Stephen Snyder

Senior Radio Producer

Stephen Snyder works in the Boston newsroom of PRI's The World. He manages a variety of tasks, but they all boil down to making news stories relevant and interesting to people.

Peabody Award-winning radio producer Stephen Snyder joined The World staff in 1998. Then the president was in the middle of impeachment and launched cruise missiles into Sudan to try to destroy Al Qaeda. India and Pakistan seemed to be on the brink of a nuclear war. The world economy was on a boom that seemed to be benefiting only the wealthy. 
Then, as now, Snyder's job was to help The World make the news beyond our borders understandable, interesting. Now, as then, he writes the daily 30-second radio ads that preview stories coming up on The World.  Sometimes he helps write and produce the stories themselves.
Snyder also helps public radio stations — maybe yours — to make The World a successful part of their broadcast day. He writes the short fundraising messages that you may hear anchor Marco Werman read on the air during public radio pledge drives. Several times a month he directs the radio program, and gets to drive our roller coaster of an hour through reports, interviews, host intros and musical bridges, all the while watching the clock to make sure we don't collide with a newscast or a station break.  
Before joining The World he was senior producer of public radio’s “Sound & Spirit."  From 1989-1995 he produced the Peabody Award-winning children’s news program “Kid Company” on WBZ in Boston. Before that he was a professional musician. He still makes music.

 
Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry attends a public lecture at the United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya, March 1, 2024.

US pledges support for security leading to Haiti elections as prime minister resigns

The US has pledged $333 million so far to provide humanitarian aid to Haiti and to help bankroll a proposed international security force composed of police officers from Kenya. The World's host Marco Werman speaks with Eduardo Gamarra, professor of political science at Florida International University, about the evolving US role in helping Haiti through a time of civil unrest and political upheaval.

US pledges support for security leading to Haiti elections as prime minister resigns
Build it, and they will come: The dream of King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia. Join the journey at outofedenwalk.org.

Out of Eden Walk: Paul Salopek traverses the Arabian Peninsula via Saudi Arabia

Out of Eden Walk: Paul Salopek traverses the Arabian Peninsula via Saudi Arabia
Selfie of a man with a camel int he background

Out of Eden Walk: Djibouti and the Red Sea

Out of Eden Walk: Djibouti and the Red Sea
A back shot of a man wearing a bookbag and hat looking into a grass pathway

Out of Eden Walk: The first steps

Out of Eden Walk: The first steps
Yemeni vendors display various types of dry goods at a traditional market as food prices rise, in Sanaa, Yemen, Oct. 1, 2022.

Yemenis say their country is about more than war and humanitarian aid

Yemenis say their country is about more than war and humanitarian aid
The smaller floats impressed the audience because they were adorned with stunning tapestries, miniature trees, and beautiful figurines. Each float had a legendary story behind it. 

1,000-year-old Gion Matsuri festival resumes in Kyoto, Japan

After four years of pandemic shutdowns, the grand Gion Matsuri festival resumed in all its glory this July, with bells, gongs and flutes chiming atop massive floats decked out in lavish tapestries and treasures.

1,000-year-old Gion Matsuri festival resumes in Kyoto, Japan
The World

Wagner Group blamed for civilian slaughter in Mali

The Malian government has denied that any civilians were harmed in what it called an anti-terrorist military operation against an Islamist extremist group.

Wagner Group blamed for civilian slaughter in Mali
Belongings of Halima Ali Maiyanga and Maryam Ali Maiyanga, two of the young women kidnapped by Boko Haram in a boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria, in April 2014.

'The Stolen Daughters of Chibok': the impact of the abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls 9 years on

Author and human rights activist Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode documented the heartbreaking stories of the Chibok families nine years after the Boko Haram abductions that gripped the world’s attention.

'The Stolen Daughters of Chibok': the impact of the abduction of Nigerian schoolgirls 9 years on
soldiers

50 years ago, Nixon announced the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam

In 1973, the last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America’s direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

50 years ago, Nixon announced the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam
Father Damion, abbot at St. Joseph's Trappist Abbey, left, and Spencer Brewery director Father Isaac walk through their new, state-of-the-art facility.

Trappist monks keep beer tradition alive despite decline in interest for monastic life

Only five Trappist breweries remain in Belgium, known for producing the famous Westmalle brand. Beer consultant Sofie Vanrafelghem had the rare opportunity to visit one of the monasteries, and she joined The World's host Marco Werman from Antwerp to share her experience.

Trappist monks keep beer tradition alive despite decline in interest for monastic life
A family prepares tea outside the Directorate of Disaster office where they are camped, in Herat, Afghanistan, on Nov. 29, 2021. The United Nations is predicting that a record 274 million people — who together would amount to the world’s fourth most-popul

US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking says the solution to the war in Yemen is diplomatic, not militaristic

The US envoy for the Yemen conflict, Tim Lenderking, tells host Carol Hills about his efforts to promote a political solution to the military conflict that is now in its seventh year, which has triggered what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking says the solution to the war in Yemen is diplomatic, not militaristic
Saudi jet fighters fly over Incirlik Air Base near Adana, southern Turkey, Friday, Feb. 26, 2016. 

US sales of missiles to Saudis signal business as usual — almost

The recent $650 million sale involves 280 air-to-air missiles known as AMRAAMs (advanced medium range air-to-air missiles) and their launch systems, to be used on Saudi fighter jets. It has raised a stir in foreign policy circles.

US sales of missiles to Saudis signal business as usual — almost
Members of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions wearing masks and costumes inspired by the Netflix original Korean series "Squid Game" attend a rally demanding job security in Seoul, South Korea

Netflix hit ‘Squid Game’ exposes the growing resentment between rich and poor, psychiatrist says

The new Netflix psychological thriller series "Squid Game" is intense and brutal — but it's also fiction. Why does it have such far-reaching impact around the world? Psychiatrist Jean Kim discusses the history of the Koreas and how it affects today's popular culture with The World's host Marco Werman.

Netflix hit ‘Squid Game’ exposes the growing resentment between rich and poor, psychiatrist says
Abdulrahman al-Sadhan poses with his sister Areej Al Sadhan

Sister of imprisoned Saudi aid worker: 'They are already calling me a terrorist'

A court in Saudi Arabia upheld a 20-year prison term imposed on Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, a Saudi aid worker who had criticized the government on Twitter, drawing a rare public rebuke from the US in another sign of tension between the Biden administration and the kingdom. Abdulrahman al-Sadhan's sister Areej al-Sadhan, a dual Saudi-US citizen, talked to The World's host Marco Werman about the situation.

Sister of imprisoned Saudi aid worker: 'They are already calling me a terrorist'
In this Aug. 22, 2021, image provided by the US Air Force and made through a night vision scope, a US Air Force security forces raven, assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, maintains a cordon around a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III in s

Taliban have acquired an 'overwhelming amount of potential weaponry,' global security expert says

Jodi Vittori, a former US Air Force officer who served in Afghanistan, joined The World's host Carol Hills to talk about the wide range of weapons — from night-vision goggles to combat aircraft — recently acquired by the Taliban since their takeover last week.

Taliban have acquired an 'overwhelming amount of potential weaponry,' global security expert says