Stephen Reader

Stephen Reader covers politics for It's a Free Country, WNYC's interactive politics site. He joined the station in 2010 and has also worked for Studio 360, WNYC's Peabody Award-winning show about art, culture, and creativity.

Stephen got his start in radio at the College of William & Mary, where he was a DJ and Music Director for the student-run station WCWM. He was a frequent contributor to the station's music magazine Vinyl Tap, and continues to do occasional freelance work in arts and entertainment. His work has appeared on Studio 360, where he also helped produce a piece on Jimi Hendrix for the show's American Icons series, and in The Awl.

As a political reporter, Stephen has covered redistricting, gay marriage legalization, and Egyptian solidarity protests in New York. At the national level, Stephen has covered 2012 electoral politics, campaign finance, health care reform, budget debates, tax policy, and more. He has produced features for the WNYC newsroom and has been a guest on The Takeaway, WNYC's national morning news show.

Born in New Orleans, raised in Virginia, Stephen has a degree from the College of William & Mary. He's on Twitter @reader_stephen.