About William @WmBrangham
William Brangham is a correspondent and producer for PBS NewsHour in Washington, D.C. He joined the flagship PBS program in 2015, after spending two years with PBS NewsHour Weekend in New York City.
In his first three years, Brangham has done a range of award-winning reporting across the United States and internationally, covering everything from the severity of America’s opioid crisis, the integration of women into combat roles in the U.S. Marine Corps, to a profile of Ina Garten, the “Barefoot Contessa.”
Brangham’s reporting on the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015 was among the work cited when the NewsHour won a George Foster Peabody Award that year. The next year, he reported a six-part series on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, which won a series of major awards including an Emmy and the National Academies of Sciences Communication Award. In 2018, Brangham worked on an investigative series about sexual assault and retaliation in the U.S. Forest Service. The day after that series aired, the head of the Forest Service suddenly stepped down.
When he is not out reporting in the field, Brangham is a regular interviewer on the NewsHour, and he has occasionally anchored the weekday and Weekend broadcasts.
During his career, Brangham has also worked on video projects for The New York Times, ABC News, National Geographic and Frontline. Prior to joining the NewsHour, he was a producer and correspondent for Need to Know on PBS, and before that, for Bill Moyers Journal. Brangham worked on several Moyers' documentary series in the 1990s, and was a producer on the critically acclaimed Now with Bill Moyers in the early 2000s.
In 2014, he was an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Brangham lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and three children.
William’s Recent Stories
Politics Oct 27
What record early voting numbers tell us about the election — and what they don’tThe country is seeing record turnout for early voting, as well as some late legal challenges around when -- and if -- all those votes get counted. Almost 70 million people have already cast their ballots, with Election Day still…
Health Oct 26
A Utah infectious disease doctor on his state’s coronavirus crisisCoronavirus is spiking in parts of the U.S. spared the worst of the pandemic in its early days, as well as in states that already suffered. With an average of 75,000 new daily cases over the past week, hospital admissions…
Politics Oct 21
How Pope Francis is ‘upending’ Catholic Church culture over same-sex unionsIn a new documentary, Pope Francis makes remarks that represent an increased level of support for same-sex unions and legal protections. The statements seem to be at odds with official teachings of the Catholic Church, whose doctrine still contends that…
Politics Oct 20
As Election Day nears, some states are still determining voting rulesWith only two weeks before the election, the rules around voting in some states are still being determined. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court couldn’t agree whether to stop Pennsylvania from counting mail-in ballots postmarked by November 3rd but that…
Arts Oct 06
Amid planet’s crisis, filmmaker Sir David Attenborough’s ‘vision for the future’Filmmaker Sir David Attenborough has been documenting the natural world since the 1950s. In his latest book and film, “A Life on Our Planet,” he offers a grave and alarming assessment about the climate crisis Earth is facing. The 94-year-old…
Nation Sep 30
What Trump’s response to white supremacist groups meansIn the past, President Trump has failed to denounce far-right extremist and racist groups and sentiments when prompted. He did so again during Tuesday night’s first presidential debate, telling members of the white supremacist Proud Boys group to “stand by.”…
World Sep 29
As global pandemic deaths pass 1 million, how can we get the virus under control?More than 1 million people have died from the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, with a total of 33 million confirmed cases. How do we make sense of such staggering numbers, and what can we do to change this tragic trajectory? Dr.
Politics Sep 25
Why the presidential election result could take days or weeks — and become chaoticThis year’s presidential election faces unprecedented challenges, between the pandemic and President Trump’s efforts to sow doubt about the integrity of voting by mail -- and whether he would accept an election loss. Is American democracy positioned to handle the…
Health Sep 24
Will Trump’s health care executive orders have an impact?Amid coronavirus and Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, health care is becoming an even more prominent issue in the presidential race. The Affordable Care Act's fate could be determined by the Supreme Court right after the election. Now, President Trump has…
Nation Sep 21
Understanding the magnitude of the U.S. coronavirus death tollThe United States is approaching another tragic marker of the coronavirus pandemic, with nearly 200,000 Americans dead from COVID-19 and related complications. The magnitude of the loss is difficult to comprehend. We examine how the virus has spread across the…
