Dear Colleagues,

At The Daily, we’ve been directing an enormous amount of energy and firepower towards the rapidly evolving election cycle and presidential race. That’s involved a variety of efforts. In recent weeks, we’ve moved quickly to respond to several important and urgent news moments — including the Trump assassination attempt, and President Biden’s withdrawal from the race. In both cases, we pivoted our programming schedule to tap the access and expertise of the New York Times newsroom. For the assassination attempt, we captured the account of photographer Doug Mills who was within 5 feet of Trump at the podium, as well as Glenn Thrush, who was leading the reporting team tracking the early developments of the investigation. For Biden’s withdrawal, we looked to chief White House correspondent Peter Baker, who had been reporting on the evolving pressure campaign mounting around Biden and brought his deep expertise on Washington and presidential history to bear as context for what is clearly a significant marker in American political history.

In addition to those moments, we offered responsive and dimensional coverage of the Republican National Convention — bringing listeners inside the week’s action and events and framing them into the larger context of a complicated news and political environment. We’ve taken care to maintain our ongoing commitment to elevate out of the news cycle — including, notably, the second installment of our occasional “Trump 2.0” series. In this episode, we offered an ambitious journey with reporter Charlie Homans through Donald Trump’s rhetorical evolution. We spent additional time and resources on that show, and for the radio audience, worked closely with our broadcast team to split this longer exploration into two parts, so we could preserve the nuance, sensitivity, and richness of that journalism.

In the coming weeks and months, we intend to maintain this trajectory, utilizing our unique half-hour format to venture in depth into high-level editorial thought, to place news moments into rich context, and to help the public stay oriented in a chaotic and fast-moving new cycle. In the immediate future, we’re devoting great thought and energy to the newly emergent Harris campaign — targeting questions such as her choice of a running mate, how her candidacy alters the electoral map, and how this seismic shift on the Democratic side of the race is playing out across the country and how it affects the campaign’s field efforts. We will also examine meaningful journalistic angles into her biography as she reintroduces herself to the country. Meanwhile, we’re staying mindful to keep our eyes on the full context of the race. As an example, we’re working on a digest of the dueling pitches of economic populism, which are now showing up in the rhetoric of both parties.

For all of these, as always, we’ll continue to showcase the muscle and firepower of our newsroom, and level it against the public mission of offering dimension, context, meaning and understanding as listeners and voters head toward November.

Until next time,-The Daily Team

Dear Colleagues,

It’s officially spring! We hope that you’ve enjoyed the slow and steady transition into a warmer season.

As we’re preparing for the next part of our year, we wanted to give you a rundown of what our team has been working on during an eventful start to 2024.

Covering the Election

We are in the midst of what is arguably the most important election of our lifetimes. Yet, it is also clear – through polling, audience trends, and experience – that audiences and voters are fatigued and avoidant. Here at The Daily we have taken on that challenge enthusiastically. We are working hard to remain responsive to major news events – but also to focus our energies on big ideas, deeper understanding, and journalism that leans away from the horse race of the Trump Biden rematch, and towards the stakes of the election, and forces and concepts that will help the public understand and navigate 2024.

For example, after Super Tuesday, rather than focus on the unsurprising results – our episode The Unhappy Voters Who Could Swing the Election with NYT polling expert Nate Cohn, dissected the trends of voter disaffection we are seeing this year. Cohn drew historic comparisons to other cycles when voters have been significantly unhappy with their options, and broke down how those election cycles are often defined by volatility and unpredictability. We hope that might provide a helpful framework for listeners in the coming months.

An issue on the ballot for many voters is the war in Gaza, which became abundantly clear in the Michigan democratic primary. “The Daily” dedicated an episode to understanding voters who are willing to abandon Biden over his support for Israel in the hopes of enacting change to U.S foreign policy. Jennifer Medina, a political reporter for NYT, shares her interview with a longtime Democrat and Palestinian-American activist who struggles to reconcile her political-party loyalties with Biden’s handling of the crisis. Her story is emblematic of a group not only deserting Biden in the primaries, but the general election as well.

