Ailsa Chang is an award-winning journalist who covers criminal justice, terrorism and the courts for WNYC. She found her way into public radio after practicing law for five years, and can definitely say that walking the streets of New York City with a microphone is a lot more fun than being holed up in the office writing letters to opposing counsel.
Since joining WNYC in 2009, Chang has earned national recognition for her investigative reporting. In 2012, she was honored with the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton, one of the highest awards in broadcast journalism, for her two-part investigative series on allegations of illegal searches and unlawful marijuana arrests by the New York City Police Department. The reports also earned an honor from Investigative Reporters and Editors.
Chang has investigated how Detroit's broken public defender system leaves the poor with lawyers who are often too underpaid and overworked to provide adequate defense. For that story, Chang won the 2010 Daniel Schorr Journalism Award, a National Headliner Award and an honor from Investigative Reporters and Editors.
In 2011, the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association named Chang as the winner of the Art Athens Award for General Excellence in Individual Reporting for radio. She has also appeared as a guest on PBS NewsHour and other television programs for her legal reporting.
Chang received her bachelor's degree in public policy from Stanford University, her law degree from Stanford Law School, a Masters degree in journalism from Columbia University and a Masters degree in media law from Oxford University where she was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar.
She was also a law clerk to Judge John T. Noonan, Jr. on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Before her arrival at WNYC, Chang was a Kroc Fellow for National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. and a reporter for KQED public radio in San Francisco. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Ailsa Chang appears in the following:
Monday, May 06, 2024
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Christopher Intagliata : Senior Producer, Science Friday /
Ailsa Chang
Every spring, a remarkable sight unfolds in the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles, as thousands of songbirds fly north.
Friday, May 03, 2024
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Patrick Jarenwattananon /
Ailsa Chang
NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Andy Nussbaum, who coached legendary basketball player Candace Parker when she played in high school. Parker recently said she is retiring from the WNBA after 16 years.
Wednesday, May 01, 2024
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Mallory Yu /
Sarah Handel /
Ailsa Chang
NPR's Juana Summers talks with economics professor Caitlin Myers, who has been tracking travel distances to abortion facilities, about the impact of Florida's ban on abortion after six weeks.
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
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Christopher Intagliata : Senior Producer, Science Friday /
Ailsa Chang
In his 43 years at the LA Times, Louis Sahagun reported on everything from the Latino communities of east LA, to the plight of the desert tortoise. And he got his start at the paper sweeping floors.
Monday, April 29, 2024
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Christopher Intagliata : Senior Producer, Science Friday /
Ailsa Chang
NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Luis Miguel Echegaray, ESPN soccer analyst, about the two teams in the race for the English Premier League soccer title with only three weeks left in the season.
Friday, April 26, 2024
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Lauren Hodges /
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Ailsa Chang
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Ashley Judd, who came forward in 2017 with allegations about Harvey Weinstein, about the overturning of his 2020 rape conviction in New York.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
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Patrick Jarenwattananon /
Ailsa Chang
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with New York Times investigative reporter Jodi Kantor about how the highest court in the state of New York overturned Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
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Ailsa Chang /
An Arizona grand jury has indicted a group of allies of former President Donald Trump for their efforts to try to keep him in power after the 2020 election.
Friday, April 19, 2024
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Sarah Handel /
Ailsa Chang
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Congressman Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., about the foreign aid package that the House is finally considering after massive efforts from Speaker Mike Johnson.
Friday, April 19, 2024
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Patrick Jarenwattananon /
Ailsa Chang
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with hall of fame broadcaster Ernie Johnson, host of Inside the NBA, about the new faces of the NBA chasing championship hopes in this changing of the guard post-season.
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
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Christopher Intagliata : Senior Producer, Science Friday /
Ailsa Chang
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with actor Hoa Xuande about the new HBO show 'The Sympathizer' — a rare piece of Hollywood entertainment that tells the story of the Vietnam War from a Vietnamese perspective.
Monday, April 15, 2024
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Ailsa Chang /
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Tinbete Ermyas
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Rodney Carmichael from NPR Music about the legacy of Rico Wade, a foundational producer of Atlanta Hip-Hop.
Friday, April 12, 2024
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Patrick Jarenwattananon /
Ailsa Chang
Mister Cee's friend and fellow Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg remembers the longtime hip-hop DJ and radio host who regularly introduced his audience and the record industry to new talent.
Thursday, April 11, 2024
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Justine Kenin /
Ailsa Chang
NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Gov. Katie Hobbs, D-Ariz., about the state's Supreme Court recently approving a near total abortion ban dating back to the 1860s.
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
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Christopher Intagliata : Senior Producer, Science Friday /
Ailsa Chang
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Sasha Chavkin of The Examination about a new investigation that reveals how major food brands are co-opting the anti-diet movement to sell products.
Tuesday, April 09, 2024
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Sarah Handel /
Ailsa Chang
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Karen Walker, who prosecuted the cases against the parents of a mass school shooter. James and Jennifer Crumbley were sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison.
Monday, April 08, 2024
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Justine Kenin /
Ailsa Chang
In Sunday's NCAA final, the Iowa Hawkeyes lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks. NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with sports journalist Kavitha Davidson about the banner year for women's college basketball.
Thursday, April 04, 2024
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Sarah Handel /
Ailsa Chang
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Rudy Mancuso about his new movie, Musica. It's his semi-autobiographical film about living with synesthesia and falling in love.
Monday, April 01, 2024
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Ailsa Chang /
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Christopher Intagliata : Senior Producer, Science Friday
NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with the multi-instrumentalist James Bishop about how he transforms recordings of natural objects into music.
Friday, March 29, 2024
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Christopher Intagliata : Senior Producer, Science Friday /
Ailsa Chang
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with astronomer Sara Issaoun about the latest image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.