Jason Margolis

Show Editor

The World

Jason Margolis is the show editor at The World.

As the show editor at The World, I work with reporters, producers and host to help set our news agenda each morning, then edit many of the words listeners hear later that day. I also work with a team of editors and reporters to develop longer-term features and run our internship program.

Prior to becoming the show editor, I spent 13 years as a reporter/correspondent, and occasional fill-in editor, with The World. Even though my role has changed, I'm trying to keep my reporting hat on as well, as time permits. My most-recent stories focus primarily on global business, trade, and economics. But I have also regularly covered environmental issues and climate change, US foreign policy and politics, agriculture, and immigration reform. Since I began working at The World full time back in 2006, I’ve reported from more than 20 countries and 43 US states, including the top of a rickety tower 150 feet above the Panamanian jungle, an abandoned Ukrainian town near Chernobyl, and shops and restaurants along the Texas-Mexico border. I feel quite lucky to have met so many interesting people in so many fascinating places. 

I’ve also been a reporter with KQED Public Radio in its Sacramento bureau, The Seattle Times newspaper, MarketWatch in San Francisco, and NPR’s business desk. I have a master’s degree in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in history from UCLA.

During the 2014-15 academic year, I was selected as a Knight-Wallace fellow at the University of Michigan where I joined a small group of domestic and international journalists for a year of study. I focused my learning on climate change policies and science, as well as business sustainability practices and urban planning. I also took two screenwriting classes, learned to ice skate, and ran my first marathon in Detroit. I'm now up to three. 

I’ve won a few awards along the way, including being recognized three times by the Society of Environmental Journalism for “outstanding reporting.” I was also a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists and am the recipient of multiple reporting awards from Northern California journalism associations. 

Throughout my travels, my favorite place remains the Sierra Nevada Mountains in my native Northern California, but Sydney, Australia, the islands of the Philippines, and Alaska rank pretty high too. Sweden isn't bad either. I now live near Boston with my wife, two children, and labrador retriever Winnie. I firmly believe it’s possible to support both the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants without any conflicts of interest. I grew up in Tom Brady's hometown in Northern California. 

people at building entrance

The risk of banking 'contagion' 

Investors worry that the problems at a handful of American banks could ripple across the world economy and unexpected surprises may be lurking. But this is not 2008. Regulations in the US and Europe are much stronger today than they were 15 years ago. 

The risk of banking 'contagion' 
A translators booth overlooks the empty General Assembly hall at United Nations headquarters ahead of the General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.

‘Every country gets a voice:’ World leaders convene at annual UN meeting

‘Every country gets a voice:’ World leaders convene at annual UN meeting
About one-third of the staff at the Stoneacre restaurants in Newport, Rhode Island, is from overseas.

Hospitality industries in the US struggle to find workers, but international labor is ticking up

Hospitality industries in the US struggle to find workers, but international labor is ticking up
Taliban fighters stand guard in front of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021.

This Afghan man who helped US Army Special Forces pleads for help to escape the Taliban: ‘They will kill us’

This Afghan man who helped US Army Special Forces pleads for help to escape the Taliban: ‘They will kill us’
Shipping containers are stacked in the Port of New York and New Jersey in Elizabeth, New Jersey, May 20, 2021.

‘Where’s my stuff?’ Here’s why global supply chains are out of whack due to pandemic

‘Where’s my stuff?’ Here’s why global supply chains are out of whack due to pandemic
A man is shown wearing a dark-color vest and carrying a large garbage bag full of plastic bottles.

How to solve the plastic waste problem: Build a better plastic

Here’s the problem with plastic: It’s super useful. But it can take centuries to degrade. What if there was a better plastic that was easier to recycle?

How to solve the plastic waste problem: Build a better plastic
The front of an electric bus is shown with green, blue and white stripes.

China dominates the electric bus market, but the US is getting on board

Electric buses produce fewer emissions, are quieter and need less maintenance than diesel buses.

China dominates the electric bus market, but the US is getting on board
The Mississippi River near New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Mississippi: Pushed to the brink

Up and down the Mississippi River, new pressures are being put on America’s inland hydro highway, which helps deliver US goods and commodities to the rest of the world and allows trade flows to return. The strain on the river system is only becoming more acute with the impacts of climate change.

The Mississippi: Pushed to the brink
About 15,000 robots named “Pepper” are used in Japanese and European banks, fast service restaurants, and healthcare settings. Pepper is now in US bank branches too — HSBC has them in select locations to help answer basic customer questions.

Will the next wave of humanoid robots make our lives better — or steal our jobs?

Robots have replaced millions of American workers. As humanoid robots improve, will they work alongside people — or replace them?

Will the next wave of humanoid robots make our lives better — or steal our jobs?
Homeowners can connect solar panels to batteries in their garage, this one from the Bay Area company Sunrun, to help power much of their homes during times of peak electricity demand.

Here comes the sun (storage)

Solar batteries are booming, and this is just the start.

Here comes the sun (storage)
Retired engineer Robert Ozarski invented a device to easily raise and lower bikes from a ceiling. He invested $250,000 out of his retirement savings to start his company, Kradl, but isn’t sure about the future of his startup due to the US-China trade war.

How the US-China trade war hurts American entrepreneurs

The president ripped into China this morning just as the two countries are set to resume negotiations on trade. Trump claimed that China was slow-walking a deal, waiting for a new president. But as the trade war drags on, there are real-world consequences for businesses and entrepreneurs.

How the US-China trade war hurts American entrepreneurs
Mick Jagger, left, and guitarist Keith Richards perform during the kick-off show of the Rolling Stones' "No Filter" tour at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. June 21, 2019.

Mick Jagger wants you to stop throwing away your plastic cups

Businesses worldwide are looking for alternatives to single-use plastic cups.

Mick Jagger wants you to stop throwing away your plastic cups
a custom vw beetle in mexico

Goodbye, old friend: VW Beetle ceases production

Today, we say goodbye to an automotive icon and an old friend. Volkswagen is halting production of the Beetle. For real this time. We think.

Goodbye, old friend: VW Beetle ceases production
This spring, passengers on a morning flight on Qantas Airways in Australia were greeted in an unusual way: They were on board the world's first waste-free flight. 

This Australian airline invites you to ‘sit back and enjoy the world’s first zero-waste flight’

This spring, passengers on Qantas Airways flight in Australia were greeted in an unusual way: They were on board the world's first waste-free flight. 

This Australian airline invites you to ‘sit back and enjoy the world’s first zero-waste flight’
A green cardboard box sits on a door stoop.

Want to help the planet? Ditch your grocery cart for a meal kit.

Home-delivered meal kits are booming across the globe. They send us the raw ingredients and a recipe; we cook it up. But is our lust for convenience hurting or helping the planet?

Want to help the planet? Ditch your grocery cart for a meal kit.