After the recent saga between NBC News and former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, NYT writer-at-large Jim Rutenberg came on the show to discuss the episode and break it down. Rutenberg ascended above the headline drama of the situation, and laid out the on-going editorial crisis another Trump campaign presents for television news networks. Again, our feeling was that this would once again hand listeners a frame through which to process what they see and hear in the coming months, and deepen their understanding of how Trump’s politics and rhetoric continue to present a threat for traditional journalism.

In another episode, Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for NYT, joins to cover an issue back in the spotlight: the president’s age and memory. Baker leverages his years of covering Washington and the White House to go beyond the superficial references and soundbites about President Biden’s age – to give both a deep account of how the conversation around it is playing out in the higher circles of Democratic politics, and how he expects the political predicament presented by the concerns may play out during the rest of the year.

Recent and Notable

“The Daily” continues to explore the realities of life after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. A recent episode discussed the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that declared frozen embryos are children, which haltered fertility treatments across the state. To understand the history behind this ruling and how potential parents are forced to navigate changes in the world of reproductive health, “The Daily” has a conversation with Azeen Ghorayshi, who covers sex, gender and science for NYT. Later in the episode, host Michael Barbaro interviews Meghan Cole, a 31-year-old lawyer in the final stages of IVF treatment. Cole shares her story of how the controversial ruling happened just days before her scheduled embryo transfer to her surrogate, putting her life in an uncomfortable limbo.

Until next time,-The Daily Team

Dear Colleagues,

Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful wrap-up to 2023 and enjoyed time with friends and family. As we’re settling into 2024, we wanted to give you a rundown of what we’ve been up to these past few months.

Covering The War in Gaza

After the Hamas attack on October 7th and the subsequent war that followed, “The Daily” has dedicated much of its coverage to not only the tragic events, but the voices behind the conflict. In an October episode titled ‘Voices from Gaza’, host Sabrina Tavernise speaks with Abdallah Hasaneen, a young man in southern Gaza, and Wafa Elsaka, a Palestinian-American who was visiting her mother-in-law in Gaza City during the start of the war. Both separately share their stories and describe the dark realities of daily life during a war.

In ‘Hamas Took Her Son’, Tavernise interviews Rachel Goldberg, a mother in Jerusalem, whose son was taken hostage by Hamas. Goldberg takes us through the events that transpired while her son was at the musical festival in the Negev desert and describes the horror and uncertainty she faces while waiting for his release.

Other noteworthy episodes centered around these stories include Golan’s Story, The Doctors of Gaza and A Reporter’s Journey Into Gaza.A Successful Year for “The Daily”

2023 was another year of growth for our program on public radio – with increased carriage on stations. The year saw steady growth, and we ended the year with 305 broadcast partners whom we look forward to serving and working with.

Covering the 2024 Election

With the presidential election already under way, so is our coverage. We’ve spent the last several months setting our feet to cover the dual storylines of the race: the campaign itself, and former President Trump in criminal court. We plan to bring our radio listeners the reporting and expertise of the veteran New York Times reporters, including Maggie Haberman, Mike Schmidt, Jonathan Swan, Reid Epstein, Jennifer Medina, Maya King, Shane Goldmacher, Nate Cohn, and many, many others.

In the coming months, we will mark the big news moments and tackle larger thematic stepback questions: how the electorate is changing, voters’ faith in our democracy, the threat of political violence, economic inequity, among others. In February and March, stations can expect us to feature the reporting of Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan and Charlie Savage, who have been reporting for months on what a second Trump Administration might look like.

Until next time,

-The Daily Team

Dear Colleagues,

Happy fall! We hope you had a fantastic end to your summer. As we gear up for the cooler weather and start pulling out our autumn wardrobe, we’d like to give you a rundown of what the team has been up to the past few months.

