‘Where Is Austin Tice?’: BBC & NPR Team On Podcast Unravelling The Story Of Journalist Who Disappeared In Syria In 2012
Two of the world's largest public media organisations are launching a collaborative podcast to investigate the long-running disappearance of American journalist Austin Tice, who vanished in Syria more than thirteen years ago. Presented by Josh Baker and Sara Obeidat, the series draws on their previous journalism documenting Tice's confinement under Syria's now-toppled government and aims to piece together details of his detention timeline and circumstances.
Unlike previous seasons of Baker's podcast series, this investigation will develop in real time, allowing listeners to follow the reporting as new information emerges. The project underscores the commitment of both broadcasters to examining one of modern journalism's most significant missing-person cases whilst simultaneously illuminating the operations of Syria's secretive detention system. Tice's mother has maintained an active campaign for his return throughout his prolonged captivity.
- BBC and NPR are jointly producing a podcast investigating American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in Syria in 2012 and remains the longest-held captive American reporter in history
- Hosted by Josh Baker and Sara Obeidat, the series launches on NPR's Embedded feed in September and unfolds in real time, building on their 2025 investigation confirming Tice's detention by Syria's now-deposed Assad regime
- The project represents a rare collaboration between two major public broadcasters to examine Tice's imprisonment and Syria's prison system while potentially providing answers to his ongoing family campaign