How the NYT Reported on Khamenei’s Funeral in Iran
Our correspondent talked about the challenges of covering major news while under surveillance and filing his work without reliable internet access.
Mike Abrams is the deputy editor for Trust, working to help readers understand The Times and its journalistic values.
Even before the current war, Iran was among the hardest places in the world to report on. Much of the work of The New York Times happens from the outside , through conversations with contacts inside, verified visual material and social media posts.
But this month, Abdi Latif Dahir, a Middle East correspondent, and Emile Ducke, a photographer, became the first Times journalists to visit Iran since before the United States and Israel attacked in late February. They were joined by two colleagues from The Times’s video department, and together, they traveled from three continents to witness the funeral ceremonies of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , the country’s slain supreme leader.
To help readers better understand how they approached the assignment, I spoke to Abdi about his preparations and how he worked through constraints. These are edited excerpts from our conversation.
Abdi, images of the mourners streamed across screens around the world. It appeared to be so crowded that the funeral procession vehicles could barely move. Can you take us there?
