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Barbara Bradley Hagerty

Barbara Bradley Hagerty is the religion correspondent for NPR, reporting on the intersection of faith and politics, law, science and culture. Her New York Times best-selling book, "Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality," was published by Riverhead/Penguin Group in May 2009. Among others, Barb has received the American Women in Radio and Television Award, the Headliners Award and the Religion Newswriters Association Award for radio reporting.

Before covering the religion beat, Barb was NPR's Justice Department correspondent between 1998 and 2003. Her billet included the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton, Florida's disputed 2000 election, terrorism, crime, espionage, wrongful convictions and the occasional serial killer. Barbara was the lead correspondent covering the investigation into the September 11 attacks. Her reporting was part of NPR's coverage that earned the network the 2001 George Foster Peabody and Overseas Press Club awards. She has appeared on the PBS programs Washington Week and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Barb came to NPR in 1995, after attending Yale Law School on a one-year Knight Fellowship. From 1982-1993, she worked at The Christian Science Monitor as a newspaper reporter in Washington, as the Asia correspondent based in Tokyo for World Monitor (the Monitor's nightly television program on the Discovery Cable Channel) and finally as senior Washington correspondent for Monitor Radio.

Barb was graduated magna cum laude from Williams College in 1981 with a degree in economics, and has a masters in legal studies from Yale Law School.

  • Anti-Islam Film Crafted To Provoke, Experts Say
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    Muslims are condemning the killing of the American ambassador in Libya, but say the crudely produced video that sparked the violence — The Innocence of Muslims — is breathtakingly offensive to Muslims.
  • Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, and his wife, Han Hak Ja, attend the ceremony after the Peace Cup final match between Hamburger SV and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma at Suwon World Cup Stadium on July 22 in Suwon, South Korea.
    Rev. Moon, A 'Savior' To Some, Lived A Big Dream
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    The controversial founder of the Unification Church said Jesus spoke to him when he was 16. Sun Myung Moon said Jesus wanted him to fulfill his mission of creating the "true family." Moon considered himself the Messiah and was known for conducting mass weddings and attracting thousands of young followers. He was 92.
  • John Walker Lindh was captured in Afghanistan in 2002 after fighting with the Taliban.
    American Taliban Sues For Religious Freedom
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    John Walker Lindh's lawsuit says a prison ban on group prayer violates his right to practice his religion freely. But the government argues that group prayer would allow the prisoners to undermine safety and plot together.
  • Mitt Romney rarely talks about his Mormon faith.
    The Risks And Rewards Of Romney's Faith Story
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney is beginning to open up about his Mormon faith. Will this help "humanize" him, or will it backfire in an age when most people's exposure to the Mormon faith is South Park or The Book of Mormon?
  • This composite image shows Republican vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (left) and Vice President Biden. Both men are Catholic, but their worldviews are strikingly different.
    Biden And Ryan Share Faith, But Not Worldview
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    The views of vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Paul Ryan are strikingly different, but both espouse the same Catholic faith and are reaching out to Christian voters. Their views, which represent opposite wings of their religion, are a reflection of the growing divide among Catholics.
  • Cue The Tape: How David Barton Sees The World
    Elise Hu
    David Barton is not a historian. But his version of American history is wildly popular with churches, schools and the GOP. Watch video examples of Barton's messages and see how they compare with the Constitution, historical text and the Bible.
  • Republican activist David Barton speaks before testifying before the Texas State Board of Education in 2009.
    The Most Influential Evangelist You've Never Heard Of
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    Texas evangelist David Barton is not a historian, but his Christian-nation view of American history is wildly popular with conservative churches, universities and the GOP. His supporters call him a hero; his detractors say he's a danger.
  • Mohammed Ahmed runs at the NCAA championships in June in Des Moines, Iowa. He's representing Canada at the Olympics and had to decide whether to fast for Ramadan this year.
    Olympians' Dilemma: 'Starve My Soul' For Ramadan?
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    This year, the Olympics fall during the Muslim holy month, and some athletes have to make a choice: be in top physical condition, or maintain a primary tenet of their faith. Fasting for Ramadan can be a physical and mental challenge, but it poses a particular dilemma for Muslims competing in London.
  • Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International, sits with his wife, Leslie, in their home in Winter Park, Fla., in 2006. Chambers recently announced his group will no longer associate with or promote therapy that focuses on changing sexual attraction.
    Evangelicals Fight Over Therapy To 'Cure' Gays
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    The largest "ex-gay ministry" that has promoted conversion therapy as a way to "cure" people of same-sex attractions now says the approach is wrong. The shift comes after new studies by evangelical researchers showed that conversion therapy does not work. It's created a ruckus about whether people can change their sexual orientation.
  • Protesters in Baltimore rally against the kickoff of Fortnight for Freedom, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The bishops say the campaign is a response to government attacks on religious liberty, but critics say it's an attack on the Obama administration.
    Feeling Under Siege, Catholic Leadership Shifts Right
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    The Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Bishops are pushing back against what they perceive as threats to the Catholic Church's core beliefs. While some Catholics are uncomfortable with the changes under way, others say they are overdue.
  • Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York brandishes a foam finger promoting the "Fortnight for Freedom" campaign last week.
    Bishops Launch 2-Week Campaign Against Health Law
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    The effort, dubbed "Fortnight for Freedom," will involve praying, fasting and rallies against what the Catholic bishops call an assault on religious freedom by the Obama administration. But parishioners worry that the movement is splitting the church.
  • The Rev. Fred Luter is running unopposed for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention. Here, he delivers a sermon during Sunday services at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans.
    Southern Baptists See Their Future In A Black Pastor
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    The Southern Baptist Convention is expected to elect its first black president on Tuesday: Fred Luter, a former street preacher who turned a dying New Orleans church into a powerhouse. His election is a milestone for the 167-year-old denomination at a time when minorities make up a growing share of a shrinking membership.
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