Brian Mann
Brian Mann is NPR's first national addiction correspondent. He also covers breaking news in the U.S. and around the world.
Mann began covering drug policy and the opioid crisis as part of a partnership between NPR and North Country Public Radio in New York. After joining NPR full time in 2020, Mann was one of the first national journalists to track the deadly spread of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, reporting from California and Washington state to West Virginia.
After losing his father and stepbrother to substance abuse, Mann's reporting breaks down the stigma surrounding addiction and creates a factual basis for the ongoing national discussion.
Mann has also served on NPR teams covering the Beijing Winter Olympics and the war in Ukraine.
During a career in public radio that began in the 1980s, Mann has won numerous regional and national Edward R. Murrow awards. He is author of a 2006 book about small town politics called Welcome to the Homeland, described by The Atlantic as "one of the best books to date on the putative-red-blue divide."
Mann grew up in Alaska and is now based in New York's Adirondack Mountains. His audio postcards, broadcast on NPR, describe his backcountry trips into wild places around the world.
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The Justice Department has announced an $8.3 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin — one of the prescription drugs at the center of the overdose crisis in the U.S.
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Critics say the settlement doesn't hold company executives or members of the Sackler family accountable for their aggressive marketing of OxyContin, which helped fuel the nation's opioid epidemic. -
There is a lot of love for the Stars and Stripes, but some people say the flag's meaning has changed in ways that make them uncomfortable. -
The Drug Enforcement Agency relies on hospitals to identify nurses and doctors who misuse drugs such as morphine and fentanyl. But "only a fraction of those who are diverting drugs are ever caught." -
Americans are reacting to the President and First Lady's illness with a mix of concern and anger. Concern for Trump's well-being and anger that he acted carelessly before contracting the coronavirus.
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Are you seeing more American flags these days or maybe flying one yourself? Tell us what the United States flag means to you and whether that has changed over time. -
Anthony Bottom, 68, is at the center of a discussion over elderly inmates convicted of violent crimes in their youth. Reform advocates say after decades behind bars most should go home. -
As Black Lives Matter protests spread across the country, a lot of white people joined in to help the cause. In many cities Black leaders are being deliberate about the roles "white allies" play. -
Hangover From Alcohol Boom Could Last Long After Pandemic EndsAmericans are drinking far more during the COVID-19 pandemic. A beer in the evening can feel like a taste of normal life, but health experts worry about alcohol's deadly side effects. -
Rochester Police Chief Resigns Amid Protests Over Black Man's DeathChief La'Ron Singletary and other leaders are leaving the department in Rochester, N.Y., as protests continue over the March death of a Black man by asphyxiation after being restrained by officers.
