By the spring of 2021, one year into the pandemic, a return to normalcy seemed on the horizon. Vaccine availability was on the cusp of becoming more widespread in the United States, and masking and social distancing restrictions were loosened … Read more
When I asked Brent Renaud where he wanted his picture taken, he chose a stairwell lined with Nieman Fellows’ photographs at Harvard’s Lippmann House. He was giving a big talk that night during his own fellowship year, and I was … Read more
Early on Feb. 24, Russia began bombing Ukrainian cities. That same morning, an endless marathon for Ukrainian journalists began. A whole month has passed since then, and this nightmare feels endless. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, … Read more
In the summer of 2017, Susan Potter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote the kind of column that no editor wants to pen. “Our poll of the 6th Congressional District race, conducted two weeks before the June 20 runoff, missed the … Read more
Which came first: The reporting or the followers? The writing or the platform? The journalist or the brand? It can be hard to tell. I’ve mulled over this contemporary paradox since veteran New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman and Taylor … Read more
“We probably shouldn’t hire you,” the co-bureau chief said near the end of our interview. I couldn’t argue as she went through the reasons — I was new to the continent and South Africa and didn’t speak any of the … Read more
On the morning of March 4, the last remaining independent news outlet in Russia — the award-winning Novaya Gazeta — announced the end of its reporting on the war in Ukraine in response to Russian government demands. A new … Read more
When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the journalists of the English-language Kyiv Independent set up a live blog with constant updates for Ukrainians and readers around the globe. Their earliest dispatches described skirmishes … Read more
As air raids commenced and armored convoys began to roll across Ukraine last week, I reached out to an NPR colleague huddled in an Odessa bomb shelter. I pathetically wrote to him, “Stay safe.” He replied, “I hope this is … Read more