Notes on the State of Times 2022

Expert highlight reports that help readers stay on top of important issues
Beat Reporting is perhaps the most important thing we do, giving journalists the time and space to dig deeper into a single story. That means our pages are always brimming with ideas and news on everything from religion to architecture to cybersecurity, from Hollywood to Congress to Wall Street. But behind this work, there is so much more than you can see: expertise built up over months and years; careful cultivation of springs; persistence in staying on top of a storyline day in and day out, even when there is no news to record.
We’ve tracked every Supreme Court decision, providing expert insight over time. We examined shifting voter opinions, opened a new era for the Republican Party, and probed the future of Democrats.
We’ve helped readers understand NFTs, and in doing so, we’ve supported the Neediest Cases Fund. We showed why living in this super chic apartment might not be so appealing. We have described the Olympic highs and lows. We profiled an artist adjusting to new fame and captured Broadway’s comeback.
We uncovered truths people wanted to keep hidden: the prices hospitals negotiate with private insurers, the fanatical emails of an NFL coach, and the workplace practices of America’s most powerful media company. ‘Germany.
We’ve also covered everything from sneaker robot wars and failed infrastructure projects to the New York City mayoral race and particle physics. And then we gave the internet a gift it didn’t know it needed.
In an age defined by polarization, one of the most important things we can do as an independent news organization is to help the country understand itself. This is at the heart of the work of our expert beat reporters stationed across the country. When the conversation is frantic, we listen. When others double down, we search with an open mind. And then we share what we learn, with all the necessary nuance and context, giving readers the opportunity to form their own opinion.
We never hesitate to tackle complex and charged subjects, even if this report may make some people uncomfortable. We present a range of views, even when some only want one side. And we cover with dimension and empathy those whom some prefer to ignore.
We do all of this with pride, because it’s core to our mission and important to our readers. And we do it because we believe an informed public ultimately makes the world a better and fairer place.
We’ve reported how city council meetings, sports fields, and even farm stands have become cultural battlegrounds. And we went deeper than the conflicts themselves, examining people’s lives, thoughts and behavior – even their words.
The Daily team explored how a push to reopen a school district turned into partisan disputes. We revealed that the facts did not support the mainstream narrative of a high-profile harassment incident on a college campus.
We used deep and empathetic reporting to put a human eye on domestic violence, trace the journey of a teenager in search of a better life, and convey the most daunting test of a 100-year-old priest yet. . We told the stories of those who hoped for change and those who wanted to right wrongs.
In the rest of the world, we have brought to light countless problems. We crossed Haiti, interviewed dozens of people to investigate the assassination of the president.
In Tunisia, we looked at everything that has – and hasn’t – changed in the decade since the Arab Spring. In Rwanda, we explored what the arrest of a man once hailed as a hero said about the state of the country.
We looked at schisms in the British media, the record of expectations of women in Japan’s royal family and Germany’s enigmatic new leader.
And although the conflict erupted in 2022, it should be noted that when Russia attacked Ukraine in an unprovoked declaration of war, something not seen in Europe for generations, we had already spent months on the terrain to cover latent tensions from all angles. We are still there, witnesses, as the Ukrainians took up arms, came under fire and tried to flee.
We showed the world what is happening as Russia bombs cities and kills civilians. We have watched the response of the international community and Russia’s growing isolation. We tracked the effects of the conflict on ordinary Russians, from those who protested to those who believe there is no war at all. We have published appeals from the front lines and considered how the conflict might end. And the danger of that work was tragically underscored this weekend when a journalist was killed while giving evidence.
In 2021, our coverage of the fall of Afghanistan best showcased our colleagues’ commitment to our readers and to each other. Even as city after city fell to the Taliban and the country grew increasingly dangerous and unstable, our journalists on the ground helped the world understand what was happening. We provided brave first-hand dispatches from the capital; showed the chaos and terror of the evacuation; and provided insights into the lives of those left behind.
We did all of this while working to get our current and former Afghan colleagues and their families out of the country, an unprecedented effort. As reporters, drivers or support staff at a major US news agency, many had reason to fear reprisals. The happiest moment I’ve had as an editor was when I got the call that after days of failed attempts, our group had passed through Taliban checkpoints and were safe. under the protection of US Marines. Today we took the whole group of 210 people to the United States, Mexico and Canada.
I recently visited dozens of these families in Texas, where they are rebuilding their lives with the support of The Times. And although they face many challenges, I came away deeply inspired by their courage and resilience.
One need only read our harrowing and moving account of the initial evacuation to know that this outcome was by no means assured. It happened because The Times and our colleagues worked around the clock to do all they could to help.
This is the type of culture that we are lucky to have.