Bill Chappell Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.
Stories By

Bill Chappell

Bill Chappell

Reporter, Producer

Bill Chappell is a correspondent and editor, and a leader on NPR's flagship digital news team. He has frequently contributed to NPR's audio and social media platforms, including hosting dozens of live shows online.

He has gone to two Olympics for NPR (Rio and Pyeongchang), focusing on finding the human aspect of sports — and sharing that fascination through text, video and images on NPR's Instagram and other branded accounts. He was also the lead editor for several other Olympic Games.

Because of his contributions, Chappell is also named on NPR's Peabody-award winning team for its Ebola coverage. Years ago, he established the Peabody Award-winning StoryCorps' presence on NPR.org, which separately won a Webby Award.

At NPR, Chappell has trained digital and radio staff in how to tell compelling stories online, facilitating collaboration between departments and desks. He was previously NPR.org's homepage editor, and has frequently worked with shows such as Morning Edition, Fresh Air, and All Things Considered.

Prior to NPR, Chappell was an editor on the Assignment Desk at CNN International, handling coverage in areas from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. He also edited and produced stories for CNN.com's features division, and edited video for the CNN Sports Illustrated venture.

Story Archive

Friday

Microsoft, which hosts cloud services with businesses and governments, said it was grappling with service outages after a glitch triggered by software distributed by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. Haven Daley/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Haven Daley/AP

Thursday

Hulk Hogan, the longtime pro wrestler whose real name is Terry Bollea, is on the recently released roster of speakers for the convention’s final night, slated to speak in the run up to former President Donald Trump’s address. Julio Aguilar/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

Wednesday

Death row inmate Ruben Gutierrez was set to receive a lethal injection on Tuesday at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, before the Supreme Court issued a stay. Texas Department of Criminal Justice/Texas Department of Criminal Justice/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Texas Department of Criminal Justice/Texas Department of Criminal Justice/AP

Sunday

An image released by the FDA shows bottles containing tianeptine and other compounds. Authorities have urged gas station store owners and others not to sell the products, with names like Neptune's Fix, Za Za and Tianaa, citing serious health risks. FDA hide caption

toggle caption
FDA

Friday

Two interacting galaxies, dubbed the Penguin and the Egg, are seen in more clarity and detail than ever, after NASA released a new image (right) from the James Webb Space Telescope. An older image from the Hubble Space Telescope is seen at left. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI hide caption

toggle caption
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Thursday

Tom Waddington, who is rowing across the Atlantic Ocean, filmed an hours-long encounter with what he believes were long-finned pilot whales. He enjoyed their visit — until one smacked into his small boat. @tomwaddington_skier hide caption

toggle caption
@tomwaddington_skier

Wednesday

Video footage shows that Dvontaye Mitchell, 43, was held on the ground by multiple guards outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Milwaukee; he was declared dead soon afterward. The area where police say the struggle took place is seen here in a Google Maps image from 2022.
Google Maps/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Google Maps/Screenshot by NPR

Tuesday

Jay Johnston has pleaded guilty to a felony charge related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He's seen here in an image from an FBI affidavit. U.S. Justice Department/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption
U.S. Justice Department/Screenshot by NPR

Monday

Friday

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrives to take part in a Ukraine peace summit near Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 15. Mitsotakis' administration says making six days of work mandatory is necessary due to a shrinking population and a shortage of skilled workers. Denis Balibouse/POOL/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Denis Balibouse/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Monday

An aquarium near Asheville, N.C., posted updates for weeks after saying in February that Charlotte, a round stingray, was pregnant. The news drew international headlines — but the facility now says the ray is sick, not pregnant. In this image from an April video update, the ray has a noticeable bulge on her back. Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO / Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO / Screenshot by NPR

Hurricane Beryl loomed toward St. Vincent — and grew in power — as it brought threats of catastrophic winds and dangerous storm surges to the Windward Islands. The storm is seen here in a satellite image just after sunrise on Monday. NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-East hide caption

toggle caption
NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-East

Saturday

Tuesday

Lamor Whitehead, pastor of a Brooklyn church, has been sentenced to nine years in prison, after a federal jury found him guilty of multiple counts of fraud. He's seen here in 2022, attending the Billionaires Row & Dingers Squad VIPs event in Huntington, N.Y. Jared Siskin/Getty Images for Jane Owen Public Relations hide caption

toggle caption
Jared Siskin/Getty Images for Jane Owen Public Relations

Monday

Gov. Wes Moore, center, holds an executive order authorizing pardons for at least 175,000 criminal convictions related to marijuana. Legalization, Moore said, “doesn't erase the fact that Black Marylanders were three times more likely to be arrested for cannabis than white Marylanders before legalization." Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Screenshot by NPR

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is pardoning 175,000 marijuana convictions

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5008665/nx-s1-f8eb4129-7a71-42ac-a230-53e8bd697b96" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saturday

The International Olympic Committee agreed this week to reassign credit for Lloyd Hildebrand’s silver medal in the men's cycling 25 km race at the 1900 Olympics from Britain to France. International Olympic Committee hide caption

toggle caption
International Olympic Committee

Thursday

An aerial view of banana plantations in Apartado, Colombia, taken on June 11. Banana giant Chiquita Brands International says it will appeal a federal jury's decision finding it liable for financing a Colombian paramilitary group known for rampant killings. Danilo Gomez/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Danilo Gomez/AFP via Getty Images

Tuesday

A new lawsuit seeks to prevent Mountain View High School in western Virginia from going back to its former name, Stonewall Jackson High School. The Shenandoah County School Board voted in May to restore the Confederate general's name to the school. Google Maps/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Google Maps/Screenshot by NPR

Four children under the age of 3 were poisoned — one fatally — by opioids at a day care in the Bronx, N.Y. Here, a "trap," a hidden compartment holding drugs under the day care's floor, is seen in an image from a Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit. Official say a search turned up fentanyl and drug-processing equipment at the day care. Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Screenshot by NPR

Monday

Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid acknowledges fans as he celebrates Real Madrid defeating Borussia Dortmund during the UEFA Champions League 2023/24 Final at Wembley Stadium on June 1. The Brazilian star was the target of racist chants last year -- an incident that sparked international outrage and has now resulted in prison terms. David Ramos/Getty Images/Getty Images Europe hide caption

toggle caption
David Ramos/Getty Images/Getty Images Europe

Saturday

Thursday

Christophe Receveur, of France, unfurls an American flag he bought six months ago in Gettysburg, Pa., to mark D-Day on Thursday on Utah Beach, Normandy. John Leicester/AP hide caption

toggle caption
John Leicester/AP

A HeatRisk map shows color-coded risk categories for people confronted by heat that can pose health problems. Excessive heat warnings were issued for more than 20 million Americans late Wednesday, as a heat dome raised temperatures. ‎‎‎
/ESRI/ National Weather Service
hide caption

toggle caption
‎‎‎
/ESRI/ National Weather Service

What is a heat dome

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-4992288/nx-s1-4aa0e4b1-223b-4c5a-a052-25a8b9956cb3" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

An aquarium said in February that Charlotte, a round stingray, was pregnant, drawing international headlines. But the facility near Asheville, N.C., now says the ray is sick, not pregnant. In this image from an April video update by the Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO, the ray has a noticeable bulge on her back. Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO / Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Aquarium & Shark Lab by Team ECCO / Screenshot by NPR