Ailsa Chang is an American journalist for National Public Radio (NPR) and a host on ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

''. Previously, she covered the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

for NPR. Prior to joining NPR in 2012, Chang was an investigative journalist at NPR member station

WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that ...

in New York City. Since starting as a radio reporter in 2009, she has received numerous national awards for investigative reporting.

Early life and education

Chang is of Taiwanese heritage.https://twitter.com/ailsachang/status/1315774117669298176?lang=en Raised in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in public policy from Stanford University. She earned a master's degree in media law from

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

and a master's degree in journalism from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. She also holds a Juris Doctor from

Stanford Law School Stanford Law School (Stanford Law or SLS) is the law school of Stanford University, a private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world. Stanford La ...

Career

Chang served as law clerk to John T. Noonan, Jr., a judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * District ...

. After five years in law, Chang joined NPR in 2008 as a Kroc fellow in Washington D.C., where she wrote an investigative report into the public defender system of Detroit. The piece, which aired on NPR in 2009, was awarded the 2010 Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. She was also a reporter for KQED public radio in San Francisco, before joining WNYC radio. Chang joined WNYC radio in 2009, where she covered criminal justice, terrorism and the courts. At WNYC, Chang wrote an investigative report into "stop-and-frisk" search policies of

New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

. The series, which aired on NPR in 2011, earned her a silver baton in the 2012

Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award The Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award honors excellence in broadcast and digital journalism in the public service and is considered one of the most prestigious awards in journalism. The awards were established in 1942 and administered ...

s. Chang returned to NPR in 2012. She was formerly a correspondent for ''

Planet Money ''Planet Money'' is an American podcast and blog produced by NPR. Using "creative and entertaining" dialogue and narrative, ''Planet Money'' claims to be "The Economy Explained." History The podcast was created by Alex Blumberg and Adam Davids ...

''. Previously, she reported on

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

activities, specifically immigration, healthcare and gun control. On Jan. 1, 2018 she assumed co-chair—with

Ari Shapiro Ari Michael Shapiro (born September 30, 1978) is an American radio journalist. In September 2015, Shapiro became one of four rotating hosts on National Public Radio's flagship drive-time program ''All Things Considered''. He previously s ...

Audie Cornish Audie N. Cornish (born October 9, 1979) is an American journalist and a former co-host of NPR's ''All Things Considered''. She was previously the host of ''Profile'' by Buzzfeed News, a web-only interview show that lasted one season, as well as ' ...

, and

Kelly McEvers Kelly McEvers is an American journalist. McEvers is host of NPR's "Embedded" podcast. She was a co-host of NPR's flagship newsmagazine ''All Things Considered'' until February 2018 . Before this she was a foreign correspondent for NPR, in which ...

—on the afternoon series ''

''. Chang has also appeared as a guest on

PBS NewsHour ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events. Anchored by Judy Woodruff, the pro ...

and other television programs for her legal reporting.

Awards

* 2001: Irvine Hellman, Jr. Special Award *2011: Art Athens Award for General Excellence in Individual Reporting for radio *2012:

s, Silver Baton *2015: National Journalism Award from the

Asian American Journalists Association The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational and professional organization based in San Francisco, California with more than 1,500 members and 21 chapters across the United States and Asia. The current presi ...

for coverage of Capitol Hill

References

External links

Staff page
at NPR
Staff page
at WNYC {{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Ailsa American investigative journalists American women journalists Women radio journalists NPR personalities Stanford University alumni Stanford Law School alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women American people of Taiwanese descent