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Esther Bintliff

@estherbintliff.bsky.social
2.6K followers 500 following 88 posts

UK editor, The New York Times. Born in Bradford, raised in Durham, now in London.

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Reposted by Esther Bintliff
Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I’ve been reporting on the CDC for years, and have written about many of its troubles over the past year. I was still shocked by the extent of the staff losses and political interference I found when reporting this one. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/h...
nytimes.com
‘Zombified’ C.D.C., Hobbled by Cuts, Struggles to Fulfill Scientific Mission (Gift Article)
The agency has lost its independence and nearly a third of its staff, as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and associates have tightened control.
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
'We feel that at any moment, society itself may dissolve, with online fantasy giving way to violent realization. And yet, though we teeter on the edge, the final lurch into the abyss never seems to arrive' - @lioneltrolling.bsky.social making sense of the senseless, relentless churn of this moment
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Reposted by Esther Bintliff
Sarah O'Connor @sarahoconnorft.ft.com · 24/09/2026
Please excuse me while I scream into a cushion at the thought of ALL the articles I had to write on the "UK productivity puzzle" in the 2010s www.ft.com/content/c819...
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
“These buildings were built for English winters. They weren’t built for the kind of summers we get now,” an NHS trust chief executive told @meganspecia.bsky.social, who spent the day in a Nottingham hospital on one of the hottest days of the year, along with photographer Andrew Testa.
nytimes.com
‘Way Too Hot’: Britain’s Hospitals Were Not Built for 96-Degree Summers (Gift Article)
Patients and workers in one of the country’s largest hospitals sweltered in a heat wave last month. Experts say the whole country must urgently adapt.
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The UK government spent £18 million on an inquiry that does not even consider the key question hanging over the Lucy Letby case: whether she is, in fact, innocent, and the babies' deaths were the results of poor care and natural causes www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/w...
nytimes.com
Lucy Letby Murder Inquiry to Issue Report, Though Experts Say She May Not Be Guilty (Gift Article)
Significant questions remain about the evidence used to convict a British nurse of murdering seven babies, but a report predicated on her guilt is to be released Tuesday.
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Amy Borrett @amyborrett.ft.com · 08/09/2026
Britain’s state-owned electricity system operator has awarded Palantir a £21mn contract without inviting rival bids, arguing critical processes are too reliant on its tech to run a competitive procurement process Latest for @financialtimes.com: as.ft.com/r/7fe6c0b7-2...
as.ft.com
Britain’s grid operator gave Palantir contract without inviting rival bids
Neso cited a legal exemption that removes the requirement to consider other suppliers if dependencies leave no alternative
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Ed Conway @edconway.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
✍️ Want to understand the bonkers nature of the modern economy? Take a ride with me on the 30,000 mile journey the cod in a fish finger takes between being caught off the coast of Scotland and consumed in a British home 🤯 Promise I'm not making this up👇 edconway.substack.com/p/the-30000-...
edconway.substack.com
The 30,000-mile fish finger
There’s a good chance the cod on your child’s plate has been around the world and back. Not that you’d learn any of that from the label...
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Emma Jacobs @emmavj.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Great piece by Gill Plimmer - who has been on water companies for years giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... The fight to save England’s rivers
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
'It will be literally no work. It will be no work whatsoever' was how Tom Holland sold a history podcast to Dominic Sandbrook. Had so much fun interviewing them and attending the first @theresthistory.bsky.social festival at Hampton Court Palace. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/w...
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
NYT reporters Jason Horowitz and Carlos Barragán are in Ceuta and have spoken to several Moroccans who say they were encouraged to cross by Moroccan authorities www.nytimes.com/live/2026/07...
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Keir Starmer’s parting words to Kemi Badenoch at his final PMQs
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
A six-month investigation by Byline Times reveals that with the support of Palantir's Peter Thiel, Reform's policy chief James Orr has used the University of Cambridge as a student recruitment ground for a hard-right, theocratic political project aimed at bolstering talent in Farage’s party
bylinetimes.com
Palantir Co-Founder Peter Thiel and Reform UK's Cambridge University Recruitment Pipeline Project Revealed
The world-renowned academic institution has nothing to say in response to a six-month investigation by Byline Times raising serious concerns about the safeguarding of students and foreign influence at...
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
'In the heat of a sunny afternoon, Flo Finch unfurled a 5-foot by 3-foot flag outside her home with the help of a friend. A customized message stretched across the red cross at its center: “For Football not Farage.” @meganspecia.bsky.social reports on the debate over the England flag (gift link):
nytimes.com
Celebrating the World Cup, the English Ask: Who Owns the Flag?
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
"Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum." Always loved this Harper Lee description of Maycomb, Alabama; never thought I'd live it while working from home (minus the talcum and, sadly, the naps)
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Such a great newsletter
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Last week Kemi Badenoch was in Aberdeen calling for "the war on oil and gas to end." 8 days later, Britain broke temperature records as a deadly heat wave struck. We asked @shearmds.bsky.social, @jeannasmialek.bsky.social &others to look at the strange politics of climate change right now:
nytimes.com
Europe’s Deadly Heat Wave: A Jolt for Climate Action, or Just for A.C.?
