Witnessing, up close and often at great risk, is the essence of a dispatch, and in 2023, our correspondents filed 80 of them from 37 countries, capturing the human experience from almost every angle: the the good, the bad and the harmful. .
In a year marked by conflicts, dozens of dispatches come directly from the war zones: from a rare trip inside Gaza, where we saw a city completely disfigured; from the ravaged Israel kibbutz, where more than 60 people were murdered on Oct. 7; and from the West Bank, where “nothing sleeps at night.”
And we got multiple, moving reports from Ukraine, where stoic faces began to crack under the emotional toll of war. The effects of that war are felt around the world, from Bali, where Russian and Ukrainian expatriates are trying to reconcile, to towns in Poland and the Czech Republic torn apart by conflict.
In six dispatches from Afghanistan, we explore the aftermath of another war, recently ended; We also rushed to the far side of a devastating earthquake that added to the misery of an already ravaged country.
Not so long ago, the Kabul neighborhood known as the Green Zone hummed to the soundtrack of the multibillion-dollar war effort in Afghanistan. Armored vehicles rumbled through the streets, while the drone of American helicopters echoed through the sky.
But these days, there’s another kind of buzz in the neighborhood: the Taliban have moved in and are making it their own.
— By Christina Goldbaum
Italy fell hard for “Mare Fuori,” a television melodrama about inmates of a juvenile detention center who pass the time talking — when not occasionally stabbing each other.
The show’s costume designer Rossella Aprea said that since there are no uniforms in a real Italian juvenile prison, she can use her imagination. “A lot of black, very tight, crop tops,” she said. “Skin, skin, skin.”
— By Jason Horowitz; photos 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.
“It’s American football?” asked Carlos Henrique, 20, who sells caps on Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro. But the answer doesn’t matter nearly as much as the popularity of the cap, his best seller. “I know it’s drawing attention,” he said. “And it looks good on everyone.”
— By Jack Nicas; photos by Dado Galdieri
Subway rides in Seoul are free for those older than 65, so some retired people spend their days riding the trains to the end of the line.
“You read, and lie down,” said Jeon Jong-duek, 85, a retired mathematics professor. “There is no corner of Seoul that I don’t go to.”
— By Victoria Kim; photos by Chang W. Lee
Swimming in Paris is a consummate cultural experience, offering an intimate view into the French psyche, which is mostly on display in the swimming lanes, locker rooms and (mostly coed) showers.
Take a dip in the Piscine des Amiraux, built in 1930. It was a long, thin pool, with walls covered in white subway tiles. Look up, and you see a skylight roof, above two rings of balconies lined with the green doors of individual changing rooms. You hang your gear on anchor-shaped hooks, and when you’re done swimming, a boy will come to the cabin and open the door for you.
Everything seems to be swimming back in time.
— By Catherine Porter; photos by Dmitry Kostyukov
Toddlers squealed, the sea roared and a portable speaker played a love song. Perched on a giant inflatable hotdog, a child paddled in the shallows. It could be any beach anywhere on a summer weekend, if you close your eyes long enough to block out the moonlight. But it’s midnight in Dubai.
“Dubai at night is very beautiful,” said Mamadoto Momo, a Senegalese lifeguard who works on the beach from 6 pm to 6 am
— By Vivian Nereim; photos by Andrea DiCenzo
What you need to understand about a sniper mission is that from the minute it starts to the minute it ends, everything you do is in the service of killing another person.
But hardly anyone says that. So it’s a little surprising when a soldier decides to explain his moral calculations when killing Russian troops: He says the silent part out loud.
— By Thomas Gibbons-Neff; photos by David Guttenfelder
In Himalayan Buddhism, the religious duties of nuns have long been restricted by rules and customs. But one sect is changing that, mixing meditation with martial arts and environmental activism.
“Kung Fu helps us break down gender barriers and build inner confidence,” said Jigme Rabsal Lhamo, a Buddhist nun. “It also helps take care of others in times of crisis.”
— By Sameer Yasir; Saumya Khandelwal photos and videos
The sheep came scrambling down the hillside, appearing in the low mist where the green earth touched the gray sky, running down to the fields below.
They are ready for their big moment: Shetland Wool Week is finally here.
— By Megan Specia; photos by Andrew Testa
Although the government’s crackdown on neon signs stems from safety and environmental concerns, the campaign evokes the fading of Hong Kong itself: the sad allegory for the decline of an electric city, the literal -removes its fierce flash.
“Neon is a kind of symbol of the city, a symbol of the stories of Hong Kong,” said Cardin Chan who runs a group dedicated to preserving condemned signs. “But neon is not the only one undergoing transformation. That’s the whole city, isn’t it?”
— By Hannah Beech; photos by Anthony Kwan
In the Austrian state of Carinthia, where the law favors local light-colored bees, producers of that honey have judged it to be “too dark” to risk extinction.
“It’s racial fanaticism,” said Sandro Huter, a beekeeper who was told to replace his dark queens with gray ones.
— By Denise Hruby; photos by Ciril Jazbec
South Africans are enjoying a second World Cup victory in a row, evoking a racial unity that even Hollywood couldn’t conjure up and an escape from the country’s troubles.
“It’s 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 country. It’s about hope. It’s about building a future for everyone in our country.”
— By John Eligon; photos by Joao Silva
A bleak, snowy plot near the Black Sea is the final resting place of more and more soldiers from Wagner’s mercenary forces, a testament to the heavy casualties Russia was suffering in its invasion.
“Lord, have mercy,” cried a priest as he blessed the bodies of dead Russian soldiers with incense, his cassock whipped by the cold wind.
— By Valerie Hopkins; photos by Nanna Heitmann
