Alexandria Symonds

What I Cover

My work on the Graphics team stretches across subject areas and topics. I’ve helped to lead efforts to map developments in the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as to visually represent the human toll, military strategies and other aspects of those conflicts. A project I edited analyzing evidence of munitions used by Russia in the Ukraine war was part of a portfolio that won the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting in 2023.

I’ve edited coverage of mass shootings, building collapses and extreme weather, Donald Trump, Congress and threats to American democracy, crypto and A.I., the Olympics and the Native American boarding school system. In 2021, I also edited much of our quick-turnaround Covid-19 coverage, which dove into the data to give readers the most current and advanced possible understanding of the state of the virus.

I also write occasionally for other sections of The Times, including the Book Review and the Kids section.

My Background

I’ve been at The Times since 2014. I joined as digital features editor at T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and in 2017 moved to editing the introductory section on pages A2 and A3 of the print newspaper. I joined the Graphics desk in 2020 as a story editor. Along the way, I’ve also helped out on other desks, including International and Briefings. Before The Times, I worked at Interview Magazine and The New York Observer.

I have a master’s of applied science in development economics from M.I.T. and a bachelor’s in American studies and English from Columbia University.

Journalistic Ethics

Like all Times journalists, I am committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. The animating goal that determines how I assign and edit stories is always the same: to find the truth and present it to readers in the way that will best help them understand it. That often means examining a topic from many different angles and considering multiple perspectives in tandem. I do not accept gifts or favors in exchange for coverage.

As a graphics editor, I frequently work with data, which presents additional layers of ethical concern. I approach data analysis with a mind open to whatever conclusions and information can be found in the numbers — including those I’m not expecting. And when I am dealing with data sets that collect information about people, I think about how to avoid too much abstraction and bring forward the human element whenever possible.

• Email: [email protected]

• LinkedIn: Alexandria Symonds