Lydia Polgreen

The Global South, politics and culture. More

I am an Opinion columnist at The New York Times and a cohost of the “Matter of Opinion” podcast.

What I Cover
I write about the world, culture and politics, with an emphasis on human rights, migration, queer lives and democracy. Above all I am interested in the experiences of human beings as they navigate the interlocking crises of our time.

My Background
I spent a decade as an international correspondent for The Times in West Africa, South Asia and South Africa. I have also worked as a media executive, serving as editor in chief of HuffPost and managing director of Gimlet, a podcast studio at Spotify. Before joining The Times, I was a staff writer for The Orlando Sentinel and The Times Union in Albany, New York.

My mother is Ethiopian and my father was American, and I spent most of my childhood and a good chunk of my professional life in Africa. These experiences inform my perspective and work, which aims to look at global events and the United States from perspectives other than those of the rich, western world.

I attended Saint John’s College, earning a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy and mathematics, as well as Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. I am proud to have won a number of awards for my reporting over the years, including the Polk and the Livingston awards for international reporting. I live in New York City with my wife and two dogs.

Journalistic Ethics
Human dignity is at the core of my work. I often write about vulnerable and marginalized people, and I try to take special care to ensure my reporting and writing do not cause them harm. I always strive to tell stories with nuance and respect. I am an opinion columnist and write about my views and convictions, but I am deeply committed to independence, rigorous reporting and accuracy. My work is informed by my life experiences and, whenever possible, the lived experiences of people I have met and spoken to in depth, as well as things I have been able to witness first hand.

Columnists abide by the same rigorous ethical standards as all Times journalists to ensure our independence and credibility. You can read more about The Times’s ethics guidelines.

Contact Me
Email: polgreen@nytimes.com
X (Twitter): @lpolgreen
Facebook: Lydia Polgreen
Instagram: @lpolgreen
Threads: @lpolgreen

This Photograph Demands an Answer
The news media doesn’t often publish graphic images of dead children. But this photograph must be seen.
By Lydia Polgreen
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Now Is the Moment for Biden’s Age to Be an Asset
The president’s experience should lead him to counsel Israel to exercise restraint. Will he?
By Lydia Polgreen
No, I Don’t Want to Go for a Walk With You
Walking is a solo activity, and no one is going to convince me otherwise.
By Lydia Polgreen
In a Report From a Distant Border, I Glimpsed Our Brutal Future
We are living in a cruel era.
By Lydia Polgreen
Why Is Everyone Suddenly Listening to a Staple of My Angsty Adolescence?
In our cynical era, we need cringe music. Enter the Indigo Girls.
By Lydia Polgreen
If You Don’t Do Anything, You Feel Like a Criminal
The work of conflict journalism is now more dangerous than ever. Does it still serve a purpose?
By Lydia Polgreen
The Puny Power of ‘Woke Capitalism’
Companies embrace progressive values to expand their market share while obscuring their raw political power.
By Lydia Polgreen
Death and Displacement Return to Darfur
The violent conflict in Sudan is expanding quickly.
By Lydia Polgreen
Ron DeSantis Knows That the Best Place to Humiliate People Is in the Bathroom
Restrooms have long been porcelain crucibles for our fears and anxieties, which is why the right knows they are good sites for humiliating trans people.
By Lydia Polgreen
Does America Realize That Sudan Is Too Big to Fail?
The people of Sudan have been all but abandoned in the crossfire of a fight to the death between the two men who want to rule them.
By Lydia Polgreen