Lakshmi Singh ( ''LAK-shmee'') is an American journalist. She is the anchor of Midday for

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

Newscasts, which is one of the top three most downloaded podcasts in the United States.

Early life

According to Singh, growing up, she struggled with shyness and stuttering. In high school, as she tried new activities and classes in forensics, debate, and drama, she says she began to find her voice with the encouragement of her teachers, leading to her interest in public speaking and journalism.

Career

Singh graduated from S.I. Newhouse School Of Public Communications and

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

in 1994 with a dual bachelor's degree in

broadcasting Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

digital journalism Digital journalism, also known as netizen journalism or online journalism, is a contemporary form of journalism where editorial content is distributed via the Internet, as opposed to publishing via print or broadcast. What constitutes digital jo ...

and

Latin American studies Latin American studies (LAS) is an academic and research field associated with the study of Latin America. The interdisciplinary study is a subfield of area studies, and can be composed of numerous disciplines such as economics, sociology, histor ...

. Prior to her tenure at NPR, she worked at

WAER WAER (88.3 FM) is a radio station in Syracuse, New York. It is located on the campus of Syracuse University, and is a part of the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The station features a jazz music and National Public Radio form ...

in Syracuse, then NPR member stations KPBX (Spokane), WMFE (Orlando), and Washington DC's

WAMU WAMU (88.5 FM) is a public news– talk station that services the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. It is owned by American University, and its studios are located near the campus in northwest Washington. WAMU has been the primary Nati ...

, where she was a reporter and local show host. She joined NPR's Newscast Unit in 2000. Singh's contributions cover a variety of topics including race, health, immigration policy, and the arts. In addition to announcing news throughout the day, Singh's résumé includes field reporting, and contributing to NPR's Latino USA,

The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in Electronic publishing, electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 ...

, PRI,

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...

and

Gannett News Service Gannett Co., Inc. ( ) is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. It owns the national newspaper ''USA Today'', as well as severa ...

. Singh has worked as a documentary producer and reporter for Soundprint Media, where she covered stories of women struggling with HIV/AIDS.

Personal life

Singh's father is Indo-Trinidadian while her mother is Puerto Rican. Singh pronounces her first name as "LAK-shmee," not "LUK-shmee," as it is more traditionally pronounced. She prefers to follow the way her paternal Indo-Trinidadian grandmother said her name.

Awards and recognition

Singh was inducted into the WAER Hall of Fame. In 2014, Singh was recognized by Women of Color in Communications for her "contributions to the field, mentorship to other women in communications and broad impact on the promotion of ethnic diversity in journalism." As a 1994

alumna with a dual degree in broadcast and digital journalism, Singh delivered the keynote address at the 2017

Newhouse School The Newhouse School of Public Communications (formally S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications; also as the Newhouse School) is the communications and journalism school of Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. The school was named af ...

Convocation Ceremony. In 2018, "''The Invention of Thanksgiving" -'' a radio report by Singh - was featured in the Trail of Tears gallery of the "Americans" exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian.

References

External links

Singh recounts her mother on a segment of NPR's Oye

Lakshmi Singh NPR Story Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Lakshmi American radio journalists 20th-century American women journalists American writers of Indian descent American journalists of Puerto Rican descent American talk radio hosts American women radio hosts Living people NPR personalities S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications alumni People of Indo-Trinidadian descent Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American journalists 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American women journalists