Welcoming New Colleagues

“The Daily” team has the excitement of welcoming our newest Senior Editor, Brendan Klinkenberg. He joins us from Gimlet Media, where he was most recently its Executive Editor. Brendan had a wide array of experience as an editor on the shows “Mogul,” “Resistance,” “Conviction,” and “The Journal.”

Before working in Audio, Brendan worked in print media at publications such as Complex, BuzzFeed and Wired. He was also a Senior Editor at Rolling Stone, where he led hip-hop coverage.

The Audio team is also delighted to welcome in our newest Audio Engineer, Daniel Ramirez, who will be working across the entire Newsroom portfolio to mix our daily/weekly shows, provide technical support, and give additional engineering flexibility. Daniel is currently based in Los Angeles and joins us from Spotify x Gimlet, where he worked as an engineer on scripted fiction and new show development. He has over 15 years of experience in recording arts and was vital to his previous teams, including Marketplace and Crooked Media.Fires in Hawaii

The devastating and catastrophic fires in Hawaii over the summer, which claimed the lives of almost 100 people, were emblematic of the way many communities are stretched thin for resources to address the rise in extreme weather events.

“The Daily” took us inward for a personal look at how the deadliest U.S fire in recent history impacted Lahaina residents. In one episode, Host Sabrina Tavernise speaks with Ydriss, a young hotel manager, who gives a powerful and heartrending recount of what he experienced the day the fires spread, taking us through the scene of residents fleeing to the water to escape the flames. Later, Tavernise has a conversation with Mike Baker, NYT reporter and Seattle bureau chief, on human error and its role in the tragic chain of events.

In another episode, Tavernise talks with Anela Rosa, a Maui resident who walks us through the significant loss of Maui’s first church, which was pivotal to the Lahaina community. Her anecdote reminds listeners of the many ways these disasters disrupt a community’s social fabric.

Recent Episodes

“The Daily” team is dedicated to keeping our listeners informed and aware of pressing issues, especially through individual stories that help us see a larger narrative. Recently, we interviewed Eli Saslow, a NYT writer at large, on his story about a man who was charged with murder after his friend died of a fentanyl overdose while they were using together. Despite Joshua Askins’ best efforts to save his friend, harsher fentanyl laws allowed a harsher sentence. We hear directly from Saslow’s interviews with Askins, getting a glimpse into the realities of addiction and the impact these laws have on public health and addiction treatment.

Another episode shared the story of a Shanghai woman whose husband was arrested and convicted for crimes against the Chinese government. In her attempt to repair the disarray, she uncovers that her husband was likely behind one of the most mysterious blogs on the Chinese internet, which for 12 years had ridiculed the ruling Communist Party from within the country. NYT China Correspondent Vivian Wang takes us through Bei Zhenying’s story and how this discovery impacted not only her marriage and herself, but the way she saw her country and its censorship laws.

Until next time,

-The Daily Team

Dear Colleagues,

We’ve officially entered summer and hope that you’ve been enjoying the fresh, sunny weather.

With this welcomed change in the season, we’d like to give you an update on what “The Daily” team has been up to these past months.

“The Daily” Welcomes New Team Members

“The Daily” team welcomes our newest producer, Olivia Natt, to the team. While she’s new to the show, she joins us after previously working as a founding producer on “First Person,” a NYT Opinion podcast that wrapped in May. Her work there was skillful and attentive, and she will undoubtedly bring her ability to humanize complex ideas to “The Daily.” Before joining The New York Times, Olivia was a producer at New York Magazine and Audible. She also worked on “The Cut on Tuesdays,” Esther Perel’s “Where Should We Begin,” and her work has been featured on NPR’s “Embedded.”

