essay about my first year in high school

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My High School Years

• Category Education
• Subcategory School
• Topic High School

I remember when I was in middle school I would watch “That’s So Raven,” on Disney Channel all day, wishing I was already in High School like Raven, so that I could have the same pleasurable experiences as she did. But little did I know “That’s So Raven,” was a fantasy and that life would not be so easy.

Social media hadn’t really taken its sway over me until my freshman year at high school. The year began with me trying to find an identity for myself, as well as what made me different from those around me. I lacked solid self-confidence and self-reliance. I believed that you couldn’t disagree without jeopardizing the relationship. I no longer wanted to be a background character; but the center of the scene. As I was new, I felt like all eyes were on me and that everyone was waiting to see what I had to bring to the table. My need to impress a bunch of people who I soon realized couldn’t care less about me, only led to increased feelings of anxiety, poor body image and loneliness. I cared about my social image just as a politician running for office. My own Instagram profile probably didn’t even represent the person that I felt like on the inside. It was adverse that social media became all about fitting in and showing off, just at a time when my self-esteem became more fragile as I became more self conscious.

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It took me until my sophomore year to realize that the more identities you have, and the more time you spend pretending to be someone you aren’t, the harder it’s going to be to feel good about yourself. But this realization didn’t just stir up by itself.

Around the middle of my sophomore year, I made friends with this junior named Samm. He didn’t come to school that often because he didn’t really appreciate the confines that our education system had instigated towards learning beyond the classroom’s walls. I couldn’t disagree with him on that. Within a few months of getting to know him, he suddenly became diagnosed with paraplegia; the lower half of his body became completely paralyzed. But still so, he refused to live his life like a vegetable, and he continued pursuing his passion – basketball. At first he avoided going to the basketball court in fear of getting mocked by other peers, but he realized that if he was able to accept himself, then given a little time, others would be able to do so as well. While that friend of mine dreamt of forming the first national wheelchair basketball league in Bangladesh, there I was trying to impress a bunch of people I didn’t even really know. His continuous and ongoing journey of finding himself stimulated me to embrace the fact that I am who I am today and I am who I will be tomorrow, with all my flaws. I learnt that I couldn’t please everyone and that there would always be some people who just wouldn’t like me.

My first two years in high school had thus ended, with me finally grasping the fact that self-esteem comes from consolidating who you are and knowing how to say what you think and feel, even when you’re in disagreement with the person or it feels emotionally risky.

Unlike most people, who think that their freshman year is like starting a whole new chapter, I perceived that feeling when beginning my junior year. I began to explore and take advantage of the vast options and opportunities I had. Since I didn’t want to look back and wish or regret something that I did or didn’t do, I decided to only make moments that I would want to remember. I turned to befriending more like-minded people and those who would hopefully have a positive impact on me.

To extirpate the negativity around me I decided to cut a multitude of people out of my life that dragged me down in one way or another; especially energy zappers and promoters of bad habits. It is till date one of the key steps I’ve encountered on my way to finding happiness. Friends will come and go and that is natural. Severing ties with some people made scope for more positive people to come into my life; and gave me more time to nurture the true relationships I had.

After overcoming various predicaments I began my final and senior year feeling a sense of worthiness and strength. The insidious problems I had to face that year are but a smudge on my memory. In order to make my senior year my best year, I decided to the things I enjoyed doing. I encouraged juniors not to fall victim to the negative sides of peer pressure. I didn’t want other students to go through the same things I experienced and felt inclined to stand up for a change; but I understood that change takes one step at a time and that it’s up to everyone to take the first step on their own. I decided to initiate a certain platform which would mentally and physically prepare students to interact with the environment around them and would also allow them to express their thoughts and emotions. This platform made me believe that being an agent in my community wasn’t just a cliché for me, but a necessary commitment.

I graduated high school learning that school and teachers can only teach us so much, and that the real learning comes from self-motivation. Ultimately, it’s all a matter of staying true to what you believe personally and following your moral compass, even in the foggiest conditions. High school helped me grow academically, emotionally, socially and realistically; and though it wasn’t the best four years of my life, as it is for many, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the experience. 

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• High School
• College Search
• College Admissions
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• College Life

What I Learned My Freshman Year of High School

Going into freshman year, I heard tons of contradicting advice.  Some students told me to join every club possible, while others told me to relax because colleges do not look at your freshman year for admissions. It was overwhelming.

The best advice I can give to incoming freshmen is to find balance. You need to balance your coursework, extracurricular involvements, and social life.

Be warned; it can take months or even years to find this balance. As a current junior looking back now,  I had some brilliant but also overwhelming moments. Keep reading if you want to hear my takeaways from my experience.

At my high school, freshmen are not allowed to take advanced placement classes . You can take classes over the summer that count for credit, but most students do not do this.

Since I had done well in middle school, I  followed my teacher’s recommendations and enrolled in the honors section for my social studies, biology, English, and math classes. I also took the mandatory physical education requirement. There are no honors Spanish sections for the first two levels, so I started at Spanish 1.

