Hi everyone, Happy Friday. It was a week filled, again, with politics and the pandemic. But in between making the show, our team was watching interviews about failure, filmmaking and skateboarding and a documentary about the mayor of Ramallah, in the West Bank. We'd love to know what you've been watching or listening to lately. And if you missed any of our shows from this week, here's a recap — along with some of the stories from behind the scenes. |
Have a great weekend, everyone (and see ya never January!) |
Aleksei Navalny and the future of Russia |
 | | Demonstrators in Moscow clashed with the police on Saturday.Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times |
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Before this week, most of our team knew the Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny for his near-death experience — a cinematic story that included a suspected state-sanctioned poisoning, a diverted plane and an airlift to a German hospital. From following the news, we also knew about his dissidence, including criticism of the Kremlin. But we didn't know who he was beyond these headlines. |
So earlier this month, when Mr. Navalny voluntarily returned to Russia, where he was promptly imprisoned, an editor on our team asked: Who is Aleksei Navalny? |
"We were interested in diving into this character to understand how he got to be a powerful figure internationally," said Rachelle Bonja, a fellow on The New York Times's audio team. But when the team called our Moscow correspondent, Anton Troianovski, they learned the story they were trying to tell was incomplete — and that the show they planned to air last Friday would have to wait. |
"What Anton told us was that the defining moment in Navalny's life had yet to happen, and that it would happen on Saturday," producer Luke Vander Ploeg said. Mr. Navalny's supporters had called for anyone who disagreed with his imprisonment for challenging Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, to take to the streets. "The protests on Saturday were going to tell us a lot about how Navalny's legacy endured," Rachelle added. |
The episode hinged on these key questions: "The protests that he called for, would they happen or wouldn't they? And what would be the repercussions?" Luke said. |
So the team decided to record most of the episode last Friday — and then wait and watch to see what happened in Russia over the weekend before they finished the show. Below, Rachelle describes her experience waiting, and watching, for news from Russia: |
After recording most of the episode on Friday, we were left with a cliffhanger, not knowing how the episode would end. On Saturday, via our Slack channel, we all watched as news of the protests started coming in, city by city, showing large crowds on streets. Many people gathered in the snow and subzero temperatures. The end of the episode became clearer as tens of thousands of Russians across the country turned out to voice their dissent against the government. On Sunday, the producers Lynsea Garrison and Rachel Quester taped the end of the episode, asking Anton to explain the significance of the protests and finishing up the episode to publish on Monday. Writers are often asked, "Do you need to know the ending of a book when you start writing it?" This was an instance when we started writing and didn't know the ending, but it revealed itself to us alongside the news. |
Great listens for your weekend |
By Mahima Chablani and Desiree Ibekwe |
 | | Irene Rinaldi |
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We get it — it has been a long year and it's only January. If you're yearning for something to binge other than the news, here's what a couple of our team members have been listening to lately: |
"I love a rom-com and I love a podcast, so I was thrilled at the launch of 'RomComPods.' The two seasons out so far are quarantine comfort food for your ears. The first season is about a woman who takes her honeymoon to Italy solo after her fiancé leaves her, only to meet a dashing tour guide. The second season features a missed connection romance between the rock star son of a presidential candidate and a campaign staffer. They're super bingeable and sheer delights, and I can't wait for the third season (the creators say it will center on a cooking competition TV show)." — Erica Futterman, deputy director of audience and operations |
An audio gift from a British national treasure: |
"Awkward, self-effacing and painfully polite, the documentarian Louis Theroux is a British national treasure. Earlier in the pandemic, he started 'Grounded,' a podcast from the BBC. The show is something of a change of pace for Louis, who has in the past covered the Church of Scientology, America's mega-jails and drug addiction. Here, the premise is simple: He's using his downtime during the pandemic lockdown to chat with celebrities he's always wanted to call. Have a listen to the episode featuring the actress and writer Michaela Coel." — Desiree Ibekwe, a news assistant who helps make this newsletter from London |
Wednesday: With cases falling and the threat of new variants of the coronavirus looming in the United States, we get an update on the pandemic. |
That's it for The Daily newsletter. See you next week. |
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