Eric Deggans is NPR’s first full-time TV critic, media analyst and guest host, appearing on the network’s shows, such as Morning Edition, Here & Now and All Things Considered, along with writing material for NPR.org. He also appears on NPR podcasts such as Consider This, Life Kit, Code Switch, It’s Been a Minute and Pop Culture Happy Hour.
In addition, Eric is also an adjunct instructor in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, a guest instructor at Indiana University’s Media School and a member of the National Advisory Board for the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, FL.
From 2017 to 2021, he served as a contributor and media analyst for MSNBC/NBC News. And in 2020, he was given the Distinguished Alumni Service Award by Indiana University – the institution’s highest alumni honor — four years after Indiana University’s Media School of journalism and communications named him a distinguished alumnus.
Eric came to NPR in September 2013 from the Tampa Bay Times newspaper in Florida, where he served as TV/Media Critic and in other roles for nearly 20 years. He is also an author of or contributor to several books, including Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation, a look at how prejudice, racism and sexism fuels modern media, published in October 2012 by Palgrave Macmillan.
Born in Washington D.C. but raised in Gary, Ind., Eric has contributed as a pundit, freelance writer or essayist to many media outlets, including, The New York Times; POLITICO; NBC Nightly News; CBS This Morning; The NewsHour (PBS) and a host of other publications and media platforms. He is based in Saint Petersburg, Florida.