Alyssa Jane Moxley is also joining the team as an Audio Engineer. Alyssa, based in France, will be giving audio support to not only our team, but other NYT Podcasts, including “Hard Fork.” On top of her engineering background, Alyssa is also well experienced in sound arts and will be an invaluable addition to the behind-the-scenes of the show.

Trump Indictments

“The Daily” has devoted several episodes to closely following and breaking down the complexities of the Trump indictments. From hush money to the handling of classified documents, this historical sequence of events has gripped the attention of our nation. To analyze and answer the open questions that follow, “The Daily” team has interviewed NYT journalists close to the stories.

In a recent episode, Mr. Trump’s arraignment in Miami was tackled from three different locations with three separate reporters. Luke Broadwater, congressional correspondent, illuminated the raillies outside the courthouse with his interviews of different Trump supporters. Glenn Thrush, who covers the Department of Justice, gave a report from the events inside the courthouse and broke down the legal proceedings. Maggie Haberman, political correspondent, reported to us from underneath a table at Mr. Trump’s home in New Jersey, where she waited with other journalists to hear directly from him on the indictments.

A.I – Interviewing Geoffry Hinton

In the past several months, the advancement of A.I has seemingly occurred overnight. With the rising popularity of websites like ChatGPT comes questions about the technology’s origins and anxieties over its potential capabilities.

In a special episode of “The Daily,” we spoke to Cade Metz, an NYT technology correspondent, about his recent interview with the man who made this advancement possible. Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as “the Godfather of A.I,” explained the inception of this technology and spelled out his serious concerns over its future.

Hinton’s life-long pursuit of figuring out how the human brain works landed him into the field of artificial intelligence. What started as image recognition of cats eventually became some of the most revolutionary computer technology the world has ever seen, and we hear directly from Hinton on his fears of what A.I can become if unregulated. Until next time,

-The Daily Team

Dear Colleagues,  

We hope that you’ve had a wonderful start to your spring and have been able to enjoy the glimpses into warm weather ahead!  

As we’re appreciating this transition, we’d like to give you a rundown of what we’ve been up to these past few weeks.  

“The Daily” Welcomes New Team Members  

Our team continues to expand and we’re lucky to welcome five new, talented members to our team this year. 

Lexie Diao has joined as senior editor, coming to The Times from The Washington Post. Diao was one of the founding producers of “Post Reports,” and led the coordination for coverage around the world. From Kabul to Kyiv, Diao has noteworthy experience in the world of audio journalism and international reporting.  

Mary Wilson joins the team as a producer, previously working at Slate Magazine. During her time there, she successfully launched “What Next with Mary Harris,” and produced “The Gist with Mike Pesca.” Her portfolio includes work as a public radio reporter in Pennsylvania and she is a proud alumna of WFUV in the Bronx.  

Next, Alex Stern joins us as a producer, having previously worked on CNN Audio. Stern produced the first season of “Tug of War,” a podcast dedicated to power struggles across the globe. Her career originated at NPR member station WHYY, where she helped make the award-winning daily news podcast, “The Why.” 

Shannon Lin joined the team as a producer. Lin formerly worked for the Los Angeles Times, where she helped to launch the flagship news podcast, “The Time: Essential news from the LA Times,” along with a range of other podcast series. Prior to that, she worked as a breaking news reporter and producer for KQED in San Francisco.   

Most recently, Devon Taylor was welcomed to the team as a senior editor. Devon previously worked as a supervising editor at Gimlet, where she went on to develop, edit and lead shows like Every Little Thing, Crime Show, Without Fail and Stolen, which won a DuPont award and was named one of the best podcasts of 2022. Before joining the world of audio, Devon was a writer and editor for multiple publications, including The Guardian and The Atlantic. 

We’re delighted to have these phenomenal additions to our team.  

A Year of Covering Ukraine  

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, “The Daily” has focused much of its reporting on the war and its harrowing consequences. On February 24th, “The Daily” dedicated the episode to the one-year anniversary and the stories of Ukrainians whose lives are forever changed. 