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Reposted by Esther Bintliff
Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
The Ukrainian man who set fire to two homes and a car linked to Keir Starmer, and a friend who assisted him, have both been jailed today The fires were commissioned by a Russian Telegram account, but a bizarre conspiracy theory that the culprits were "rent boys" persists inews.co.uk/news/starmer...
inews.co.uk
Starmer was targeted by sex worker conspiracy straight from Putin's playbook
It was a conspiracy shared by a handful of social media accounts and ultimately ended up in Russian state media
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Reposted by Esther Bintliff
Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
The phrase "two-tier" policing first entered Britain's political mainstream in August 2024, when people supporting the Southport rioters were complaining of their treatment But it is not a mainstream term - it originated with far right and conspiracist groups trying to push their own narratives
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Helen Warrell @helenwarrell.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
If you read one thing today, make it @stephenkb.bsky.social's admirably clear and rational analysis of the police's actions following Henry Nowak's murder, from the @financialtimes.com Inside Politics newsletter www.ft.com/content/aa94...
ft.com
What Henry Nowak’s murder does — and does not — tell us about policing
Kemi Badenoch says his killing needs to be seen as a ‘Stephen Lawrence moment’ but the failures in both cases differ
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 22/05/2026
How vulnerable children became a gold mine for investors This piece by Chris Smyth, Alan Smith and Jennifer Williams is worth your time as.ft.com/r/b1fb6cb0-4...
as.ft.com
How England’s vulnerable children became a gold mine for investors
The government spends £3bn on children’s homes a year and the profits existing players make have ‘piqued people’s interest’
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
This piece starts with a case of anti-Muslim hatred that was so vile we couldn't include most of the details. @lizziedearden.bsky.social looked at that and other antisemitic, Islamophobic and racist offences in the past year, and asked experts what is stoking the rise in hate crimes.
nytimes.com
‘A Pyramid of Hate’: Why Racial and Religious Attacks Are Rising in Britain
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Christina Jewett @by-cjewett.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
NEW: Records released tonight show that Reynolds, makers of Vuse vapes, gave $5 Million to MAGA Inc. days before the FDA wrote a policy that could allow them to make millions selling flavored vapes. Via @kenvogel.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/u...
nytimes.com
A $5 Million Donation From Big Tobacco Preceded F.D.A. Vape Decision
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Emily St. James @emilystjams.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
What's gutting about this is that Juniper seems to have had a family who supported and loved her, she was in a community that has been explicitly welcoming to trans people, and a man still murdered her. She was living the life so many trans people can only dream of, and it simply didn't matter.
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
This is a really useful and interesting piece by the excellent @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social
ft.com
Can Andy Burnham, Labour’s charismatic chameleon, reinvent himself again?
Greater Manchester mayor has earned public respect by going from insider to outsider, but economic doubts could undermine his bid for Downing Street
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Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
As Starmer tries to fend off pressure from within his own party to step down, the parallels with Biden's exit in 2024 are increasingly palpable, writes Mike Shear, who covered both. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/w...
nytimes.com
The Uncomfortable Parallels Between Starmer and Biden
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Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
This story has now been updated with what we've heard today In one of the last messages from his Russian-speaking handler, the main arsonist was told: "If the police detain you, secretly write the word ‘geranium’ and I’ll send a lawyer to you, I’ll give you money for a week and a new phone."
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
The man charged with attempting to murder two Jewish men in Golders Green on Wednesday has also been charged with attempting to murder an acquaintance, Ishmail Hussein, earlier that same day. @meganspecia.bsky.social & @lizziedearden.bsky.social report:
nytimes.com
Suspect in Attack on Jewish Men Faces Third Attempted Murder Charge
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
ICYMI: fascinating investigation into Samuel Samson, the 27-year-old Trump administration diplomat cultivating ties with far-right European parties. He met Farage for breakfast last year. By @shearmds.bsky.social, Catherine Porter, @bradleyjane.bsky.social and Chris Scheutze
nytimes.com
The 27-Year-Old Diplomat Waging Trump’s Cultural War With Europe
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Started a little slowly but I'm now fully immersed in 'The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny' by Kiran Desai, if you are looking for a big, continent-crossing novel about love, longing and dislocation. Alexandra Jacobs' review is here: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/b...
nytimes.com
Kiran Desai’s Long-Awaited Return Is a Transcendent Triumph
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Test your knowledge of all things* archbishop of Canterbury my friends www.nytimes.com/interactive/... *ok not all things, just some of the things
nytimes.com
Chaucer, Murder, Pilgrims: What Do You Know About Canterbury and Its Archbishops? (Gift Article)
As a new archbishop of Canterbury is enthroned, test your knowledge of the cathedral city and its landmark moments.
