Witnessing, at close range and often at great risk, is the essence of a dispatch, and in 2023 our correspondents sent 80 from 37 countries, capturing the human experience from almost every angle: the good, the bad and the heartbreaking .
In a year marked by conflict, dozens of dispatches arrived directly from the war zones: from a rare trip inside Gaza, where we saw a completely disfigured city; from a devastated Israeli kibbutz, where more than 60 people were killed on October 7; and from the West Bank, where “there is no such thing as sleeping at night.”
And we have received numerous poignant reports from Ukraine, where stoic faces have begun to crack under the emotional weight of war. The effects of that war are being felt globally, from Bali, where Russian and Ukrainian expatriates try to get along, to cities in Poland and the Czech Republic convulsed by fighting.
In six dispatches from Afghanistan, we explored the aftermath of another war, only recently ended; we also rushed to the remote place where a devastating earthquake occurred which aggravated the misery of an already tormented country.
Not long ago, the Kabul neighborhood known as the Green Zone resounded with the soundtrack of a multibillion-dollar war effort in Afghanistan. Armored vehicles thundered through the streets, while the thud of American helicopters echoed in the sky.
But these days there is another type of ferment in the neighborhood: the Taliban who are settling in and making it their own.
—By Christina Goldbaum
Italy has fallen in love with “Mare Fuori,” a TV melodrama about inmates of a juvenile detention center who spend their time making out, if not occasionally stabbing each other.
The show’s costume designer, Rossella Aprea, said that since there is no uniform in a real Italian juvenile prison, she can use her imagination. “Lots of black, super tight, cropped tops,” 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 this 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 gets attention,” he said. “And that’s fine with 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 trains to the terminus.
“You read and you fall asleep,” said Jeon Jong-duek, 85, a retired mathematics professor. “There isn’t a corner of Seoul I don’t go to.”
—By Victoria Kim; photographs by Chang W. Lee
Swimming in Paris is a complete cultural experience, offering intimate glimpses of the French psyche, which is on almost naked display in swimming lanes, changing rooms and (especially student) showers.
Take the Piscine des Amiraux, built in 1930. It’s a long, thin pool, with walls covered in white subway tiles. Look up and you see a skylight, above two rings of balconies flanked by green doors to individual changing rooms. You hang your things on anchor-shaped hooks, and when you’re done swimming, a cabin boy comes and opens the door for you.
It’s like swimming 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 child splashed in the shallow waters. It could be any beach on a summer weekend, if you close your eyes enough to block out the moonlight. But it was midnight in Dubai.
“Dubai is very beautiful at night,” says Mamadoto Momo, a Senegalese lifeguard who works on the beach from 6pm to 6am
— By Vivian Nereim; photographs by Andrea Di Cenzo
What you need to understand about a sniper mission is that from the moment it begins to the moment it ends, everything you do is aimed at killing another human being.
But almost no one says it. So it was a little surprising when one soldier decided to explain his moral calculations when he killed Russian troops: he was saying the quiet part out loud.
—By Thomas Gibbons-Neff; photographs by David Guttenfelder
In Himalayan Buddhism, nuns’ religious roles have long been limited by rules and customs. But one sect 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 care for others during crises.”
—By Sameer Yasir; photography and video by Saumya Khandelwal
The sheep spilled over the hillside, emerging through the low fog where the green earth touched the gray sky, running down into the fields below.
They were ready for their big moment: Shetland Wool Week had finally arrived.
—By Megan Specia; photographs by Andrea Testa
While the government’s crackdown on neon signs stems from safety and environmental concerns, the campaign evokes the decline of Hong Kong itself: the sad allegory of an electric city’s decline, the literal dying out of its brazen flash.
“Neon is a kind of emblem of the city, the embodiment of Hong Kong’s stories,” said Cardin Chan, who runs a group dedicated to preserving condemned street signs. “But it’s not just neon that’s undergoing a transformation. It’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 was told to replace his dark queens with light gray ones.
—By Denise Hruby; photographs by Ciril Jazbec
South Africans are savoring a second consecutive World Cup victory, producing a racial unity that not even Hollywood has been able to create and an escape from the country’s problems.
“It’s not just about rugby,” said François 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’s about building a future for everyone in our country.”
—By John Eligon; photographs by Joao Silva
A grim snowy terrain near the Black Sea is the final resting place of more and more soldiers of Wagner’s mercenary forces, a testament to the enormous losses Russia is suffering during its invasion.
“Lord have mercy,” a priest sang as he blessed the bodies of fallen Russian soldiers with incense, his cassock buffeted by an icy wind.
—By Valerie Hopkins; photographs by Nanna Heitmann