The episode begins with the voice of Ihor Lutsenko, a reconnaissance specialist in the Ukrainian Army who is currently on a base close to the front lines. After experiencing many losses, he explains that he now makes a conscious effort to not befriend his fellow soldiers as a protective measure from grief.  

Host Sabrina Tavernise has recorded conversations with several others affected by the violence. She spoke with Maxim Usoltsev, a lawyer who joined the Ukrainian Army in April of last year. During their conversation, he recalled believing that the war would be over as quickly as it started. After experiencing seemingly unending combat, he is now doubtful it will be over anytime soon.  

We also heard from Ira Tsybukh, a paramedic on the front lines. Ira, only 24 years old, has lost 16 of her friends and mourns the loss of her youth and a simpler life before the war. Lastly, we heard an account from Olga Birzul, who moved to Vienna with her 9 year old daughter to escape the conflict. She shares the story of meeting her husband when they were 23, and their strong bond over cinema. Before the war, Olga worked as a film curator and Vitya worked as a film editor. He died from a missile attack two days before their 17th anniversary on January 1st. After this extraordinary loss, she said that she will never be able to celebrate the new year again.  

Breaking Down the Banking Crisis  

“The Daily” has continued its legacy of breaking down complex news through narratives, and its coverage of the Silicon Valley banking crisis is no exception.  

Since the news broke on March 10th, “The Daily” has dedicated three episodes to the details and nuances of the crisis. In the first episode, we heard from NYT Correspondent Emily Flitter, a banking reporter during the 2008 financial crisis. Flitter examines the origin of the bank and what went wrong during the first 72 hours of the collapse. In another episode, Flitter joined Barbaro again to look at the spreading fallout and the government’s response to subsequent failures. In the most recent episode, NYT Correspondent David Enrich examined the role that Barney Frank’s legislation from his time in congress played in the origin of the crisis.  

Until next time,  

“The Daily” Team 

Dear Colleagues,

Happy New Year! We hope you’ve enjoyed the winter holidays with your friends and family.

As we’re jumping into 2023, we’d like to give you a rundown of what we’ve been up to these past few weeks.

Our Special Holiday Episode: Talking Turkey

Recognizing one of the most daunting Thanksgiving tasks, cooking a turkey, The Daily released a special episode dedicated to the notoriously difficult bird. Kim Serverson, a food correspondent for The New York Times, takes us through some historical tips, tricks, and gimmicks that have attempted to make the annual exercise easier. The episode ends with Food Columnist J. Kenji López-Alt’s “foolproof” secret for cooking a turkey, which involves a dry-brine and mayo-rub.

A Tribute to Child Victims of Gun Violence

In recent years, gun violence has become the leading cause of death for American children. The New York Times Magazine devoted its end-of-year issue, which traditionally focuses on those who have died in the past year, to these victims.

With this harrowing reporting, The Daily released an episode honoring three lives that were taken far too soon: Shiway Barry, Elijah Gomez, and Lavonte’e Williams. Their stories are told not through their deaths, but through the lives that they lived.

The New York Times Magazine writers and contributors read their essays and shared snippets of interviews with loved ones and family. The essay on Shiway Barry was read by Susan Dominus and features the voice of Cheese, Shiway’s best friend. The essay on Elijah Gomez was read by Dwayne Betts and features the voices of Elijah’s Aunt, Crystal Cathcart, and mother, Jennifer Cathcart. Lastly, the essay on LaVonte’e Williams was read by Linda Villarosa and features the voices of LaVonte’e ‘s mother, Miracle Jones, and grandparents Michael and Tanika Jone.

Each of these stories offer a glimpse into the passions, interests, and personalities of the children. From an environmental cleanup dedication to a friendship forged inside a video game, this episode holds intimate memories of the three victims and reminds listeners how grave the issue of gun violence is to our nation.

