Dean Baquet Never Wanted to Be an Editor

Plus: Biden’s radical transparency on Ukraine; Patricia Lockwood on how COVID rewired her brain; and New Yorker cartoonists go eavesdropping in the city. View in browser | Update your preferences Friday, February 18, 2022 In today’s newsletter: • Is Biden’s radical transparency on Ukraine working? • Patricia Lockwood on how COVID rewired her brain • New Yorker cartoonists go eavesdropping in the city Dean Baquet Never Wanted to Be an Editor Ahead of his expected retirement, the Times’ executive editor reflects on his newsroom’s unprecedented growth, Twitter’s influence on journalism, and the time he punched a hole in a wall. Photograph by Ike Edeani for The New Yorker “I don’t pay as much attention to Twitter as Twitter might want me to,” Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the New York Times, says in an interview with the media reporter Clare Malone. Yet fights on and about social media have accounted for some of the biggest dustups at the Times during Baquet’s tenure, a span in which the paper has significantly expanded in terms of staffing, revenue, and scope. Baquet addresses some of these conflicts, as well as other contentious issues surrounding the country’s most influential newspaper: On the limits of empathetic reporting: “I don’t think we should cover racists with empathy.” On objectivity in journalism: “The job of the New York Times should, in the end, be to come out with the best version of the truth, with your own political opinion held in check by editors and editing. Not everybody believes that, but I believe that.” On his management style: “I don’t think of myself as a nice guy or a bastard.” On her e-mails: “I know this is going to get everybody riled up again, but I don’t have regrets about the Hillary Clinton e-mail stories.” Plus, Baquet answers a question about who at the Times makes him jealous—and distinctly doesn’t answer one about when exactly he’s stepping down. —Ian Crouch, newsletter editor Read the story Our first digital-only issue features interviews with people of note. We’re publishing new pieces all week. This weekend: Henry Louis Gates, Jr., interviewed by David Remnick; Bill de Blasio interviewed by Eric Lach; and Patti Harrison interviewed by Rachel Syme. From the News Desk Annals of Inquiry The Ukraine Transparency Initiative The White House is releasing intelligence assessments, reports, and information about Russia’s military moves that in the past would have stayed classified. Is it working? By Benjamin Wallace-Wells Our Columnists More Legal Pressure for Donald Trump A New York judge has ordered the former President and two of his children to answer questions under oath about the Trump Organization’s financial practices. By John Cassidy More from the Digital Issue The New Yorker Interview Patricia Lockwood Has Always Sounded This Way The poet and novelist discusses her “atrocious” early writing, her hysterical family dynamics, and how getting COVID rewired her brain. “I almost experienced it as a rupture in time, or an injury to my sense of time,” she says. By Deborah Treisman Culture Dept. Culture Desk Kanye West’s Quest for Recognition A new three-part docuseries on Netflix charts the rapper’s spectacular—and often painful—ascent. By Sheldon Pearce Elements Can You Warm Yourself with Your Mind? The human body generates its own heat. Some people can adjust the thermostat. By Jessica Wapner The Sporting Scene The One-Woman Glories of Monobob, the Olympics’ Newest Sport For a century, women have been held back on the ice tracks. Now they’re gaining speed. By Sarah Larson Dept. of Snooping Sketchbook Overheard in New York Our cartoonists skulked around Grand Central Station, jogged through Prospect Park, sidled up to patrons of a vegan café, prowled the Central Park Zoo, and surreptitiously sipped with barflies. Here’s what they heard. By Roz Chast, Liana Finck, Edward Steed, Emily Flake, and Suerynn Lee Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Liz Maynes-Aminzade Daily Cartoon Friday, February 18th By Emily Bernstein Daily Shouts An Episode of “Euphoria,” Based Solely on the Jokes I’ve Seen About It on Social Media Rue lights a bridge on fire. Then she lights an entire city block on fire. Then she flips a bunch of police cars over and lights those on fire. By Carlos Greaves P.S. Storm Eunice brought dangerously high winds to the United Kingdom today, making flight landings at Heathrow Airport, near London, especially perilous. This was bad for passengers but good for Jerry Dyer, the host of the normally niche YouTube channel Big Jet TV, who was on hand filming and commentating as jets were buffeted by the gusts. His channel went viral, attracting viewers from around the world who tuned in to hear him cheer for the pilots—“Go on, then!”—as they made their approaches. A few years ago, Nathan Heller lamented the ways in which air travel had been made boring, part of the “general mainstreaming of rare experience.” Watching Dyer’s channel was a reminder of the glory of flight. Today’s newsletter was written by Ian Crouch. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. 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