In The Dark

Alice Munro, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, was perhaps the most acclaimed short-story writer of our time. After her death, last year, her youngest daughter, Andrea Skinner, revealed that Munro’s partner, Gerald Fremlin, had sexually abused her starting when she was nine years old. The abuse was known in the family, but, even after Fremlin was convicted, Munro stood by him, at the expense of her relationship with her daughter. In this episode, the New Yorker staff writer Rachel Aviv joins the magazine’s editor, David Remnick, to talk about how and why a writer known for such astonishing powers of empathy could betray her own child, and how Munro touched on this family trauma in fiction. “Her writing makes you think about art at what expense,” Aviv tells Remnick. “That’s probably a question that is relevant for many artists, but Alice Munro makes it visible on the page. It felt so literal—like trading your daughter for art.”Follow The New Yorker Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Transcribed - Published: 11 March 2025

Donald Trump’s selection of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense caught the attention of the In the Dark team. Hegseth, formerly a weekend co-host of “Fox & Friends,” is a longtime supporter of accused American war criminals, and has called Eddie Gallagher, the Navy SEAL who was tried for murder and other crimes, a “war hero.” The reporters Madeleine Baran and Parker Yesko discuss what Hegseth’s appointment could mean for war-crimes prosecutions under the Trump Administration. 

Transcribed - Published: 22 November 2024

In the Dark presents the first episode of “Sold a Story,” an award-winning investigative podcast that is changing how children are taught to read. In this episode, “The Problem,” a mother watches her son's first-grade lessons during Zoom school and discovers with dismay that he can’t read. Her son isn’t the only one: more than a third of fourth graders in the United States can’t read on even a basic level. In “Sold a Story,” the host, Emily Hanford, exposes how educators came to believe in a method of teaching reading that doesn’t work, and are now reckoning with the consequences. “Sold a Story” is available wherever you listen to podcasts. Learn more at soldastory.org. 

Transcribed - Published: 19 November 2024

Was it scary to knock on all those Marines’ doors? What was it like to report in Iraq? Is it still possible for any Marines to face consequences for what happened in Haditha? The In the Dark team sits down to answer your questions.  To view the online-only features of Season 3—the photographs, war-crimes database, and interactive documentary—visit newyorker.com/season3.  Have a story idea for the In the Dark team? E-mail us at [email protected].  We’d love to know your thoughts on In the Dark. Share them in a survey and you’ll be eligible for a prize drawing. 

Transcribed - Published: 12 November 2024

For the past year, the Interactives Department at The New Yorker has been working alongside In the Dark on a remarkable visual exploration of what happened that day in Haditha. Sam Wolson, who co-directed the project, joins the podcast to talk about “Cleared by Fire.” Find the interactive documentary at newyorker.com/season3. Got questions for the In the Dark team? E-mail them to us at [email protected]. 

Transcribed - Published: 27 September 2024

For years, we’d thought what everyone thought: that there were twenty-four civilians killed by Marines in Haditha on November 19, 2005. But maybe everyone was wrong. To find online-only features, visit newyorker.com/season3.

Transcribed - Published: 17 September 2024

The case against the squad leader, Frank Wuterich, finally goes to trial. To find online-only features, visit newyorker.com/season3. And to get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.

Transcribed - Published: 10 September 2024

The conflicting narratives about what happened in Haditha make their way through the opaque inner workings of the military justice system, until they reach a top commander who decides which story to believe. To find online-only features, visit newyorker.com/season3. And to get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.

Transcribed - Published: 3 September 2024

Startling new information emerges from deep within the investigation files. Then the In the Dark team gets a big break. To find online-only features, visit newyorker.com/season3. And to get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.

Transcribed - Published: 27 August 2024

Was it a face-off with insurgents or the murder of four innocent brothers? We investigate what happened in the final house the Marines entered that day. To get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.

Transcribed - Published: 20 August 2024

Two conflicting stories about what happened that day emerge—one from the Marines involved in the killings, and another from a very different perspective. To get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.

Transcribed - Published: 13 August 2024

We travel around the U.S. to find the Marines who were on the ground in Haditha on the day of the killings. To get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.

Transcribed - Published: 6 August 2024

A trip to a Marine Corps archive reveals a clue about something that the U.S. military is keeping secret. To get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.

Transcribed - Published: 30 July 2024

A man in Haditha, Iraq, has a request for the In the Dark team: Can you investigate how my family was killed? To get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.

Transcribed - Published: 30 July 2024

Episodes 1 and 2 of our new season are coming out on July 30th, but subscribers can listen to episodes early. If you aren’t currently a New Yorker subscriber, you can become one for just $1 per week. You’ll get early access to episodes of Season 3 as they come out, and everything else the magazine publishes—plus, a free tote bag. Visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe today, and, for the best listening experience, download the New Yorker app.

