Amna Nawaz
@PBSNewsHour·5.3M subscribers·62.2K videos
What obituaries reveal about our culture
Posted
August 12, 2026
Views
2,307
Likes
190
Engagement
8.24%
August 12, 2026
2,307
190
8.24%
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1:27Now PlayingObituaries tell us about "what we value as a society," New York Times reporter Sam Roberts says.
"These are kind of the last judgments on people, and we select people who are intrinsically interesting, who are transformative or emblematic of some sort of transformation, and are occasionally even fun to read about," Roberts told Geoff Bennett.
Roberts, who has written some 1,600 obituaries over his decadeslong career at the New York Times, is the author of a new book, "Are They Dead Yet?" He speaks with Bennett on the latest episode of the PBS News podcast "Settle In."
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