Bearing witness, at close range and often at great risk, is the essence of a report, and in 2023, our correspondents presented 80 of them from 37 countries, capturing the human experience from almost every angle: the good, the bad and the piercing. .
In a year marked by conflict, dozens of messages came directly from war zones: from a rare trip inside Gaza, where we saw a completely disfigured city; of a devastated Israeli kibbutz, where more than 60 people were murdered on October 7; and the West Bank, where “there is no such thing as sleeping at night.”
And we received multiple, moving reports from Ukraine, where stoic faces began to break at the emotional toll of the war. The effects of that war are being felt globally, from Bali, where Russians and Ukrainian expatriates are trying to get along, to cities in Poland and the Czech Republic disrupted by the fighting.
In six dispatches from Afghanistan, we explore the consequences of another war, which recently ended; We also rushed to the remote site of a devastating earthquake that added to the misery of an already battered country.
Not long ago, the Kabul neighborhood known as the Green Zone vibrated to the soundtrack of a multibillion-dollar war in Afghanistan. Armored vehicles rumbled through the streets, while the thud of American helicopters echoed in the sky.
But these days there’s another kind of buzz in the neighborhood: the Taliban are moving in and taking over the place.
—By Christina Goldbaum
Italy has fallen madly in love with “Mare Fuori,” a television melodrama about inmates at a juvenile detention center who spend their time kissing, although they occasionally stab each other.
The show’s costume designer, Rossella Aprea, said that since there was no uniform in a real Italian youth prison, she could use her imagination. “A lot of black crop tops, super tight,” she said. “Skin, skin, skin.”
—By Jason Horowitz; photographs by Gianni Cipriano
Baseball caps with the New York Yankees logo are everywhere in Brazil. But many Brazilians have no idea what that logo represents.
“Is it American football?” asked Carlos Henrique, 20, who was selling the caps on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro. But the answer didn’t matter as much as the popularity of the cap, his best seller. “I just know it draws attention,” he said. “And it looks good on everyone.”
— By Jack Nicas; photographs by Dado Galdieri
Subway rides in Seoul are free for those over 65, so some retirees spend their days riding the train to the end of the line.
“You read and you fall asleep,” said Jeon Jong-duek, 85, a retired mathematics teacher. “There is no corner of Seoul I won’t go to.”
—By Victoria Kim; photographs by Chang W. Lee
Swimming in Paris is a complete cultural experience, offering intimate views of the French psyche, on almost naked display in the swim lanes, locker rooms and (mostly co-ed) showers.
Take for example the Piscine des Amiraux, built in 1930. It’s a long, skinny pool, with walls covered in white subway tiles. Look up and you’ll see a skylighted roof, above two rings of balconies bordered by green doors to the individual locker rooms. You hang your things on anchor-shaped hooks and when you finish swimming, a cabin boy comes and opens the door for you.
Everything seems like going back in time.
—By Catherine Porter; photographs by Dmitry Kostyukov
Little children screamed, the sea roared, and a portable speaker played a love song. Perched on a giant inflatable hot dog, a boy paddled through the shallow water. This could have been any beach anywhere on a summer weekend, if you closed your eyes long enough to block out the moonlight. But it was midnight in Dubai.
“Dubai at night is very beautiful,” said Mamadoto Momo, a Senegalese lifeguard who works on the beach from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
— By Vivian Nereim; photographs by Andrea DiCenzo
What you need to understand about a sniper mission is that from the moment it starts to the moment it ends, everything you do is meant to kill another human being.
But almost no one says that. So it was a bit surprising when one soldier decided to explain the moral calculations of him killing Russian troops: he was saying the quiet part out loud.
—By Thomas Gibbons-Neff; photographs by David Guttenfelder
In Himalayan Buddhism, the religious roles of nuns have long been restricted by rules and customs. But one cult is changing that, mixing meditation with martial arts and environmental activism.
“Kung fu helps us break gender barriers and develop inner confidence,” said Jigme Rabsal Lhamo, a Buddhist nun. “It also helps to take care of others during crises.”
— By Sameer Yasir; Photos and videos by Saumya Khandelwal.
The sheep came scattering down the hillside, emerging through the low mist where the green earth touched the gray sky, running towards the fields below.
They were ready for their big moment: Shetland Wool Week had finally arrived.
—By Megan Specia; Photographs by Andrés Testa.
While the government’s crackdown on neon signs is driven by environmental and safety concerns, the campaign evokes the fading of Hong Kong itself: the sad allegory of the decline of an electric city, the literal extinction of its brash flash.
“Neon is a kind of emblem of the city, an embodiment of the stories of Hong Kong,” said Cardin Chan, who heads a group dedicated to preserving condemned signs. “But it’s not just neon that is undergoing a transformation. He’s the whole city, right?
—By Hannah Beech; photographs by Anthony Kwan
In the Austrian state of Carinthia, where the law favors light-colored local bees, honey producers deemed “too dark” risk eradication.
“It’s racial bigotry,” said Sandro Huter, a beekeeper who had been told to replace his dark queens with light gray ones.
—By Denise Hruby; photographs by Ciril Jazbec
South Africans are savoring a second straight World Cup victory, producing a racial unity that even Hollywood couldn’t regain and an escape from the country’s problems.
“It’s about more than rugby,” said Francois Pienaar, captain of the team that won South Africa’s first Rugby World Cup in 1995. “It’s about a nation. It’s about hope. “It is about building a future for everyone in our country.”
—By John Eligon; photographs by Joao Silva
A snowy, dreary terrain near the Black Sea is the final resting place for more and more soldiers of Wagner’s mercenary forces, a testament to the enormous casualties Russia is suffering in its invasion.
“Lord, have mercy,” a priest sang as he blessed the bodies of fallen Russian soldiers with incense, his cassock whipping an icy wind.
—By Valerie Hopkins; photographs by Nanna Heitmann