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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Paris' Velib bike-sharing system became a huge success and a point of pride for the city until this year when it changed operators and almost collapsed.
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French authorities say they're using this solution to try to supplement existing toilets in heavily congested areas where there are urine issues.
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A record heat wave ruined crops across Europe this summer, but not all crops. Champagne growers are ecstatic over a bumper crop of grapes this year. Vintage 2018 is expected to be one of the best. -
Water scarcity and heat are threatening two of Switzerland's main agricultural products: milk and cheese. But the shortage affects far more than cows — Swiss glaciers also feed Europe's major rivers. -
Deserted streets, empty Metro stations, shuttered shops — Paris in August can feel very quiet. But some Parisians prefer this. And truth be told, not all of Paris is dead in August. -
Butchers are an integral part of French life, and are known for carefully sourcing their meat. But now some are being targeted by extreme vegans who use vandalism to draw attention to their cause. -
The Pieper twins were killed in the 1944 D-Day Normandy invasion. Last month, they were laid to rest together in a military cemetery in France — thanks to a Nebraska teen's school history project. -
Twin brothers killed in Europe during World War II were separated in death. One was buried above Omaha Beach and the other in an cemetery in Belgium. Their remains will soon rest together in Normandy.
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An immigrant who saved a child was awarded French citizenship. The case has inflamed the debate over immigration, and how to handle the large numbers of migrants who continue to come to France.
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Students are again occupying universities and workers are protesting an overhaul of the state railway. "The struggle is still the same," says a labor leader. But the protests are on a smaller scale.
