
Eleanor Beardsley
Eleanor Beardsley began reporting from France for NPR in 2004 as a freelance journalist, following all aspects of French society, politics, economics, culture and gastronomy. Since then, she has steadily worked her way to becoming an integral part of the NPR Europe reporting team.
Beardsley has been an active part of NPR's coverage of terrorist attacks in Paris and in Brussels. She has also followed the migrant crisis, traveling to meet and report on arriving refugees in Hungary, Austria, Germany, Sweden and France. She has also traveled to Ukraine, including the flashpoint eastern city of Donetsk, to report on the war there, and to Athens, to follow the Greek debt crisis.
In 2011, Beardsley covered the first Arab Spring revolution in Tunisia, where she witnessed the overthrow of the autocratic President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. Since then she has returned to the North African country many times.
In France, Beardsley has covered three presidential elections, including the surprising win by outsider Emmanuel Macron in 2017. Less than two years later, Macron's presidency was severely tested by France's Yellow vest movement, which Beardsley followed closely.
Beardsley especially enjoys historical topics and has covered several anniversaries of the Normandy D-day invasion as well as the centennial of World War I.
In sports, Beardsley closely covered the Women's World Soccer Cup held in France in June 2019 (and won by Team USA!) and regularly follows the Tour de France cycling race.
Prior to moving to Paris, Beardsley worked for three years with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. She also worked as a television news producer for French broadcaster TF1 in Washington, D.C., and as a staff assistant to South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond.
Reporting from France for Beardsley is the fulfillment of a lifelong passion for the French language and culture. At the age of 10 she began learning French by reading the Asterix the Gaul comic book series with her father.
While she came to the field of radio journalism relatively late in her career, Beardsley says her varied background, studies and travels prepared her for the job. "I love reporting on the French because there are so many stereotypes about them in America," she says. "Sometimes it's fun to dispel the false notions and show a different side of the Gallic character. And sometimes the old stereotypes do hold up. But whether Americans love or hate France and the French, they're always interested!"
A native of South Carolina, Beardsley has a Bachelor of Arts in European history and French from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, and a master's degree in International Business from the University of South Carolina.
Beardsley is interested in politics, travel and observing foreign cultures. Her favorite cities are Paris and Istanbul.
-
This year's Tour de France goes through Paris' fabled Montmartre district, mimicking the route employed for last year's Olympic Games.
-
President Emmanuel Macron says France will become the first G7 country to recognize a Palestinian state, drawing praise from Palestinian leaders and sharp condemnation from Israel. Will other nations follow?
-
Over the past 20 years, the city of Paris has increasingly restricted vehicle traffic — encouraging people to walk, use public transportation or ride their bicycles.
-
Much of Europe, including France, is dealing with a brutal heatwave. Some people are better prepared than others in a country where most people do not have air conditioning.
-
Smokers are no longer allowed to light up in public parks, at swimming pools, or at beaches, or "anywhere children may be present," said French health and family minister Catherine Vautrin.
-
Sotheby's in Paris is actioning off a collection of relics from Napoleon's private world, including rings, a travel throne and one of his iconic bicorn hats.
-
This year's NATO summit opens Tuesday, attended by a disengaged United States, which seems bent on fighting its own battles, rather than helping European allies with the increased threat from Russia.
-
The Paris opera house known as the Palais Garnier turns 150 this year.
-
Heads of state, mayors, scientists and policymakers have gathered in France to tackle what is being described as a global emergency facing the world's seas.
-
Scientists and mayors from around the world gather in Nice to find solutions ahead of the U.N. Ocean Conference.