Tuesday Trailblazers!!!

Michel Martin

In our inaugural edition of "Tuesday Trailblazers," I decided to give the spotlight to someone whose excellence in journalism has earned her many loyal fans-Michel Martin. She is the host and developer of Tell Me More, the one-hour daily NPR news and talk show that made its national premiere on April 30, 2007, on public radio stations around the country. A native of Brooklyn, NY, Martin graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College at Harvard University in 1980 and has done graduate work at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. In her show's development stages,  Martin served as contributor and substitute host for NPR newsmagazines and talk shows, including Talk of the Nation and News & Notes.


Before she joined the NPR family, Martin worked for several other news sources including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, PBS and ABC. Martin covered state and local politics for the Washington Post and national politics and policy at the Wall Street Journal, where she was White House correspondent. She was a regular panelist on the PBS series Washington Week and a contributor to NOW with Bill Moyers. 


During her stint at ABC from 1992-2006, she served as correspondent for Nightline from 1996 to 2006, reporting on such subjects as the Congressional budget battles, the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, racial profiling and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. At ABC, she also contributed to numerous programs and specials, including the network's award-winning coverage of September 11, a documentary on the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas controversy, a critically acclaimed AIDS special and reports for the ongoing series "America in Black and White." Martin reported for the ABC newsmagazine Day One, winning an Emmy for her coverage of the international campaign to ban the use of landmines, and was a regular panelist onThis Week with George Stephanopoulos. She also hosted the 13-episode series Life 360, an innovative program partnership between Oregon Public Broadcasting and Nightline incorporating documentary film, performance and personal narrative; it aired on public television stations across the country.


More when you read the rest...








Martin has been honored by numerous organizations, including the Candace Award for Communications from The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Joan Barone Award for Excellence in Washington-based National Affairs/Public Policy Broadcasting from the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association and a 2002 Silver Gavel Award, given by the American Bar Association. Along with her Emmy award, she received three additional Emmy nominations, including one with NPR's Robert Krulwich, at the time an ABC contributor as well, for an ABC News program examining children's racial attitudes.


Martin is married to Washington attorney William (Billy) Martin and their blended family includes two older daughters and twin toddlers.


Check out Martin in action on her NPR News Show Tell Me More below...





Sidenote: I met Mrs. Martin a few weeks ago at an Ann Taylor store (random right?) and she was so kind hearted. Even though she jokingly proclaimed that she looked "busted" she eased my inhibitions about seeming like a "Stan" and joked with me for a little while. 


Michel Martin is our "Tuesday Trailblazer!" Salute! 


Source: http://www.npr.org/people/5201175/michel-martin