My two electives were two semesters of concert band, and I placed into the honors level band with my audition. If you have the option to take advanced placement classes, I would keep it to two maximum and make sure they are subjects you love. Speaking from personal experience, it is hard to read 100 pages of material for a subject you do not love.

Before you decide between honors and academics classes, speak to your current 8th-grade teachers. They can give honest feedback on your class performance and how they think you would perform at the next level.

Also, be prepared for language courses. If this is your first language course, expect to adjust your studying methods and spend extra time studying. Most students agree that language classes are unlike any previous experience they’ve had. High school classes are often faster and have more assignments, so invest in an agenda to stay organized and create relationships with your teachers and peers for extra homework help.

If you were a procrastinator in middle school, freshman year is the time to curb that habit. Teachers are not as happy to accept late work. With the amount of work assigned, having to play catch-up can be difficult.

In high school, your elective options often expand, so try something new! One of my biggest regrets is not getting to take all the electives I wanted to. If you find yourself in a similar boat, remember that electives are a great way to explore new subjects. 

Extracurricular Activities

I treated freshman year as a time to discover what I liked and didn’t like. During my freshman year, I participated in the marching band and the track & field team as after-school activities. In terms of clubs, I participated in the dance club, TED-Ed club, and slam poetry club. I had a small leadership position as a club choreographer in the dance club and was a finalist in the TED-Ed competition.

I was also accepted into a competitive volunteer program at a local hospital and worked at Cold Stone Creamery for the summer. I had a great time at a North Carolina School of Science and Math summer program . Take advantage of your summers!

Unfortunately, a new school opened in my district so I had to transfer schools after my freshman year. I still participate in track & field, the band, and a similar TED-Ed club at my new school, but I no longer do dance club although I enter the occasional contest. After volunteering at the hospital over the summer, I became more interested in volunteering, STEM, and medicine, so I used this experience to pick my future clubs.

Don’t feel pressured to do what everyone else is doing – do what makes you happy. There is no one-size-fits-all checklist of extracurricular activities .

Social Life 

High school also presents you with many fun social activities. My favorite events were my band’s homecomings and themed Friday night football games. I think everyone should give these school events a try!

If you are nervous, find a group who wants to go with you. These social events will be lifelong memories. If you are still anxious about going to events, many schools request volunteers to set up school social events. Go volunteer and meet people! The best thing you can do in high school is to get out of your comfort zone. Make your four years amazing.

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Author: Lauryn Taylor

Hi everyone! I am Lauryn Taylor, a second year student at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying economics and public policy with a media and journalism minor. I am on the pre-law track with interest in health, education, and media. At school, I am involved with a couple different things including being Vice President of a mental health club and the Student Director of Institutional Research and Assessment. I also work for our Campus Health marketing and engagement team and am the student representative for the Policy Review Committee. I look forward to sharing my journey and being a guide through the your college admissions journey!

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When it comes to extracurricular activities, there’s no set rule concerning how many you should be involved in or how involved you must be.

It may seem like a daunting task, but securing an internship as a high school student is a realistic and possible thing.

Here you’ll find information about how best to be prepared to meet with your college/career counselor so that they can help you achieve your goals. They were really helpful when I was going through the college application process.

Home — Essay Samples — Education — First Day of School — First Day of High School Essay – 150 Words

About My First Day at High School

• Categories: First Day of School High School

About this sample

Words: 168 |

Published: May 14, 2021

Words: 168 | Page: 1 | 1 min read

First day of school (essay)

Works cited.

• Chen, X., & Wu, B. (2019). Traditional Chinese Cultural Values and Personality Traits Among Chinese International Students. Journal of International Students, 9(2), 487-503. doi:10.32674/jis.v9i2.239
• Cohen, E. G. (1994). Designing Groupwork: Strategies for the Heterogeneous Classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
• Delpit, L. (1995). Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. New York, NY: The New Press.
• Du, X., Li, Y., & Zhang, L. (2016). Confucianism, Education, and Schooling: A Brief Introduction. In Y. Li & X. Du (Eds.), Chinese Education in Global Contexts: Research and practice in China and the UK (pp. 1-20). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1057/978-1-137-58078-6_1
• Gay, G. (2000). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
• Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Kao, G. (1995). Asian Americans as Model Minorities?: A Look at Their Academic Performance. American Journal of Education, 103(2), 121-159. doi:10.1086/444120
• Ogbu, J. U. (1988). Minority Education and Caste: The American System in Cross-Cultural Perspective. New York, NY: Academic Press.
• Su, C., & Kuo, B. (2019). The Impact of Western Education on Chinese Students' Cultural Identity. Journal of International Students, 9(2), 601-622. doi:10.32674/jis.v9i2.266
• Zhou, M. (2002). The Limits of Racial Domination: Plebeian Society in Colonial Mexico City, 1660-1720. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

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The Big List of Essay Topics for High School (120+ Ideas!)

Ideas to inspire every young writer!

