The New York Times has poached Lourdes Garcia-Navarro from NPR to host its new Opinion podcast, the paper announced Thursday.
“Some news from me: I am heading to @nytopinion and I am thrilled to open up a new chapter doing what I love: telling real stories about people and how they move in the world and why they think the way they do,” Garcia-Navarro wrote on Twitter.
She went on, “At a time when there is so much distrust over where people’s opinions come from, this new show will explore the place where lived experience and opinion intersect. I think we are better and can connect more when we understand why people hold the views they do.”
In announcing her hiring, the Times described what the podcast will be like: “Imagine a guest essay, but for the ears.” The podcast will “explore the personal side of opinion.”
Garcia-Navarro most recently hosted “Weekend Edition” at NPR, which she said in her tweet thread she will always have “big love” for. She’s also worked at BBC World Service, Voice of America, the Associated Press Television News and AP Radio.
“We are delighted to have Lulu joining our team. We couldn’t imagine a journalist better suited to bring guest essays to audio as host of a new podcast from Times Opinion,” said opinion editor Kathleen Kingsbury and audio director Paula Szuchman.