Samantha Balaban
Samantha Balaban is a producer at Weekend Edition.
After receiving her M.A. in Journalism and Latin American studies from New York University, she got her start in public radio covering the James "Whitey" Bulger trial for WBUR as an intern. Since coming to NPR in 2014, she has reported on a perfume-loving tiger, traveled to Mexico to meet actor Diego Luna (and cover the elections), ridden with border patrol officers along the Rio Grande River, eaten very well in Houston, interviewed a Bangle and used her waterproof fanny pack to help keep her mic dry during hurricanes. She's also responsible for Picture This, a series of conversations with authors and illustrators.
Most days, you can find her under a pile of books and mail coordinating Weekend Edition's book coverage. On weekends, she's hanging out with her dog, Winnie.
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Detroit's population is growing, a first since the 1950s. The uptick is small but significant for a city that's struggled for decades.
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About 240 Israeli and foreign nationals have been held hostage in Gaza for a month. Many Israelis are calling for Israel to release all Palestinian detainees in exchange for the captives' freedom. -
About 1,400 people were killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and more than 240 people were kidnapped. In the four weeks since, almost 10,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza. -
Palestinians from Gaza were working in Israel when Hamas attacked the country on Oct. 7. Now, many are unable to go back and in limbo in the West Bank. -
Voice memos recorded by NPR's producer in Gaza during a 34-hour communications blackout convey a weekend of anxiety and uncertainty for Palestinians as Israeli ground troops invaded. -
NPR has interviewed neighbors and relatives of one of the attackers and reviewed footage and information the Israeli military says it collected from villages and militants. -
Residents of a kibbutz near Israel's border with Gaza are living in a hotel after Hamas killed dozens of people and destroyed homes in their community. -
In the Israeli town of Sderot, less than a mile from the Gaza Strip, there are remnants and recollections of carnage from Hamas' ongoing attack. -
The city of Antakya, known in antiquity as Antioch, was at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries. After the Feb. 6 earthquake, many of its centuries-old monuments and sites lie in ruins. -
Three siblings spend a summer day at the beach building sandcastles and watching them get demolished in a wordless picture book written by JonArno Lawson and illustrated by Qin Leng.