Transcribed - Published: 23 July 2024

A crime committed. A crime forgotten. A crime unpunished. Season 3 of In the Dark, coming July 30th. Listen early and ad-free at newyorker.com/dark.

Transcribed - Published: 16 July 2024

Secret recordings reveal what happened to Latifa after armed men stormed the yacht she was hoping would bring her to freedom."The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. To read Heidi Blake’s reporting on the princesses of Dubai, visit newyorker.com/princesses.

Transcribed - Published: 20 February 2024

Latifa has made it to international waters, but she’s not out of danger. Her father has powerful forces at his command."The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. Subscribers to The New Yorker have early, ad-free access to all episodes. Visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe.

Transcribed - Published: 13 February 2024

Princess Latifa is desperate to help her sister Shamsa, who’s been captured, drugged, and imprisoned on her father’s orders. She makes a plan to flee Dubai."The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. Subscribers to The New Yorker have early, ad-free access to all episodes. Visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe.

Transcribed - Published: 6 February 2024

As sex workers flee Sheikh Mohammed’s U.K. estate bruised and weeping, no one is held to account. British authorities look the other way after one of the sheikh’s own daughters tries to escape."The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. Subscribers to The New Yorker have early, ad-free access to all episodes. Visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe.

Transcribed - Published: 30 January 2024

New episodes of “The Runaway Princesses” will drop each week in the In the Dark feed. But if you want to listen right away, you can get the whole series now. Just visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe for $1/week. If you’re already a New Yorker subscriber, download the app for iOS or Android to listen.

Transcribed - Published: 25 January 2024

The wives and daughters of Dubai’s ruler live in unbelievable luxury. So why do the women in Sheikh Mohammed’s family keep trying to run away? The New Yorker staff writer Heidi Blake joins In the Dark’s Madeleine Baran to tell the story of the royal women who risked everything to flee the brutality of one of the world’s most powerful men. In four episodes, drawing on thousands of pages of secret correspondence and never-before-heard audio recordings, “The Runaway Princesses” takes listeners behind palace walls, revealing a story of astonishing courage and cruelty."The Runaway Princesses" is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. Subscribers to The New Yorker have early, ad-free access to all episodes. Visit newyorker.com/dark to subscribe.

Transcribed - Published: 23 January 2024

Big news! In the Dark has a new home and a new team of partners. The podcast now comes to you from The New Yorker—the legendary home of extraordinary journalism. ____ In the Dark is a Peabody Award-winning podcast that tells deeply reported stories. Season 1 investigates lapses by law enforcement after the kidnapping of eleven-year-old Jacob Wetterling. Season 2 examines the case of Curtis Flowers, a Mississippi man tried six times for the same crime. In the Dark journalists have already started reporting on Season 3. We can’t tell you what it’s about yet, but it’s the most ambitious story we’ve pursued, and we’re thrilled to have the resources of The New Yorker and Condé Nast Entertainment to help us tell it. For more on the new partnership, check out the team’s interview with David Remnick on The New Yorker Radio Hour. And follow other podcasts from The New Yorker, including The Political Scene, The Writer’s Voice, the Fiction podcast, and the Poetry podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 March 2023

Madeleine chats with her colleague Curtis Gilbert about his new show Sent Away, a deep investigative dive into the troubled world of the troubled teen industry. Episode 1: A dark cave. A tragic accident. A new treatment center. The state of Utah tries to hold it accountable. But that turns out to be harder than you’d think. Subscribe to the whole series: Sent Away Support investigative journalism: Donate to In the Dark and Sent Away

Transcribed - Published: 8 March 2022

During three years investigating the Curtis Flowers case, we’d talked to nearly everyone involved: lawyers, witnesses, jurors, family members, investigators, politicians, and many, many people around town. But there was one person we hadn’t yet interviewed — Curtis Flowers. That is, until one day in early October, a few weeks after he’d been cleared of all charges. For the final episode of Season 2, we at long last talk to the man at the center of it all. Read: Will Doug Evans face accountability? See photos of Curtis Flowers on Instagram. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 14 October 2020

After 24 years, the case against Curtis Flowers is finally over. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch asks the judge to dismiss the charges against Flowers for lack of evidence. Flowers is released from house arrest and free – truly free – at last. Read the story. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 4 September 2020

College football is practically a religion in Mississippi. And for the players, it's life. As Covid-19 upended their world, the teammates at Delta State struggled to find structure and support for an off-season like no other. Support journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 11 June 2020

As the coronavirus swept into the Mississippi Delta, a judge in the small city of Indianola decided to release every inmate she had in jail. That is, every inmate except one. Support journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 28 May 2020

In the middle of a pandemic, with so many people suffering alone, it seemed an appropriate time to hear from a Delta blues singer. Enter Watermelon Slim. Support journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 21 May 2020

The doctors and nurses at Greenwood Leflore Hospital brace for the pandemic, cordoning off their ICU and preparing for an influx of patients. Then the virus strikes one of their own. Support journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 14 May 2020

