About Melanie
Melanie Saltzman reports, shoots and produces stories for PBS NewsHour Weekend on a wide range of issues including public health, the environment and international affairs. In 2017 she produced two stories for NewsHour’s “America Addicted” series on the opioid epidemic, traveled to the Marshall Islands to report on climate change, and went to Kenya and Tanzania to focus on solutions-based reporting. Melanie holds a BA from New York University and an MA in Journalism from Northwestern University, where she was a McCormick National Security Fellow. In 2010, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in Berlin, Germany.
Melanie’s Recent Stories
Nation Feb 15
Cultural institutions celebrate women’s suffrage centennialThe year 2020 marks the centennial anniversary for women's suffrage, when the 19th amendment took effect giving some women the right to vote in U.S. elections. And on Saturday, one of the movement's key figures, Susan B. Anthony, would have…
World Feb 02
Lebanon’s refugees use technology to fight food insecurityHigh poverty and unemployment rates among the world's 26 million refugees means that many are struggling with food security after fleeing their home countries. But in Lebanon, a U.N. pilot program is trying to use technology and digital innovations to…
Science Feb 01
WFP uses new tech to fight refugee food shortages in JordanJordan is home to an estimated 3 million refugees, and the country's harsh terrain makes supplying food for them difficult. But to combat the food shortages, the U.N. World Food Program is using technologies like iris scans to track refugee…
Arts Jan 18
Black Comic Book Festival draws thousands in HarlemNew York's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture celebrated the tradition of black comics this weekend with its annual Black Comic Book Festival. Thousands attended the two-day exhibition in Harlem, which also featured screenings, panel discussions and a cosplay…
Health Dec 28
Making NewsHour Weekend: A year of reporting on the “Future of Food”This year, the NewsHour Weekend special series “Future of Food” covered global efforts to produce and consume food sustainably and ethically. The producers behind the series, Megan Thompson and Melanie Saltzman, joined Hari Sreenivasan to discuss their reporting and how…
Health Dec 21
Chef Kwame Williams prepares zero-waste broccoli coleslawDo you ever throw away parts of various vegetables, because you’re sure they're no good? You're not alone. Americans waste up to 40 percent of the food they produce. During a recent visit to the James Beard House in New…
Nation Nov 23
How Minneapolis became the first to end single-family zoningTo help address a housing shortage, Minneapolis became the first large American city to end single-family zoning, the rules that restrict certain neighborhoods to single-family homes. Now, buildings with up to three units can be built on any residential lot.
Segment Nov 16
How a new grain could help combat climate changeScientists in Minnesota and Kansas are developing a grain called Kernza, which, unlike most of our food crops, is a perennial plant with a whole host of environmental benefits. While it’s still far from hitting the market widely, food producers…
Science Nov 16
Birchwood Cafe’s pancake recipe with Kernza, a greener grainDuring a recent visit to the Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis, chef and author Beth Dooley showed PBS NewsHour Weekend how to cook Kernza pancakes. The cafe, a local institution known for its commitment to local and sustainable ingredients, was one…
Nation Oct 12
Can sustainable farming save Iowa’s precious soil and water?Iowa is a powerhouse producer of corn and soybeans. But all the industrial farming has come at a cost to the environment. Today, there's a growing number of farmers adopting more sustainable practices in a bid to save Iowa's precious…
