Michael Skoler

Former general manager, PRI.org

Michael Skoler is the former general manager of PRI.org, where he helped connect smart and passionate journalists with smart and passionate audiences.

After an early career mistake of leaving Paris and the French wine trade, I recovered by becoming a reporter.

I've written for magazines like Glamour (where I was the only male on staff for a brief time), reported on science and tech for WGBH-TV, covered Somalia, Rwanda and South Africa as NPR's Africa correspondent, created online games like BudgetHero, and started the Public Insight Network of citizen sources that many newsrooms use today.

Along the way, I earned an MBA and have lived in France, Kenya and Mexico.

Women from St. Louis area protest Donald Trump comments on women

Millennials get their political say during week-long UnConvention in NYC

Actor and former Daily Show comedian Aasif Mandvi kicks off a week of live and streamed UnConvention events in New York City focused on the voices, views and issues concerning millennial voters in the 2016 election.

Millennials get their political say during week-long UnConvention in NYC
Portraits of women around the globe

When a country has problems, women are often the answer

When a country has problems, women are often the answer
David Beard

Say hello to PRI.org’s new executive editor, David Beard

Say hello to PRI.org’s new executive editor, David Beard
Kissing protest in Kerala, India

Indians stage a protest for the right to kiss

Indians stage a protest for the right to kiss
Greek Tomb at Amphipolis

Greeks wonder who was buried in this huge tomb 2300 years ago

Greeks wonder who was buried in this huge tomb 2300 years ago
Blood Bucket Challenge video

European youth have started the #BloodBucketChallenge

After the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge that swept YouTube, European young people are hoping for viral success with a campaign to bring world attention back to the conflict on Ukraine's eastern border. Meanwhile, killing is the subject of newly-published scientific research. In this case, the killers, though, are chimps. And a Chinese tennis star retires in her 30s, having brought tennis and a bit of sports freedom to her home country, in this weekend's Global Scan.

European youth have started the #BloodBucketChallenge
Airline meal

Now you can have airline food without leaving the ground

Frequent fliers at least get points for suffering through airline cuisine. Soon Germans will get the option of having it delivered to their homes. And what does a business class meal cost on the ground? About $12. Newly-released files from Britain's National Archives confirm that the country's WWII spies had to pass a seduction test by "special agent" Fifi. And 50 South Koreans will experience an oxymoron — competitive relaxation. All that in today's Global Scan.

Now you can have airline food without leaving the ground
MIT robo-cheetah

MIT researchers create a robo-cheetah that runs and jumps off-leash

It's not much of a looker when it comes to feline curves, but MIT's robotic cheetah sure can run. It is novel in both its motors and the math that calculates how hard it springs across uneven terrain. In Scotland, bankers are preparing for the worst — a run on banks if Scots vote "yes" to separate from Britain on Thursday. And we look at the sexy brewing device for coffee that was a favorite of James Bond and is coming back into fashion. All that in today's Global Scan.

MIT researchers create a robo-cheetah that runs and jumps off-leash
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko compared to mountains

Just how big is that comet the European Space Agency is going to land on?

Out in space, comets don't seem that big compared to planets and all. But this chunk of rock and ice would rival the tallest mountains we know. Some have even created photos showing how it would tower over Los Angeles. Meanwhile in Australia, a Pizza Hut makes a major PR gaffe when it decides to throw in a free pet with every large pizza order. And the American-raised son of a terrorist decides to tell his story. All in this edition of the Global Scan.

Just how big is that comet the European Space Agency is going to land on?
Malala Yousafzai at the UN

Pakistan says it has captured the men who shot Malala in 2012

When Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head two years ago, the Taliban in Pakistan claimed responsibility. On Friday, the Pakistan army said it had caught a gang of 10 men behind the attack. Elsewhere in Pakistan, a new branch of al-Qaeda seems to have bungled its first attack, but wants the press coverage anyway. And a 45-story skyscraper of squatters is being cleared in Venezuela, all in this weekend's Global Scan.

Pakistan says it has captured the men who shot Malala in 2012
Google Streetview of Egyptian pyramids

If Egypt feels too dicey to visit, now you can walk around there with Google

Tourism is way down in Egypt due to the last three years of political unrest there. But if you have always wanted to explore the pyramids, Google Street View is now ready to help you. As the US prepares for war on ISIS, the terrorist group has extended its propaganda front with a western-focused, cutting-edge video production wing. And we ask whether western media should show the gruesome images coming from war and terrorism, all in today's Global Scan.

If Egypt feels too dicey to visit, now you can walk around there with Google
Dreadnoughtus schrani dinosaur illustration

Scientists have unearthed a massive new dinosaur — bigger than a jetliner

It's hard to know if this is the biggest dinosaur ever to walk the Earth, but it's right up there with other titanosaurs, and its fossil is perhaps the most intact ever discovered. We also look at cyberwarfare, from NATO's plans for a collective defense against Russian hacking to a hacker's coalition that is fighting ISIS online. And have you ever heard of "chifa?" — it's a Peruvian-Asian fusion cuisine. All that and more, in today's Global Scan.

Scientists have unearthed a massive new dinosaur — bigger than a jetliner
ISIS hand gesture

ISIS has a new hand sign — and it means far more than ‘We’re #1’

The Islamic militants known as ISIS have shown savvy in social media and in picking their symbols. We explore the deeper meaning behind their index finger salute — and their black-and-white flag. And an author shows a side of Iran's capital that you might not have expected, from sex to drugs to skinny jeans. And are you tired of being cramped in economy class? You're not alone. All that in today's Global Scan.

ISIS has a new hand sign — and it means far more than ‘We’re #1’
British photo showing White House cake to celebrate War of 1812

For the British, burning the White House 200 years ago is cause for a cake and sparklers

So just how did the British Embassy choose to celebrate its friendship with the US on Sunday? With a cake commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Brits burning down the White House during the War of 1812. It apologized on Monday. Meanwhile, the Ice Bucket Challenge, which has taken social media by storm, is getting its own challenge. And how much could an old comic book sell for? Try $3.2 million.

For the British, burning the White House 200 years ago is cause for a cake and sparklers
Police officers take pictures of giant puppets as they move through the streets of Liverpool, northern England July 25, 2014.

This is how many times British cops fired guns all of last year: 3

As the debate over gun control — and, now, the use of force by police — rages in the US and elsewhere, Britain offers a stark contrast. Police there rarely carry guns, fire them or kill anyone. Meanwhile, Beijing is getting machines that inspire people to both recycle and ride public transit. And Ebola is killing Liberians who don't even have the disease, in today's Global Scan.

This is how many times British cops fired guns all of last year: 3