Deborah Becker is a senior correspondent and host at WBUR. Her reporting focuses on mental health, criminal justice and education.
Deb is also a substitute host on several WBUR programs and helps produce and report for various WBUR special projects. Deb also worked on the launch of WRNI, Rhode Island's NPR News Station, where she served as Morning Edition host and host of the weekly show "Focus Rhode Island."
Before coming to WBUR, Deb worked at Monitor Radio, the broadcast arm of The Christian Science Monitor newspaper. She also worked at several Boston area radio stations. Deb has received numerous awards for her hosting, newscasts, reporting and investigative reporting from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTNDA), Public Radio News Directors Incorporated, National Education Writers Association, Associated Press, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Parent/Professional Advocacy League and United Press International. She has also completed several fellowships on addiction, mental health, juvenile justice and journalism and the law.
Deb studied journalism at St. Bonaventure University. She lives with her family in central Massachusetts.
Recently published
Sen. Ed Markey on Pelosi retirement and shutdown
Nancy Pelosi will be retiring when her term ends in 2027, after a nearly four-decade-long career in Congress.
Mass. high court hears arguments in public defender crisis and pay dispute
The state's highest court heard oral arguments Wednesday in an ongoing dispute over pay for public defenders. The fight has left criminal defendants without legal representation and led to the...
Judge approves $6.75 million settlement over violence against prisoners at Mass. prison
A federal judge has approved a final $6.75 million settlement in a class action lawsuit involving violence against prisoners at Massachusetts maximum security prison.
Former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins faces public reprimand for ethics violations
Rollins resigned as the state's top federal law enforcement official two years ago after the Justice Department accused her of abusing her authority and committing ethics violations. Rollins agreed to...
How 'Mass. and Cass' spilled into new neighborhoods — and Boston's election
The intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard is where the vexing issues of homelessness, addiction and mental health collide — along with different views on the policies needed...
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Mass. nurses call for special hospital unit for court-involved psychiatric patients
Two major unions representing nurses and health care workers in Massachusetts are warning of a shortage of psychiatric hospital beds because of an influx of patients involved in the criminal...
Rep. Jim McGovern on the potential government shutdown
Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern joined Deborah Becker on WBUR's All Things Considered to talk about the looming shutdown and concerns for constituents.
Federal judge in Boston says Trump administration intentionally chilled free speech of international students
Judge William Young said Trump administration officials collaborated to deprive students of their free speech rights, targeting international students who had spoken out in support of Palestinians and against Israel's...
Desperate for solutions to addiction crisis, some in Boston call for more involuntary commitments
The practice of forcing people into treatment has gained national prominence in recent weeks after President Trump issued an executive order embracing the approach. In Boston's South End, fed up...
The public defender crisis isn't just a Massachusetts problem
From Oregon to Massachusetts, states are struggling to maintain a roster of attorneys to take on public defense cases. The number of cases is rising while more attorneys are balking...