Two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Nicholas Kristof (opinion columnist, the New York Times) reflects on his career of reporting from the front lines of injustice and human suffering, discussing hope, human resilience, and the urgency of responding to global injustice.
An advocate for empathy-driven journalism that holds power accountable and communicates the stories of the most vulnerable, Kristof joins Mark Labberton in this episode to discuss his life’s work of reporting from the world’s most troubled regions—from Gaza to Congo, from rural Oregon to global centres of power. Known for his unsparing storytelling and deep empathy, Kristof shares the family roots and personal convictions that have shaped his lifelong pursuit of justice and hope.
They also explore how despair and progress coexist, the role of faith and empathy in healing, and how local acts of courage can ripple globally. Grounded in gritty realism, but inspired by everyday heroes, Kristof invites us to resist numbness and embrace a hope that fights to make a difference.
- Stories from Gaza, Congo, Pakistan, and beyond
- Balancing heartbreak and hope in humanitarian reporting
- Why empathy must be cultivated and practiced
- The global impact of Christian activism and its complexities
Episode Highlights
“Side by side with the worst of humanity, you find the very best.”
“We focus so much on all that is going wrong, that we leave people feeling numb and that it’s hopeless … but people don’t want to get engaged in things that are hopeless.”
“Empathy is something that, like a muscle, can be nurtured.”
“The worst kinds of evil and the greatest acts of courage are often just one decision apart.”
“We are an amazing species—if we just get our act together.”
“You can be sex positive and rape negative. I don’t think there’s an inconsistency there.”
About Nicholas Kristof
Nicholas Kristof is a two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, and is an opinion columnist for the New York Times, **where he was previously bureau chief in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo.
Born, raised, and still working from his rural Oregon home, Yamhill, he is a graduate of Harvard and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford.
He is the co-author, with his wife Sheryl WuDunn, of five previous books: Tightrope, A Path Appears, Half the Sky, Thunder from the East, and China Wakes. In 2024, he published a memoir, *Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life.*
Books by Nicholas Kristof
Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life
Helpful Resources
Dr. Denis Mukwege – Nobel Peace Prize
PEPFAR: The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
Tim Keller’s Final Interview with Kristof (NYT)
Show Notes
- A voice of conscience
- How a global orientation for journalism developed
- Kristof reflects on his humble roots in Yamhill, Oregon, as the son of two immigrants
- “My dad was a Armenian refugee from Eastern Europe. His family had spied on the Nazis during World War II. They got caught. Some were executed by the Nazis, others were executed by the Soviet communists, and my dad was very lucky to make it out alive and was sponsored by a family in the US in 1952.”
- “I think that one fundamental mistake that bleeding hearts make, whether they’re bleeding hearts in journalism or in the non-profit community or in advocacy, is that we focus so much on all that is going wrong that we leave people feeling
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