NPR News has hired veteran investigative reporter and editor Robert Little as senior editor for investigations, effective March 4. He will work collaboratively to develop investigative stories and oversee the organization’s partnerships with other nonprofit news groups, according to a release.
“We have serious ambition for NPR’s investigative work, and Bob brings a powerful set of skills to the task. He has deep investigative experience and an impressive track record on that front,” said Margaret Low Smith, NPR senior vice president of news. “In addition, he has high level newsroom leadership know-how and broad domestic and international reporting experience.”
Little worked for The Baltimore Sun as a reporter starting in 2003, and he served as its investigative and enterprise editor since 2010. During that time, the newspaper published a series of articles uncovering flaws in the city’s speed camera network, which has since been shut down. Before that, his team created a database of tax records that exposed millions of dollars in improper discounts. Little also designed and launched the blog, Sun Investigates, and oversaw the newsroom’s training program for computer-assisted reporting, ethics and libel law, in addition to duties as a senior editor.
Little has covered breaking news and enterprise stories across the country and around the world, including two assignments in Iraq, a posting to the Pentagon, the landfall and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and stories from Russia, Haiti, Europe and the Middle East. His stories about trauma care in combat prompted the U.S. Army to distribute tourniquets to every deployed soldier and Marine worldwide. He has been recognized with local and national journalism awards, including the George Polk Award for his Iraq coverage. Little has also reported for The Carroll County Times and The Virginian-Pilot.
