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
Nation Apr 29
The ‘predatory marketing’ behind menthol cigarettes and how a ban could save Black livesThe FDA announced Thursday it hopes to ban menthol in cigarettes and cigars, citing its particularly harmful impact on Black communities, to whom they were heavily marketed. William Brangham has more on the FDA's move and discusses it with Delmonte…
Nation Apr 23
Biden’s dream of an electric future faces an uphill battle. Here’s whyAs part of his administration's broader climate change strategy, President Joe Biden has made investing in electric vehicles a major focus of his infrastructure proposal. And this week, he's promoted the importance of technological innovation at a global climate summit.
World Apr 22
U.S. seeks to lead by example with emission goals set during global climate summitThe United States set ambitious new goals today to stop the world from heating up, urging other nations to follow suit. And some of the world’s largest carbon emitters seemed to heed the call. But world leaders left open how…
Health Apr 21
The U.S. spends nearly $4 trillion on health care, but inequities still exist. Here’s why.The U.S. spends nearly $4 trillion on health care, yet inequities in care continue to persist. With 30 million Americans uninsured during the pandemic, is universal health care the answer? William Brangham explores the matter in our new documentary, "Critical…
Politics Apr 20
From figurehead to partner: How Walter Mondale transformed the office of vice presidentFormer Vice President Walter Mondale passed away Monday night at his home in Minneapolis. He was a lifelong public servant who transformed the role of vice president, and championed civil rights under Jimmy Carter before losing his own run for…
Health Apr 19
WATCH: ‘Critical Care: America vs. the World’ – A PBS NewsHour specialThis broadcast is an update to NewsHour’s “The Best Health Care?” series which examined how high-income nations have achieved health care coverage for their populations at a much lower cost, with better outcomes.
Health Apr 15
What Canada’s universal health system could teach the U.S. about managing a pandemicMore than 30 million Americans have gone without health insurance in the last year. Other high-income nations cover their entire populations for a lot less money than the U.S. already spends. But does a universal health care system help save…
Nation Apr 12
New book sheds light on secretive Sackler family — the makers of opioid OxyContinThe Sackler family is one of the richest families in America, donating millions to some of the world’s most prestigious museums and universities. But the source of that wealth was for many years something of a mystery. William Brangham talks…
Nation Apr 08
Frontline casualties: The health care workers that lost their lives saving COVID patientsWhile a lot has been reported on the struggles of health workers during the pandemic, there's been far less news on the deaths of doctors, nurses and other support staff. A major reporting project has been gathering this crucial information…
Nation Apr 07
America’s infrastructure is crumbling. What should be prioritized?President Biden's $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan would prioritize transportation, drinking water and broadband projects, among others. It comes after the American Society of Civil Engineers released its 2021 report card, giving the U.S. infrastructure a C-minus. Emily Feenstra, ASCE's managing…