He was a staff writer at
The New Republic and a freelance reporter. Zwerdling worked at
National Public Radio in several positions since 1980, including as their senior investigative correspondent, their first roving Africa correspondent, and their first environmental reporter. From 1993 to 1999, he was senior host of NPR's Weekend
All Things Considered. From 1999 to 2002, he was an investigative reporter for
RadioWorks, NPR News. His layoff in 2002 provoked controversy among the NPR staff as the organization's decision to remove an investigative journalism line was seen as conflicting with the mission of NPR. From 2002 to 2004, he was NPR's television correspondent on
Now on PBS with
Bill Moyers. In 2018, Zwerdling retired from NPR amid several allegations of sexual harassment, although he has stated that the allegations are false. His investigative reports have included examining the military's treatment of soldiers who have experienced trauma, the impact of fast food restaurants on animal rights, and the harmful substances in tobacco products. In 2006 and 2007, he reported that officers at
Fort Carson were punishing soldiers who were returning from the
war in Iraq and
Afghanistan with
post traumatic stress disorder and other serious mental health problems. Since retiring from NPR, Zwerdling has completed investigative projects for The David Rockefeller Fund, The Marshall Project, among others. He was an adjunct professor of media ethics at
American University and an associate of
Bard College's Institute for Language and Thinking in New York. Since April 2021, Zwerdling and
David Shipler have been featured on their podcast,
Two Reporters - Shipler and Zwerdling during which they "interview stellar guests... examine problems and possible solutions... [and] just fascinating stuff" in novel ways. == Awards ==