Eleanor Beardsley
Eleanor Beardsley began reporting from France for NPR in 2004 as a freelance journalist, following all aspects of French society, politics, economics, culture and gastronomy. Since then, she has steadily worked her way to becoming an integral part of the NPR Europe reporting team.
Beardsley has been an active part of NPR's coverage of terrorist attacks in Paris and in Brussels. She has also followed the migrant crisis, traveling to meet and report on arriving refugees in Hungary, Austria, Germany, Sweden and France. She has also traveled to Ukraine, including the flashpoint eastern city of Donetsk, to report on the war there, and to Athens, to follow the Greek debt crisis.
In 2011, Beardsley covered the first Arab Spring revolution in Tunisia, where she witnessed the overthrow of the autocratic President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Since then she has returned to the North African country many times.
In France, Beardsley has covered three presidential elections, including the surprising win by outsider Emmanuel Macron in 2017. Less than two years later, Macron's presidency was severely tested by France's Yellow vest movement, which Beardsley followed closely.
Beardsley especially enjoys historical topics and has covered several anniversaries of the Normandy D-day invasion as well as the centennial of World War I.
In sports, Beardsley closely covered the Women's World Soccer Cup held in France in June 2019 (and won by Team USA!) and regularly follows the Tour de France cycling race.
Prior to moving to Paris, Beardsley worked for three years with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. She also worked as a television news producer for French broadcaster TF1 in Washington, D.C., and as a staff assistant to South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond.
Reporting from France for Beardsley is the fulfillment of a lifelong passion for the French language and culture. At the age of 10 she began learning French by reading the Asterix the Gaul comic book series with her father.
While she came to the field of radio journalism relatively late in her career, Beardsley says her varied background, studies and travels prepared her for the job. "I love reporting on the French because there are so many stereotypes about them in America," she says. "Sometimes it's fun to dispel the false notions and show a different side of the Gallic character. And sometimes the old stereotypes do hold up. But whether Americans love or hate France and the French, they're always interested!"
A native of South Carolina, Beardsley has a Bachelor of Arts in European history and French from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, and a master's degree in International Business from the University of South Carolina.
Beardsley is interested in politics, travel and observing foreign cultures. Her favorite cities are Paris and Istanbul.
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In France, protests and strike actions against the government's plan to restructure the retirement system have continued, with much of the anger focused on President Emmanuel Macron.
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A new exhibition at the Louvre includes Leonardo's sketches, drawings and 11 paintings. "You can really get into his brain and try to see how he thought," says biographer Serge Bramly. -
A parent wearing a headscarf on a school field trip has reignited debate. Some say the headscarf doesn't fit in France's secular society. Others say this conflates the veil with Islamist radicalism.
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Drier, hotter weather — as well as drastic episodes of rain, hail and cold — has affected alcohol levels, weeds and harvest. The government is trying to help, but can France adapt quickly enough? -
The U.S. and Europe have been arguing over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing for years. But now businesses with no connection to aviation — and U.S. consumers — are paying the price.
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McDonald's employees in Marseille are fighting to save their restaurant. For them, McD's isn't a capitalist giant; it's a vital community anchor in an under-resourced immigrant neighborhood. -
Chirac served two terms as president — from 1995-2007. He was mayor of Paris for nearly 20 years. Chirac had been hospitalized with a lung infection.
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The two-term French president was the first chief executive to acknowledge France's collaboration in the Holocaust. And he famously rejected U.S. calls to invade Iraq. -
"With stone carving, we give life to an edifice and perpetuate history. We're also creating a link with the past and transmitting values that are important to conserve in society," one student says. -
The U.S. women's soccer team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup after a thrilling game against Spain. The U.S. on Friday will play France, which is hosting the tournament.