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
"Several local residents last week expressed deep ambivalence over any British involvement in the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran." @meganspecia.bsky.social went to see the U.S. bombers being loaded with munitions at R.A.F. Fairford and spoke to locals about their views (gift link):
nytimes.com
As American Bombers Take Off From Britain, Memories of Iraq Loom Large
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Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Exclusive: The Metropolitan Police interviewed Virginia Giuffre 3 times after her lawyers handed them a dossier of evidence saying that she was trafficked to UK by Epstein and Maxwell, and made her have sex with Prince Andrew But they did not launch an investigation www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/w...
nytimes.com
Police in Britain Repeatedly Declined to Investigate Epstein. Why?
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 03/03/2026
Good piece by Giles Coren on Nando's and others deciding that, no, they don't want chickens to live OK lives after all www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
As an English Lit graduate born in Bradford I couldn't resist sending our new chief U.K. correspondent @shearmds.bsky.social to gorgeous west Yorkshire, where the original Wuthering Heights was written, with our wonderful photographer Andrew Testa. Feast your eyes on this (gift article):
nytimes.com
What Brontë Country Tells Us About Britain Today
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
This is worth a read and highlights big questions about the structure of newsrooms and coverage. "Meanwhile the reporter working away on a benefit fraud or an eyewitness despatch about teachers in Birmingham being pressured not to talk about evolution can only deliver slowly, at greater expense..."
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Tony Tassell @tonytassell.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Very good Unhedged podcast on Venezuela and oil - with @jamiesmythft.bsky.social @robarmstrong.bsky.social @katie0martin.ft.com highly recommended podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/u...
podcasts.apple.com
Imperialism and the markets
Podcast Episode · Unhedged · 06/01/2026 · 20m
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Tony Tassell @tonytassell.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Just a few more days left to apply for the Paul McLean graduate trainee programme at the FT. This is an amazing opportunity for any aspiring journalist job-boards.greenhouse.io/financialtim...
job-boards.greenhouse.io
Paul McClean Graduate Trainee
London
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
If you'd like a little break from the news, here's a happy story about bats (gift link 🎁🦇) via @amelia-nierenberg.bsky.social
nytimes.com
The Bat Woman of North London: ‘It’s Like Tuning In to Another World’
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the beggars out of here getter @milesklee.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Academics and technologists are sounding the alarm about a growing crisis in scholarship as we know it: AI-generated citations of nonexistent papers that have infested real journals. Despite being fake, the sources are widely assumed to be authentic the more they appear in published literature.
rollingstone.com
AI Is Inventing Academic Papers That Don't Exist -- And They're Being Cited in Real Journals
Academic articles from authors using large language model are creating an ecosystem of fake research that threatens human knowledge itself.
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Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
The hepatitis B vaccine had been recommended for all newborns since 1991. From 1990-2019, acute hepatitis B infections reported among children and teens fell 99 percent. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/w...
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
The Trump administration's updated National Security Strategy is a really striking document that offers the clearest expression yet of what it is trying to do in Europe: "Cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations" 👀
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Says Europe Faces ‘Civilizational Erasure’
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
This is the Michael Prescott memo about BBC coverage (Telegraph). www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...
telegraph.co.uk
Access Restricted
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
"On top of that, I’d wonder why such close editorial scrutiny should have been entrusted to three key people who themselves rejected journalism in order to enjoy lucrative careers in corporate and political communications." This is worth a read:
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Brogan Stewart liked to refer to himself as the “Führer” in his group chat with fellow neo-Nazis. At his home in Tingley, a swastika flag hung on his bedroom wall. @lizziedearden.bsky.social reports from Sheffield where he went on trial with 2 co-conspirators (gift link)
nytimes.com
British Neo-Nazis Discussed Targeting Migrants, Mosques and Synagogues
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
"At one point, the police said at a news conference, they observed the men buying almost 1.5 miles’ worth of foil in Costco" - is my favourite fact in @lizziedearden.bsky.social & @amelia-nierenberg.bsky.social's story today. So much so I decided we'd make it a subheading
nytimes.com
London Became a Global Hub for Phone Theft. Now We Know Why.
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 13/10/2025
The right-wing campaign group that helped topple Roe v Wade in the US is now working to roll back abortion laws in the UK, with the help of Nigel Farage. Its first step? Trying to create a debate around "free speech" www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/w...
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Esther Bintliff @estherbintliff.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
When Nigel Farage spoke to Congress on Sept. 3, it was thanks to the group that helped topple Roe v Wade. Read more in this brilliant investigation by @bradleyjane.bsky.social and Elizabeth Dias: (gift link)
nytimes.com
They Helped Topple Roe v. Wade. Now Their Sights Are Set on Britain.
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Jane Bradley @bradleyjane.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
We found out they’ve been courting Reform since at least 2024, in an attempt to build their UK influence, and have brokered a string of meetings and briefings with Farage.
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Jane Bradley @bradleyjane.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
NEW: How a U.S. anti-abortion group has quietly positioned itself as a powerbroker between the Trump administration and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Latest investigation w Elizabeth Dias.  www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/w...
nytimes.com
They Helped Topple Roe v. Wade. Now Their Sights Are Set on Britain.
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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Been to the youngest’s harvest assembly. Theory: every primary school built pre about 1980 in Britain has some version of this equipment. It is referred to as something like ‘the apparatus’. No one has any memory of it ever being used.
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