Doualy Xaykaothao

Doualy Xaykaothao (pronounced dwah-lhee sy-kow-tao) is a freelance American journalist and radio producer known for her work with NPR.

A native of Laos, Xaykaothao is of Hmong descent, and grew up in Texas. She attended Ithaca College and Empire State College, where she studied television, radio, political science, and ethnic studies. She first worked in Harlem at WHCR-FM; later, she assisted the film critic of Pacifica Radio's WBAI. There, she coordinated and produced Asia Pacific Forum. Xaykaothao joined NPR in 1999 as a production assistant with NPR's Morning Edition, and has since worked for the organization as a producer, editor, director, and reporter. She was part of the team which received a Peabody Award in 2001 for its coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks. She has since reported from South Korea, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Japan. She has reported on Nepal's civil war between Maoist forces and the Royal government, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and violence between Buddhists and Muslims in southern Thailand. She reported on the crisis in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011 and returned there for additional reporting in 2012. She served as a fellow for the International Reporting Project at Johns Hopkins University-SAIS in 2006.

Xaykaothao is currently a senior reporter at public radio station KERA in North Texas.