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.
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Many vintners in southern France used to make a few bottles of rosé only for themselves. Now demand for the pale, dry wine has skyrocketed, transforming the lives of the region's winemakers. -
An arcane law required bakers to tell city hall when they wanted to close up shop. Now that it's been scrapped, bakers can close any time, leaving Parisians hungry for good bread amid summer holidays. -
A gunman opened fire on a high speed train that was traveling between Amsterdam and Paris. According to French officials, two Americans subdued the shooter.
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A classic French dish, confit de canard was originally a way to preserve meat, and traditional recipes can require dozens of steps to prepare. David Lebovitz's fake take cuts the steps down to five. -
In the neighborhood considered the soul of French gastronomy, residents are fighting to keep the fast-food giant out. (This piece originally aired on July 18, 2015 on Weekend Edition Saturday.)
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French farmers demanding higher prices for meat and milk have brought chaos to the country's vacation season by holding protests and blocking roads across the country.
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France is now McDonald's No. 2 market. But in a Paris neighborhood historically considered the soul of French gastronomy, residents are fighting tooth and nail to keep the fast-food giant out. -
The Greek Parliament passed measures to support this week's eurozone-backed bailout agreement, but celebrations were muted at best, and there were large demonstrations against new austerity moves.
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From the capital to the countryside, there is pervasive fear in Greece as European leaders in Brussels debate the country's economic fate.
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As Greeks wait anxiously to hear if their government's latest plan to win a third bailout has been accepted by European lenders, they are struggling to get by with banks closed and credit cards blocked.