Until next time,

-The Daily Team

Dear Colleagues,

As summer comes to a final close and fall kicks into high gear, we’d like to give you a rundown of what we’ve been up to these past few weeks.

THR Honors for Michael and Sabrina

The Hollywood Reporter debuted their inaugural Podcast Power List, which features the creators of the medium’s most influential shows and the executives behind the latest megadeals.

The Daily’s very own Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise made the list. When asked about the medium of podcasts, Sabrina said it brings “…people into the upside-down nature of a place in war. It captures the fear, and sometimes funniness, the strange, unbelievable situations middle class people find themselves suddenly in, and brings the listener right there to hear them trying to adjust to that new reality — it’s like time travel. And podcasting is perfect for hearing the voices puzzling through this.”

Covering Hurricane Ian

As the tragedy of Hurricane Ian continues, The Daily covered one of the deadliest storms to hit Florida, and its extensive damage to the state.

Guests who shared their experience in covering the human experiences in this natural disaster include Particia Mazzei, the Miami bureau chief for The New York Times; Richard Fausset, a Times correspondent based in Atlanta; Nicholas Bogel-Burrough, a national news reporter for The Times; and Hilary Swift, a photojournalist who has covered four hurricanes for the Times.

The episode takes us through the expected and unexpected aftermath of the storm, offering a glimpse into the ways that the lives of Florida residents will change for years to come.

Recent Episodes

The Daily continues to cover current events and keep listeners informed through human narratives. Most recently, our stronger episodes include host Sabrina Tavernise’s interview with a Russian soldier fleeing the draft. The story of 24-year-old Kirill offers a remarkably human view into Russian experiences during the war.

Another episode followed an evangelical pastor who was driven out of his church by Trumpism, illuminating ways that right-wing radicalism has pervaded everyday life for pastors across the country.

Welcoming Susan M. Lee

Along with a slate of new and returning fall shows, The Times’s Audio Team continues to grow in numbers.

Joining The Daily team most recently is fact checker and researcher, Susan M. Lee. Her prior experience includes working as a fact checker and researcher for David Grann on two of his best-selling historical nonfiction books, including Killers of the Flower Moon, in addition to freelance fact checking work for Turning Points, a New York Times Licensing Group’s licensed magazine. Most recently, Lee was a digital editor with Marketplace from American Public Media and an assigning editor for a media startup.

Lee is a University of Michigan and Columbia University School of Journalism graduate, and a proud New York City native. We’re delighted to have her as an addition to The Daily family.

You can read more about our new NYT Audio colleagues here.

NYT Audio Introduces The Run-Up and Hard Fork

Along with the latest seasons for returning shows, our Audio team is elated for our new fall programs, including The Run-Up and Hard Fork.

Originally launched in August of 2016, The Run-Up returns again to cover the 2022 midterm elections with new host, New York Times political reporter Astead Herndon, helping listeners make sense of a unique moment in our nation’s democracy. Building on the presentence for narrative news and storytelling set by The Daily, this podcast offers a full picture of American politics, and how we got here, through conversations with newsmakers, colleagues, and voters across the country.

“This is a different type of political podcast — for what is a different type of midterm elections. I’m really excited for listeners to hear the scope of people and political ideas we explore, all handled with the care and nuance people expect from Times audio. I think The Run-Up will be fresh, illuminating and challenging. An explanatory guide to a unique political moment,” said Astead.

Hard Fork is an exciting addition to our slate. Kevin Roose and Casey Newton, hosts and veteran tech journalists, will join listeners each week to discuss the latest in the world of tech and business.

“The tech industry we’ve both covered for more than a decade is transforming into something new and strange, and this show is our way of trying to understand what’s happening and explain it to listeners,” said Kevin and Casey. “It’s a smart, casual conversation that tells you where tech and business are going without overwhelming you — and might even give you some reasons for hope.”

Until next time,

-The Daily Team