Marco Werman

Host

The World

Marco Werman is the host of The World.

I got my first job in journalism at 16 as a copy-boy at the News and Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina.  I've worked in documentary photography, print, radio and television.  My radio work started in Burkina Faso in West Africa, following a three year stint with the Peace Corps in Togo.  From Burkina Faso, I moved to London to produce the BBC World Service flagship breakfast program for Africa, "Network Africa."

In 1990, I moved back to the US, and helped start up a new public radio station in upstate New York in the Adirondacks where I reported, produced and hosted a daily two-hour news and current affairs show.  Four years later, I moved to Rome, Italy where I was the correspondent for Monitor Radio.  In 1995, WGBH and The World hired me to help begin the program.  Its mission -- to bring international news to American ears in a compelling way that would make the world more relevant to them -- scratched me where I itch.  And I've been committed to that mission ever since.

Along the way, I've won some awards (the National Federation of Community Broadcasters for an original radio drama I wrote; the Sony awards for an exposé on child labor in West African gold mines; the New York Festivals for a BBC documentary on the 1987 assassination of Burkina Faso’s president; the first annual Unity award from the Radio and Television News Director’s Association for coverage of diversity issues; and an Emmy for a Frontline documentary on Libya).  But the most important honor for me remains the emails I get from listeners thanking us for the coverage we give to often little-known stories and voices from around the globe.

musicians onstage

International Guitar Night shows off diverse styles and sounds from across the globe

The World’s host Marco Werman previews two of the artists who are featured as part of the 24th annual edition of International Guitar Night touring North America.

International Guitar Night shows off diverse styles and sounds from across the globe
Pussy Riot feminist activist collective, from left to right, Alina Petrova, Diana Burkot, Masha Alyokhina, Olga Borisova.

A conversation with Russian protest group Pussy Riot

A conversation with Russian protest group Pussy Riot
four men performing on stage

​​Los Lobos celebrates 50th anniversary

​​Los Lobos celebrates 50th anniversary
rally

San Diego doctor says height of the border wall is leading to more injuries from falls

San Diego doctor says height of the border wall is leading to more injuries from falls
Yellow sign on beach warning people to stay out of water because of pollutants, in Tijuana River Valley

Pollution from Tijuana River contaminates marine border areas

Pollution from Tijuana River contaminates marine border areas
Vira Ustyanska, a 34-year-old artist, fled her home in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, soon after the war started. She now lives in San Diego, California, with a host family waiting for the war to end.

Finding home in California after fleeing war in Ukraine

Amid war and displacement, Ukrainian artist Vira Ustyanska and her daughter find home in San Diego, California, as they wait for the war to end.

Finding home in California after fleeing war in Ukraine
man singing

'For the Sake of' song becomes anthem for protests in Iran

In the somber ballad, musician Shervin Hajipour sings of why Iranians are rising up in protest: “For dancing in the streets," he intones. “For my sister, for your sister, for our sisters.”

'For the Sake of' song becomes anthem for protests in Iran
Luke Sital-Singh's new single is called "Me & God."

Musician Luke Sital-Singh finds catharsis by singing a song to God

Sital-Singh, now an atheist, has released a single, "Me & God," which gets up close and personal with his faith.

Musician Luke Sital-Singh finds catharsis by singing a song to God
Tributes left outside the former home of Amy Winehouse in Camden, London, Friday, July 23, 2021, on the 10th anniversary of the iconic British singer's death from accidental alcohol poisoning.

The World remembers singer Amy Winehouse on the 10th anniversary of her death

British jazz and soul singer Amy Winehouse died 10 years ago on Friday. Host Marco Werman reflects on her talents.

The World remembers singer Amy Winehouse on the 10th anniversary of her death
Rodrigo Amarante

Brazilian Rodrigo Amarante’s solo album ‘Drama’ testifies to a rich musical career

The Brazilian songwriter’s second-ever solo album contains everything from ‘Tuyo,’ the theme song he wrote for the Netflix series “Narcos,” to the more personal, ‘Tango,’ about the people he wants to be surrounded by.  

Brazilian Rodrigo Amarante’s solo album ‘Drama’ testifies to a rich musical career
A display of a variety of guns on a table made from unauthorized parts

President Biden set to further regulate 'ghost guns'

The Biden administration faces pushback from Republicans as it tries to pass legislation to further regulate "ghost guns" assembled with homemade parts.

President Biden set to further regulate 'ghost guns'
Several large boats are shown on their side and washed ashore following a tsunami as shown from across a body of water.

It’s been 10 years since Fukushima. What’s it like to rebuild in a city that ‘doesn’t exist’?

The World revisits the Saeki family in Ishinomaki, Japan, which was one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that devastated the country on March, 11, 2011.

It’s been 10 years since Fukushima. What’s it like to rebuild in a city that ‘doesn’t exist’?
Marco Werman is shown with a microphone and his dog Frankie sitting on his lap.

Marco Werman: Your support keeps us going

Despite all the chaos and uncertainty of 2020, our end-of-year fundraising campaign has inspired over 600 listeners from every corner of the globe to support us. If you can contribute to what we're doing, then this is our message: we still need you.

Marco Werman: Your support keeps us going
(Clockwise from top left) Meklit Hadero in red lighting, Sinkane stsnding in front of wooden wall, Diana Gameros standing in front of a brick wall and Hello Psychaleppo looking down at a keyboard.

Four musicians grapple with the same question: What is home?

“Movement,” a one-hour special from The World, brings you stories of global migration through music. Together, host Marco Werman and Ethiopian American singer Meklit Hadero blend song and narrative in a meditation on what it means to be American. We follow a once-undocumented singer in San Francisco on a long-awaited trip back to Mexico, reflect on the experience of exile with a Syrian DJ and hear a Sudanese American artist play his first-ever show in Sudan — all guided by Hadero as she reflects on her own American story.

Four musicians grapple with the same question: What is home?
A compilation of six photographs of The World staff on various assignments around the globe including in Ghana, Mexico and Antarctica.

Marco Werman: We are The World

Who we are matters because we bring our full selves to this job. The World newsroom gets to the bottom of every story, takes risks and highlights the communities most impacted by the headlines. I ask you to take a moment in your busy day to meet us, to see who we are. And while you’re there, please consider supporting the work we do.

Marco Werman: We are The World