Ted Robbins
As supervising editor for Arts and Culture at NPR based at NPR West in Culver City, Ted Robbins plans coverage across NPR shows and online, focusing on TV at a time when there's never been so much content. He thinks "arts and culture" encompasses a lot of human creativity — from traditional museum offerings to popular culture, and out-of-the-way people and events.
Robbins also supervises obituaries or, as NPR prefers to call them, "appreciations," of people in the arts.
Robbins joined the Arts Desk in 2015, after a decade on air as a NPR National Desk correspondent based in Tucson, Arizona. From there, he covered the Southwest, including Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada.
Robbins reported on a range of issues, from immigration and border security to water issues and wildfires. He covered the economy in the West with an emphasis on the housing market and Las Vegas development. He reported on the January 2011 shooting in Tucson that killed six and injured many, including Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Robbins' reporting has been honored with numerous accolades, including two Emmy Awards—one for his story on sex education in schools, and another for his series on women in the workforce. He received a CINE Golden Eagle for a 1995 documentary on Mexican agriculture called "Tomatoes for the North."
In 2006, Robbins wrote an article for the Nieman Reports at Harvard about journalism and immigration. He was chosen for a 2009 French-American Foundation Fellowship focused on comparing European and U.S. immigration issues.
Raised in Los Angeles, Robbins became an avid NPR listener while spending hours driving (or stopped in traffic) on congested freeways. He is delighted to now be covering stories for his favorite news source.
Prior to coming to NPR in 2004, Robbins spent five years as a regular contributor to The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, 15 years at the PBS affiliate in Tucson, and working as a field producer for CBS News. He worked for NBC affiliates in Tucson and Salt Lake City, where he also did some radio reporting and print reporting for USA Today.
Robbins earned his Bachelor of Arts in psychology and his master's degree in journalism, both from the University of California at Berkeley. He taught journalism at the University of Arizona for a decade.
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Thanks to an agreement between the U.S. and Mexico, water is flowing to 35 million people in both countries along the Colorado River Delta. At least for now. -
Most of the guns in Mexico come from north of the border. The U.S. has taken steps aimed at slowing gun smugglers, especially since the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives scandal.
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Residents of a small town in southern Arizona say a local Border Patrol checkpoint is unnecessary and that agents have overstepped legal bounds. So now they conduct their own form of surveillance. -
The U.S. Border Patrol announced changes to its policies regarding use of deadly force on Friday. It added new guidance for agents when dealing with moving vehicles and people throwing rocks.
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Opposition in Arizona is growing against a controversial bill that would let business owners to refuse service based on religious beliefs. Gov. Jan Brewer hasn't yet decided whether to veto the bill.
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Air bags stored in backpacks are saving the lives of backcountry skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers. They look something like car air bags, but they work on an entirely different principle. These keep you safe simply by turning you into a larger object, and that helps you rise to the top of debris. -
Elite athletes start their sports young and sometimes sacrifice academics; some even drop out of high school. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association says it wants to prevent that by opening its own high school. But no mistake: Academics there aren't as important as winning. -
For the third consecutive year, one section of the U.S.-Mexico border had a higher rate of illegal crossing than any other — the Rio Grande Valley. It's the closest crossing for Central Americans fleeing violence at home, but for them, the U.S. crossing is just the last, deadly portion of the trip. -
On Thursday, Lockheed Martin and the sporting goods company Under Armour unveiled long-awaited photos of the new U.S. speedskating uniform they're calling "Mach 39." Unlike other suits, it's not made entirely of smooth, slippery fabric to reduce air drag. -
Signed 20 years ago this month, the landmark trade agreement radically altered the way we get our fruits and vegetables, encouraging year-round imports from Mexican farms. That's why it's now no big deal to find, say, raspberries in winter. But critics say it also has trained consumers to value convenience over flavor and has dulled knowledge of where food comes from.
