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, , and to Athens, to follow the Greek debt crisis.
In 2011, Beardsley , 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 and has 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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Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a train crash in France on Friday that left six people dead and many more injured. Two cars of the inter-city train appear to have derailed just outside a station about 12 miles southwest of Paris.
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U.S. and EU officials begin talks Monday on a free-trade deal that could create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in new trade. But there are deep-seated differences that may make it difficult to reach an accord. Among the most contentious: agriculture and whether genetically modified crops grown in the U.S. will be accepted in Europe. -
The Web newspaper Mediapart is turning conventional wisdom about the Internet and journalism on its head. It offers in-depth reporting without fluff or advertising. The publication is turning a profit, and creating an uproar in a country where the media has often been too cozy with power. -
Some of the finest wines from the cellar of the Elysee presidential palace in France were auctioned off Thursday and Friday. Proceeds from the auction will be used to reinvest in more modest wines from up-and-coming young wine growers. -
City officials in Paris are experimenting with an unconventional way to keep urban lawns trimmed. They are using sheep as a "green" alternative to gas-powered lawn mowers. -
Every Memorial Day weekend just outside Paris, a ceremony is held to honor a group of Americans who fought for France during World War I. Before the U.S. entered the war, a group of American pilots formed the Lafayette Squadron and flew with the French Air Service. -
The French Parliament is at odds over a measure that allows French universities to teach in English. Those in favor say it will help attract more international students, while opponents fear it will marginalize the French language. -
The 1,200-year-old European pilgrimage route known as the Way of St. James is undergoing a revival. Tens of thousands of people are walking across France to the Spanish coastal city of Santiago de Compostela, and the relics of St. James. Once a religious affair, it's now a cultural and social phenomenon as well. -
Nearly seven decades after the end of World War II, France is still attempting to locate the rightful owners of art that was looted by the Nazis. The Internet and improved technology have helped, but it's still a painstaking process. -
The Americans and the Europeans have different approaches to horse racing, and one key split is over the question of doping. While many drugs are allowed in the U.S., they are banned in European racing.
