‘Where Is Austin Tice?’: BBC & NPR Team On Podcast Unravelling The Story Of Journalist Who Disappeared In Syria In 2012

The BBC and NPR have announced a joint podcast, Where Is Austin Tice?, investigating the disappearance of American journalist Austin Tice, who vanished in Syria in 2012 and is widely regarded as the longest-held captive American journalist in history. Hosted by Josh Baker and produced with investigative journalist Sara Obeidat, the series will unfold in real time as it tracks ongoing efforts to establish what happened to Tice, whose mother Debra has long campaigned for his return and maintains that he is still alive.

The podcast launches on 8 September on NPR's Embedded feed and will simultaneously form the third season of Baker's I'm Not a Monster series on BBC Sounds and the World Service, following earlier seasons on Sam Sally and Shamima Begum. It builds on a BBC News investigation by Baker and Obeidat that confirmed Tice had been held by the regime of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The production team includes series producer Simon Maybin, producer Lucy Burns and series editor Clare Fordham for the BBC, alongside NPR's Robert Little, Simon and Monika Evstatieva, with Baker and Simon describing it as a rare chance for the two broadcasters to combine immersive, longform investigative journalism.