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Portrait of Lydia Polgreen

Lydia Polgreen

I write about the world, culture and politics, with an emphasis on human rights, migration, queer lives and democracy. Above all I am interested in the experiences of human beings as they navigate the interlocking crises of our time.

I spent a decade as an international correspondent for The Times in West Africa, South Asia and South Africa. I have also worked as a media executive, serving as editor in chief of HuffPost and managing director of Gimlet, a podcast studio at Spotify. Before joining The Times, I was a staff writer for The Orlando Sentinel and The Times Union in Albany, New York.

My mother is Ethiopian and my father was American, and I spent most of my childhood and a good chunk of my professional life in Africa. These experiences inform my perspective and work, which aims to look at global events and the United States from perspectives other than those of the rich, western world.

I attended Saint John’s College, earning a bachelor-of-arts degree in philosophy and mathematics, as well as Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. I am proud to have won a number of awards for my reporting over the years, including the Polk and the Livingston awards for international reporting.

I live in New York City with my wife and two dogs.

Human dignity is at the core of my work. I often write about vulnerable and marginalized people, and I try to take special care to ensure my reporting and writing do not cause them harm. I always strive to tell stories with nuance and respect. I am an opinion columnist and write about my views and convictions, but I am deeply committed to independence, rigorous reporting and accuracy. My work is informed by my life experiences and, whenever possible, the lived experiences of people I have met and spoken to in depth, as well as things I have been able to witness first hand.

Columnists abide by the same rigorous ethical standards as all Times journalists to ensure our independence and credibility. You can read more about The Times’s ethics guidelines.

Latest

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    Lydia Polgreen

    South Africa Is Not a Metaphor

    The country’s story of liberation has been both a symbol of hope and a burden. Now it’s time for reality.

    By Lydia Polgreen

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    Let the Trump Veep Auditions Begin

    What the former president’s V.P. shortlist tells us about his possible second term.

    By Michelle Cottle, Ross Douthat, Carlos Lozada and Lydia Polgreen

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    Our Super Bowls, Ourselves

    On the mass cultural events that unite us — and where we’d be without them.

    By Michelle Cottle, Ross Douthat, Carlos Lozada and Lydia Polgreen

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    Are We All Authoritarians at Heart?

    “Democracy is not what partisans want. It’s what they settle for.”

    By Michelle Cottle, Ross Douthat, Carlos Lozada and Lydia Polgreen

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    Lydia Polgreen

    Born This Way? Born Which Way?

    The panic over transgender children is driven by the fear that they’ll regret transitioning. But freedom to make mistakes is core to being human.

    By Lydia Polgreen

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    We Need to Talk About Joe Biden

    Biden signaled he would be a ‘transition’ president. How’s that going?

    By Michelle Cottle, Ross Douthat, Carlos Lozada and Lydia Polgreen

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    Wait, Are There Actually Aliens?

    What to make of the latest allegations of a government cover-up.

    By Michelle Cottle, Ross Douthat, Carlos Lozada and Lydia Polgreen

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