On May 3, 1971, at 5 p.m., All Things Considered debuted on 90 public radio stations.
In the years since, almost everything about the program has changed, from the hosts, producers, editors and reporters to the length of the program, the equipment used and even the audience.
However there is one thing that remains the same: each show consists of the biggest stories of the day, thoughtful commentaries, insightful features on the quirky and the mainstream in arts and life, music and entertainment, all brought alive through sound.
All Things Considered is the most listened-to, afternoon drive-time, news radio program in the country. Every weekday the two-hour show is hosted by Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, Mary Louise Kelly and Ailsa Chang. In 1977, ATC expanded to seven days a week with a one-hour show on Saturdays and Sundays. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.
Audie Cornish | 
Ari Shapiro | 
Mary Louise Kelly |
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Ailsa Chang |
Photos by Stephen Voss/NPR
During each broadcast, stories and reports come to listeners from NPR reporters and correspondents based throughout the United States and the world. The hosts interview newsmakers and contribute their own reporting. Rounding out the mix are the disparate voices of a variety of commentators, including Sports Commentator Stefen Fatsis, and Political Columnists David Brooks and E.J. Dionne.
All Things Considered has earned many of journalism's highest honors, including the George Foster Peabody Award, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award and the Overseas Press Club Award.
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NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report about the impact redistricting efforts will have on the 2026 midterms and beyond.
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To keep cattle safe, the USDA is using movie clips to scare away wolves.
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Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest for violating pre-trial restrictions ahead of Trump's imposition of tariffs to pressure Brazil for what the U.S. president says is political persecution of his ally.
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Genetically engineered humans may still sound like science fiction. But there's a new push to edit the genes of human embryos to eliminate diseases and enhance characteristics parents value.
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What is it like to make garments in America? We talk with a trimmer about the conditions and the economics of the industry.
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In July and August of 2024 in Bangladesh, student protesters' push for change drove the authoritarian prime minister out of power. Hundreds of demonstrators were killed. -
Hurricane Katrina exposed longstanding flaws in the New Orleans criminal justice system. In the 20 years since, there has been dramatic change in the public defender office. -
The death toll from hunger continues to climb daily in Gaza. And more Israelis protested over the weekend, demanding both a ceasefire and a hostage deal after footage of an Israeli captured in the Oct. 7 attack of 2023 was released by Hamas.
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In a midterm election battle spreading across the country, Republicans leading the Texas Legislature are trying to meet and redraw Congressional lines to help the GOP hold the majority in Congress. Democrats in Texas have fled to other states to try to block them from meeting.
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Last week, president trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after a revision to previous jobs reports. What does this action mean for the agency and for the future of U.S. labor data, which is considered the gold standard for economists?
