Aaron Schachter

Assignment Editor

Aaron was The World's Middle East correspondent for eight years. He now assigns and edits reporters around the world.

Aaron Schachter works with reporters to craft their stories for radio. Schachter’s own experience as a field correspondent included Middle East reporting for The World for eight years. He covered the second Palestinian Intifada, reporting extensively from Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Schachter had the good timing to be in Iraq when the Hussein family was caught – Uday and Qusay during summer 2003, and father Saddam that December. He’s also reported stories from throughout Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan.

His stories have won awards from the duPont-Columbia School of Journalism and the Scripps-Howard Institute.
Schachter also fills in as host of the program.
Before joining The World, Schachter worked in Los Angeles as editor, reporter, and host of the Marketplace Morning Report, and as a reporter for the Los Angeles bureau of National Public Radio. Schachter has served as a reporter and anchor at Colorado public radio in Denver, WBUR in Boston and WFCR, New England Public Radio, in Amherst, MA.
When not chained to his desk or being the perfect father to his two boys, Schachter enjoys attempting to mountain bike, hike, back-country ski and other hard guy activities he has no business participating in.
Relatives of US citizens that are missing since Saturday's surprise attack by Hamas militants near the Gaza border, in Tel Aviv, Israel attend a news conference on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, in Tel Aviv, Israel.

‘We need to tell the story’: Parents of an Israeli hostage in Gaza grapple with uncertainty

Hamas took over 250 hostages from Israel on Oct. 7, including 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin. His parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, have become high-profile advocates for bringing Israeli hostages home from Gaza. We hear from Hersh’s parents in an interview with “Israel Story,” a radio show and podcast in Tel Aviv.

‘We need to tell the story’: Parents of an Israeli hostage in Gaza grapple with uncertainty
The site of a music festival near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023.

Rape is ‘the most neglected war crime,’ sexual violence expert says

Rape is ‘the most neglected war crime,’ sexual violence expert says
Syrian children play during a Questscope informal education class in Damascus.

How a relief worker in the world's worst war zone finds hope

How a relief worker in the world's worst war zone finds hope
 Taliban fighter, second from left, in Kunduz, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, a day after the insurgents took control of the city.

Kunduz takeover shows we're not dealing with the same old Taliban

Kunduz takeover shows we're not dealing with the same old Taliban
Reporter Daniel Estrin suggested Ben & Jerry create Fission Food - playing off of the classic "Phish Food" flavor

What does Ben & Jerry's ice cream have to do with the Iran nuclear deal?

What does Ben & Jerry's ice cream have to do with the Iran nuclear deal?
North Korea has created a new timezone

Out of step, North Korea changes time

No, it can't feed its people. But North Korea decided it was time to create a separate time zone.

Out of step, North Korea changes time
Master Musicians of Joujouka Festival

If you wanna see the Master Musicians you gotta live with the Master Musicians

If you want to see the Master Musicians of Joujouka in action, you have to work for it. Their annual three-day festival takes place in a remote village in the Rif Mountains of Morocco.

If you wanna see the Master Musicians you gotta live with the Master Musicians
Japan's Nikkei share average dropped Tuesday to a more than two-week low.

Japan's still stodgy — but it may finally be getting better

Japanese companies went from innovative business leaders — think Walkman and the compact disc — to has-been. But there is reason to believe the country's businesses are clawing their way back.

Japan's still stodgy — but it may finally be getting better
The Boston Gay Men's Chorus

Boston's Gay Men's Chorus' finds pride and prejudice in Turkey

The Boston's Gay Men’s Chorus returns to the US inspired by its performance for the gay community in Istanbul. But their trip was not without conflict.

Boston's Gay Men's Chorus' finds pride and prejudice in Turkey
Fireworks explode during the opening ceremony of the 1st European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 12 , 2015.

Why does Qatar even want to host the World Cup? Pure vanity

In Qatar and Azerbaijan, authoritarian governments use sports showcases to advance personal goals.

Why does Qatar even want to host the World Cup? Pure vanity

'Worst-of-the-worst' Taliban leader may be set free

Five senior Taliban leaders were released last year from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for US Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The five were sent to Qatar to be monitored. But now they may be released.

'Worst-of-the-worst' Taliban leader may be set free
Protesters, many against the fast track trade authority of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, rally outside a hotel in Portland, Oregon.

Why economists think the Trans-Pacific Partnership will be good for Americans

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a major free trade deal, has turned into a hot and divisive political battle. But no matter what the critics say, most economics believe the treaty will be good for most Americans, even poor ones.

Why economists think the Trans-Pacific Partnership will be good for Americans
The FAO Schwarz bear landed at the Floating Hospital for Children at the Tufts Medical Center after the company's Boston store was closed in 2004.

FAO, I hardly knew you

FAO Schwarz is closing its flagship store on Fifth Avenue in July. Toys R Us, which owns the iconic brand, cites the cost of retail space on New York City's pricey Fifth Avenue. The iconic business was initially just a twinkle in a German immigrant's eye.

FAO, I hardly knew you
US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz addresses a news conference at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna September 22, 2014.

Of course two MIT alums got the ball rolling to the Iran nuclear deal

The nuclear deal with Iran was in peril, until two guys who attended MIT in the 1970s flew in to talk. They didn't know each other then, but they were the key to getting a nuclear deal done. They focused on problem solving instead of political posturing.

Of course two MIT alums got the ball rolling to the Iran nuclear deal
Major General Qassem Suleimani, who heads the Quds Brigade in Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Meet the most powerful man in the Middle East you've probably never heard of

He confounded American commanders in Iraq and all but saved the regime of Bashar al-Assad. But until recently, few people outside of military circles knew the name of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. He's a public and popular figure in his home country now — and just as powerful as ever.

Meet the most powerful man in the Middle East you've probably never heard of