Jessica Winter, The New Yorker Journalist Profile

Articles

Regrets, the YouTube Moms Have a Few

2 weeks ago | newyorker.com | Jessica Winter

When Ryan O’Neal was making the promotional rounds for “Paper Moon,” in 1973, the actor informed the press that he did not want his nine-year-old daughter and co-star, Tatum, to make any more movies until she reached adulthood. “I’ve seen what has happened to child stars,” he said.
The “Snow White” Controversy, Like Our Zeitgeist, Is Both Stupid and Sinister

3 weeks ago | newyorker.com | Jessica Winter

Why has Disney’s new live-action remake of “Snow White” flopped at the box office? Is it because the dull trailer looked A.I.-generated, or because the film’s stars, Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, appear to have sourced their costumes and makeup from Party City? Is it because the film personifies Hollywood’s status as a bottle-and-can redemption center for moldering I.P.? Is it for being a movie nobody asked for, about a princess who falls asleep?
Trump’s Vivisection of the Department of Education

1 month ago | newyorker.com | Jessica Winter

Earlier this month, the Trump Administration announced that it was laying off thirteen hundred employees of the U.S. Department of Education, in addition to the hundreds of workers who had already either lost their jobs or accepted buyout offers. Three areas of the D.O.E. in particular were disproportionately affected by the cuts: student aid, civil-rights complaints, and education research.
The Rise of the J. D. Vance Memes

1 month ago | newyorker.com | Jessica Winter

In today’s newsletter, what the photo edits say about the Vice-President’s character and politics. And then: The subversive love songs of Lucy Dacus Trump puts our constitutional system on the brink The Brooklyn Bridge gets a glow-upThe Mutable, Meme-able J. D. VanceJessica WinterWinter is a staff writer covering family and education. J. D.
The Dangers of R.F.K., Jr.,’s Measles Response

1 month ago | newyorker.com | Jessica Winter

On Sunday, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the recently confirmed Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, published an opinion piece on the Fox News website, headlined “Measles Outbreak Is Call to Action for All of Us.” The subheading was plainspoken: “MMR vaccine is crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease.” Kennedy wrote that he was “deeply concerned” about the ongoing measles outbreak, which was first detected in West Texas in late January.
The Dangers of R.F.K., Jr.,’s Measles Response

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Jessica Winter

"Not fit to have a job": Trump victim-blames ordinary Americans for his war on the economyIt's starting to look like Donald Trump is deliberately wrecking the economy. As Robert Kuttner at the American Prospect wrote this week, "no other president has gone out of his way to create a collapse," but there's no other way to interpret Trump's actions. Pointless tariffs will only jack up …
What the Assault on Public Education Means for Kids with Disabilities

2 months ago | newyorker.com | Jessica Winter

President Donald Trump, winner of the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23, has maintained close ties with Linda McMahon, the former C.E.O. of World Wrestling Entertainment, for decades. During the President’s first term, she served for two years as head of the Small Business Administration, stepping down in 2019 to lead America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC.
The Cancer Scams That Foreshadowed MAHA

2 months ago | newyorker.com | Jessica Winter

In 1986, Gilda Radner, one of “Saturday Night Live” ’s original Not Ready for Prime Time Players, was diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer, at the age of forty. She underwent a hysterectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation, entered remission, and became the public face of a support group for cancer patients called the Wellness Community, which focussed on positive thinking.
“The Secret History of the Rape Kit,” Reviewed

2 months ago | newyorker.com | Jessica Winter

In 1975, a rape victims’ advocate named Linda Reinshagen shared a story with a reporter from the Chicago Tribune. A man on the South Side had pulled a woman into an alley where he raped and badly beat her. A witness called the cops; the victim could be heard screaming from the alley when patrolmen arrived at the scene. “The police caught the rapist running down the street with his pants down,” Reinshagen said.
How Donald Trump Seizes the Primal Power of Naming

2 months ago | newyorker.com | Jessica Winter

Among the many sources of inspiration that the filmmaker David Lynch acknowledged throughout his career, from Transcendental Meditation to Bob’s Big Boy chocolate milkshakes, one was a creative exercise involving what he called the “ricky board.” Twenty near-identical images or objects are neatly lined up in four rows of five, and each item, or “ricky,” is labelled with its own unique name.