much reckoning over American history, there are questions raised anew about what a monument is and who should be honored. A new exhibition in Los Angeles explores that, in what is known as “augmented reality." Jeffrey…
Arts Jun 29
Can the film industry lure audiences back to the big screen?This summer, movie studios and box offices are clamoring for theater-goers to return as pandemic restrictions ease. And there's evidence that it's beginning to happen. The latest installment of the "Fast & Furious" franchise — "F9" — earned $70 million…
Arts Jun 23
Schools tried to forcibly assimilate Indigenous kids. Can the U.S. make amends?A mass grave with the remains of 215 children was recently found near the now-closed Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Canada, exposing a dark history of forcibly assimilating Indigenous people. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland announced a federal…
Arts Jun 18
In ‘On Juneteenth,’ author Annette Gordon-Reed explores how Texas’ history shaped her lifeOn this first federal Juneteenth holiday, Author and Historian Annette Gordon-Reed talks to Jeffrey Brown about the importance of this date through her personal history growing up in Texas. This reporting is part of NewsHour's arts and culture series, CANVAS.
Arts Jun 16
It was supposed to be a ‘quiet little cafe’ in Maine. It turned into a culinary phenomenonA new book, "Finding Freedom in the Lost Kitchen," details the trials and triumphs of the Maine restaurant that has been attracting attention internationally from foodies — and from culinary taste-makers like James Beard. As Jeffrey Brown reports, “finding freedom''…
Education Jun 15
Record enrollment at Maine college offering diverse learning options post-pandemicAcross the country, more than 60 colleges have closed or merged since 2016. The COVID-19 pandemic put further financial pressure on colleges and students alike. But one college in Unity, Maine is seeing record enrollment by offering students various learning…