How do you self-isolate when your home is a single room that you share with 107 men? That's what inmates at Mississippi's infamous Parchman prison have been wondering for six weeks. Support journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2020

A storm hits Greenville just in time for Easter. Two pastors and a mayor clash over how to do church during a pandemic. Support journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 30 April 2020

A new limited-run series from In the Dark, reporting on Covid-19 in the Mississippi Delta. Episodes every Thursday, beginning April 30. Support journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 23 April 2020

District Attorney Doug Evans has prosecuted Curtis Flowers for 23 years and six trials. Now he says he's done. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 6 January 2020

After almost 23 years, Curtis Flowers is no longer behind bars. For his family, it's a long-awaited reunion. But not everyone in Winona is happy. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 22 December 2019

After nearly 23 years locked up, Curtis Flowers has a chance to get out on bail -- if his lawyers can convince the judge to rule in his favor. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 16 December 2019

It's been 11 days since the U.S. Supreme Court threw out Curtis Flowers' conviction. But the story didn't end there. In recent days, there have been three other significant developments, including new details from a key witness, that may determine Flowers' fate. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2019

On Friday, June 21, after months of deliberation, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its opinion in the Curtis Flowers case. In a 7-2 ruling, the justices threw out the conviction from his sixth trial, in 2010. The decision of what happens next -- whether to release Flowers or begin a seventh trial -- now lies with the same prosecutor who's pursued him from the beginning: Doug Evans. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 21 June 2019

After nearly nine years of appeals of his sixth trial, Curtis Flowers finally had his case argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. At issue was whether DA Doug Evans tried to keep African-Americans off the jury in the 2010 trial. Flowers wasn't at the Supreme Court -- he remains on death row in Mississippi -- but the In the Dark team was. This is what we saw. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 26 March 2019

We resume Season Two with the U.S. Supreme Court weighing Curtis Flowers' case. We preview oral arguments and delve into the allegations at the heart of the appeal: that Doug Evans tried to keep African-Americans off the jury in Flowers' sixth trial. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 19 March 2019

We answer your questions and report on a fire in Winona. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 27 November 2018

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear Curtis Flowers' appeal. Now the justices will examine if District Attorney Doug Evans had a history of racial discrimination in jury selection. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 2 November 2018

In Season 1 of our podcast, we reported that the Jacob Wetterling case was a botched investigation. Just yesterday, law enforcement acknowledged it too. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 20 September 2018

Two months after the season ended, we return to Winona to see what has changed. Turns out, a lot. Curtis Flowers' mother has died. The whole town is talking about the case. Flowers' defense lawyers are including our findings in their legal filings to the Supreme Court. Citizens are trying to file bar complaints against the district attorney, Doug Evans. One man has gone into hiding, his personal safety threatened because he spoke to us. In this update episode, we look at what's happened in Winona since our last episode and what happens next with Curtis Flowers' case. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 18 September 2018

For the last episode of the season, we went to meet Jeffery Armstrong, who, a few years after Curtis Flowers first went to prison, found what might have been a key piece of evidence. What he found -- and where he found it -- offers hints that someone else may have committed the Tardy Furniture murders. Armstrong turned the evidence into the cops. And then, he says, it disappeared. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 3 July 2018

Prosecutors have always said that Curtis Flowers was the only serious suspect in the Tardy Furniture investigation. But we found a document showing that another man, Willie James Hemphill, had also been questioned just days after the murders. Who was he? Why was he questioned? When we finally found Hemphill, living in Indianapolis, he had some very surprising things to say about the case. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 26 June 2018

After re-examining the case, we'd found no direct evidence linking Curtis Flowers to the murders at Tardy Furniture. But we had one lingering question: How did Flowers become the main suspect? Why would investigators focus so much on Flowers based on so little evidence? In short, why Curtis? We decided to find out. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 19 June 2018

After investigating every aspect of the Curtis Flowers case, we were nearly ready to present what we'd found to District Attorney Doug Evans. But first we tried to learn all we could about him: his childhood, his years as a police officer and his record as district attorney. Then, finally, we met the man who's spent more than two decades trying to have Flowers executed. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 12 June 2018

There's one critical aspect of the Curtis Flowers case that we haven't looked at yet -- the makeup of the juries. Each of the four times Flowers was convicted, the jury was all white or nearly all white. So we decided to look more closely at why so few black jurors had been selected. And it wasn't always happenstance. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 5 June 2018

Odell Hallmon, the state's key witness in the Curtis Flowers case, is serving three consecutive life sentences. We wondered what he might say now that there are no deals to cut, and he will spend the rest of his days in prison. Would he stick to his story that Flowers had confessed to the Tardy Furniture murders? We wrote him letters and sent him a friend request on Facebook. Weeks went by and we heard nothing. And then, one day, he wrote back. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

Transcribed - Published: 29 May 2018