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Barbara Bradley Hagerty

Barbara Bradley Hagerty is the religion correspondent for NPR, reporting on the intersection of faith and politics, law, science and culture. Her New York Times best-selling book, "Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality," was published by Riverhead/Penguin Group in May 2009. Among others, Barb has received the American Women in Radio and Television Award, the Headliners Award and the Religion Newswriters Association Award for radio reporting.

Before covering the religion beat, Barb was NPR's Justice Department correspondent between 1998 and 2003. Her billet included the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton, Florida's disputed 2000 election, terrorism, crime, espionage, wrongful convictions and the occasional serial killer. Barbara was the lead correspondent covering the investigation into the September 11 attacks. Her reporting was part of NPR's coverage that earned the network the 2001 George Foster Peabody and Overseas Press Club awards. She has appeared on the PBS programs Washington Week and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Barb came to NPR in 1995, after attending Yale Law School on a one-year Knight Fellowship. From 1982-1993, she worked at The Christian Science Monitor as a newspaper reporter in Washington, as the Asia correspondent based in Tokyo for World Monitor (the Monitor's nightly television program on the Discovery Cable Channel) and finally as senior Washington correspondent for Monitor Radio.

Barb was graduated magna cum laude from Williams College in 1981 with a degree in economics, and has a masters in legal studies from Yale Law School.

  • Cue The Tape: How David Barton Sees The World
    Elise Hu
    David Barton is not a historian. But his version of American history is wildly popular with churches, schools and the GOP. Watch video examples of Barton's messages and see how they compare with the Constitution, historical text and the Bible.
  • Republican activist David Barton speaks before testifying before the Texas State Board of Education in 2009.
    The Most Influential Evangelist You've Never Heard Of
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    Texas evangelist David Barton is not a historian, but his Christian-nation view of American history is wildly popular with conservative churches, universities and the GOP. His supporters call him a hero; his detractors say he's a danger.
  • Mohammed Ahmed runs at the NCAA championships in June in Des Moines, Iowa. He's representing Canada at the Olympics and had to decide whether to fast for Ramadan this year.
    Olympians' Dilemma: 'Starve My Soul' For Ramadan?
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    This year, the Olympics fall during the Muslim holy month, and some athletes have to make a choice: be in top physical condition, or maintain a primary tenet of their faith. Fasting for Ramadan can be a physical and mental challenge, but it poses a particular dilemma for Muslims competing in London.
  • Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International, sits with his wife, Leslie, in their home in Winter Park, Fla., in 2006. Chambers recently announced his group will no longer associate with or promote therapy that focuses on changing sexual attraction.
    Evangelicals Fight Over Therapy To 'Cure' Gays
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    The largest "ex-gay ministry" that has promoted conversion therapy as a way to "cure" people of same-sex attractions now says the approach is wrong. The shift comes after new studies by evangelical researchers showed that conversion therapy does not work. It's created a ruckus about whether people can change their sexual orientation.
  • Protesters in Baltimore rally against the kickoff of Fortnight for Freedom, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The bishops say the campaign is a response to government attacks on religious liberty, but critics say it's an attack on the Obama administration.
    Feeling Under Siege, Catholic Leadership Shifts Right
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    The Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Bishops are pushing back against what they perceive as threats to the Catholic Church's core beliefs. While some Catholics are uncomfortable with the changes under way, others say they are overdue.
  • Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York brandishes a foam finger promoting the "Fortnight for Freedom" campaign last week.
    Bishops Launch 2-Week Campaign Against Health Law
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    The effort, dubbed "Fortnight for Freedom," will involve praying, fasting and rallies against what the Catholic bishops call an assault on religious freedom by the Obama administration. But parishioners worry that the movement is splitting the church.
  • The Rev. Fred Luter is running unopposed for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention. Here, he delivers a sermon during Sunday services at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans.
    Southern Baptists See Their Future In A Black Pastor
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    The Southern Baptist Convention is expected to elect its first black president on Tuesday: Fred Luter, a former street preacher who turned a dying New Orleans church into a powerhouse. His election is a milestone for the 167-year-old denomination at a time when minorities make up a growing share of a shrinking membership.
  • Court Rules Against Part Of Marriage Act
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act discriminates by denying federal benefits to gay married couples. The case is likely to end up being decided by the Supreme Court.
  • Monsignor William Lynn leaves the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia in March.
    Catholic Abuse Case Going To Jury In Philadelphia
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    In a Philadelphia courtroom Thursday, jurors will hear closing arguments in a historic case involving the Catholic sex abuse scandal. William Lynn, a monsignor in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is the first high-level church official to be tried for his involvement in covering up child abuse.
  • Monsignor William Lynn leaves the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia in March. When he finally took to the stand after two months of testimony, the prosecutor called him a liar over and over.
    Just Doing His Job Is Catholic Official's Defense
    Barbara Bradley Hagerty
    The Philadelphia clergy sex-abuse trial has been brutal for Monsignor William Lynn, the first high-level Catholic official to be criminally prosecuted. Lynn's charges are not for abusing minors, but for failing to protect children from predator priests.
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