Selected Documentary and Audio Stories
The New York Times Presents: ‘Hurricane of Fire’ (Producer / Reporter)
These are the stories of the people who decided to stay put and confront the extraordinary blazes that left 46 million acres of Australia scorched in 2019-2020. Sep. 18, 2020
Why Australia is Burning. The New York Times, ‘The Daily’ (Reporter)
As firefighters battle flames across the country, Australia’s prime minister is fighting to keep climate change out of the conversation. Jan. 13, 2020
Trapped in Syria, Part 1: A Father’s Fight. The New York Times, ‘The Daily’ (Reporter)
He says his daughter was tricked by her husband into joining ISIS. We hear about one man's battle to bring his family home from a war zone. Oct. 21, 2019 (Selected as The Best of ‘The Daily’ 2019)
Trapped in Syria, Part 2: A Plea to Parliament. The New York Times, ‘The Daily’ (Reporter)
Kamalle Dabboussy fights to convince the Australian government that his daughter, a former ISIS bride, deserves a second chance. Oct. 22, 2019
Selected Writing
UPS Drivers Say ‘Brutal’ Heat Is Endangering Their Lives. The New York Times
As summers have grown hotter, high temperatures inside trucks without air conditioning have also sickened postal carriers and others who deliver America’s packages. A few have died. Aug. 20, 2022
What the Dixie Fire Took From Hundreds of Residents. The New York Times
A reporter shares stories of loss and uncertainty from the second-largest blaze in state history. Aug. 12, 2021
‘I would want to die right here’: A Native American community fights to protect its land. The New York Times
For 20 years, Danny Manning has worked to protect his community as a firefighter, becoming all too familiar with scenes of destruction. But this past weekend, he was forced to confront a different kind of loss. Aug 10, 2021
Two Rods and a ‘Sixth Sense’: In Drought, Water Witches Are Swamped. The New York Times
Amid California’s drought, desperate landowners and managers are turning to those who practice an ancient, disputed method for locating water. July 17, 2021
Netflix Chronicles Byron Bay’s ‘Hot Instagrammers.’ Will Paradise Survive? The New York Times
Tensions between protecting and capitalizing on the image of the famous Australian beach town have exploded over a new reality show. May 1, 2021
‘Like a Cattle Yard’: How Justice Is Delivered in Australia’s Bush Courts. The New York Times
In some remote Aboriginal communities, judges and lawyers arrive by plane and handle dozens of cases in a single day. Critics say language barriers and the rapid pace infringe on human rights. Dec. 6, 2020
Majestic Icon or Invasive Pest? A War Over Australia’s Wild Horses. The New York Times
Scientists say the animals, known as brumbies, must be culled because they are destroying rivers and endangering native wildlife. Rural activists call these efforts an attack on Australian heritage. June 28, 2020
‘A Bit Surreal’: The Lonely Plight of the Great Barrier Reef. The New York Times
The tourism operators who depend on the natural wonder have been walloped by the pandemic. The absence of visitors is bad for them — and the reef. Aug. 22, 2020
‘If You’re Not Sweating’ in This Town, ‘There’s Something Wrong’. The New York Times
In Marble Bar, which claims to be Australia’s hottest town, the temperature hit at least 113 degrees on 32 days this summer. Some residents worry that “there’s got to be a point where you actually start to cook.” March 12, 2020
The World Saw This Australian Beach Town Burn. It’s Still Cut Off. The New York Times
Mallacoota, where people huddled on the shore for safety on New Year’s Eve, is rationing fuel and relying on the military for help. Jan. 14, 2020 (featured on A1 of the Times international edition).
The Indigenous Man Who Declared His Own Country. The New York Times
Excluded from Australia’s Constitution, Murrumu of Walubara, an Aboriginal man, renounced his citizenship and formed a sovereign nation in the northern reaches of the continent. Sep. 13, 2019
Climate Change Brought a Lobster Boom. Now It Could Cause a Bust. The New York Times
Warming waters in the Gulf of Maine have benefited lobsters and the lobstermen who trap them. But as temperatures rise further, will the industry reach a tipping point? Jun. 21, 2018
Your Recycling Gets Recycled, Right? Maybe, or Maybe Not. The New York Times
Plastics and papers from dozens of American cities and towns are being dumped in landfills after China stopped recycling most “foreign garbage.” May 29, 2018 (more than 1M hits, featured on the cover of Business Day, and interviewed by CBS and NPR).
The Lives At Our Door. The Outline
At the United States' border, asylum seekers fight for the right to stay, and perhaps, to live. July 11, 2018.
Why Lost Ice Means Lost Hope for an Inuit Village. The New York Times
The only road to Rigolet, Labrador, is the ice. But that ice is vanishing, and it’s affecting mental health. Nov. 25, 2017.
What Does Our Trash Say About Us? VICE Magazine
Archaeologists are taking a closer look at contemporary junk to understand our culture. Sep. 19, 2017
A Flying Cowboy Rides to Rescue Cattle Stranded in Harvey’s Floods. The New York Times
The devastating rain put thousands of animals at risk of drowning, but a cowpoke in a helicopter is helping drive them to higher ground. Sep. 3, 2017 (featured on A1 of national and international editions of the Times).
The Changing Nature of Ghost Towns. Mastermind Magazine
In the past, humans were the driving force behind ghost towns. once the mining booms faded, fortune seekers moved one. but increasingly, environmental forces are causing people to flee their towns, and scientists fear the damage could be greater than ever. 2018.
Where Do Birds Flock Together? Australians Are Mailing In Feathers to Help Find Out. The New York Times
Kate Brandis, an Australian researcher, has enlisted the public to help her track elusive waterfowl as the country’s wetlands disappear. March 21, 2018.
Will this Paradise Lose its Protector? The Atlantic
Mauro Morandi is set to be evicted from the Mediterranean island he has called home for nearly 30 years. Can it remain a paradise without him? Aug. 12, 2016.
Climate Change Is Shifting the Border Between Italy and Austria. VICE Magazine
Although it is natural for glaciers to slide, the creep of global warming has melted it more rapidly than anyone could have foreseen. (Translated into Italian on Motherboard.) Jun. 26, 2016.
Historical Profile: Gabriel García Márquez. Dumbo Feather Magazine
Many years later, as he faced the cruel thieves of dementia, Gabriel García Márquez would have all but forgotten that distant afternoon when his grandfather, Colonel Nicolás Márquez Mejía, took him to discover ice. June 2016.
Exiled. Fabrica, VICE, i-D, Jerusalem Report
An interactive project exploring exile from ultra-Orthodox Judaism. Reported from Israel and Germany and originally published in English/Italian by Fabrica Research Centre, with versions at VICE, i-D Magazine, the Times of Israel and Jerusalem Report. Oct. 2015.
Border Control. Fabrica, Quartz
An interactive multimedia project (photographs, audio, video) on Europe's migration crisis, reported from southern Italy. Originally published by Fabrica Research Centre, with related coverage at Quartz. Dec. 2014.