High school students generally do a lot of writing, learning to use language clearly, concisely, and persuasively. When it’s time to choose an essay topic, though, it’s easy to come up blank. If that’s the case, check out this huge round-up of essay topics for high school. You’ll find choices for every subject and writing style.

• Argumentative Essay Topics
• Cause-and-Effect Essay Topics
• Compare-Contrast Essay Topics
• Descriptive Essay Topics
• Expository and Informative Essay Topics
• Humorous Essay Topics

Literary Essay Topics

• Narrative and Personal Essay Topics
• Personal Essay Topics
• Persuasive Essay Topics

Research Essay Topics

Argumentative essay topics for high school.

When writing an argumentative essay, remember to do the research and lay out the facts clearly. Your goal is not necessarily to persuade someone to agree with you, but to encourage your reader to accept your point of view as valid. Here are some possible argumentative topics to try. ( Here are 100 more compelling argumentative essay topics. )

• The most important challenge our country is currently facing is … (e.g., immigration, gun control, economy)
• The government should provide free internet access for every citizen.
• All drugs should be legalized, regulated, and taxed.
• Vaping is less harmful than smoking tobacco.
• The best country in the world is …
• Parents should be punished for their minor children’s crimes.
• Should all students have the ability to attend college for free?
• Should physical education be part of the standard high school curriculum?

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• Schools should require recommended vaccines for all students, with very limited exceptions.
• Is it acceptable to use animals for experiments and research?
• Does social media do more harm than good?
• Capital punishment does/does not deter crime.
• What one class should all high schools students be required to take and pass in order to graduate?
• Do we really learn anything from history, or does it just repeat itself over and over?
• Are men and women treated equally?

Cause-and-Effect Essay Topics for High School

A cause-and-effect essay is a type of argumentative essay. Your goal is to show how one specific thing directly influences another specific thing. You’ll likely need to do some research to make your point. Here are some ideas for cause-and-effect essays. ( Get a big list of 100 cause-and-effect essay topics here. )

• Humans are causing accelerated climate change.
• Fast-food restaurants have made human health worse over the decades.
• What caused World War II? (Choose any conflict for this one.)
• Describe the effects social media has on young adults.

• How does playing sports affect people?
• What are the effects of loving to read?
• Being an only/oldest/youngest/middle child makes you …
• What effect does violence in movies or video games have on kids?
• Traveling to new places opens people’s minds to new ideas.
• Racism is caused by …

Compare-Contrast Essay Topics for High School

As the name indicates, in compare-and-contrast essays, writers show the similarities and differences between two things. They combine descriptive writing with analysis, making connections and showing dissimilarities. The following ideas work well for compare-contrast essays. ( Find 80+ compare-contrast essay topics for all ages here. )

• Public and private schools
• Capitalism vs. communism
• Monarchy or democracy
• Dogs vs. cats as pets

• Paper books or e-books
• Two political candidates in a current race
• Going to college vs. starting work full-time
• Working your way through college as you go or taking out student loans
• iPhone or Android
• Instagram vs. Twitter (or choose any other two social media platforms)

Descriptive Essay Topics for High School

Bring on the adjectives! Descriptive writing is all about creating a rich picture for the reader. Take readers on a journey to far-off places, help them understand an experience, or introduce them to a new person. Remember: Show, don’t tell. These topics make excellent descriptive essays.

• Who is the funniest person you know?
• What is your happiest memory?
• Tell about the most inspirational person in your life.
• Write about your favorite place.
• When you were little, what was your favorite thing to do?
• Choose a piece of art or music and explain how it makes you feel.
• What is your earliest memory?

• What’s the best/worst vacation you’ve ever taken?
• Describe your favorite pet.
• What is the most important item in the world to you?
• Give a tour of your bedroom (or another favorite room in your home).
• Describe yourself to someone who has never met you.
• Lay out your perfect day from start to finish.
• Explain what it’s like to move to a new town or start a new school.
• Tell what it would be like to live on the moon.

Expository and Informative Essay Topics for High School

Expository essays set out clear explanations of a particular topic. You might be defining a word or phrase or explaining how something works. Expository or informative essays are based on facts, and while you might explore different points of view, you won’t necessarily say which one is “better” or “right.” Remember: Expository essays educate the reader. Here are some expository and informative essay topics to explore. ( See 70+ expository and informative essay topics here. )

• What makes a good leader?
• Explain why a given school subject (math, history, science, etc.) is important for students to learn.
• What is the “glass ceiling” and how does it affect society?
• Describe how the internet changed the world.
• What does it mean to be a good teacher?

• Explain how we could colonize the moon or another planet.
• Discuss why mental health is just as important as physical health.
• Describe a healthy lifestyle for a teenager.
• Choose an American president and explain how their time in office affected the country.
• What does “financial responsibility” mean?

Humorous Essay Topics for High School

Humorous essays can take on any form, like narrative, persuasive, or expository. You might employ sarcasm or satire, or simply tell a story about a funny person or event. Even though these essay topics are lighthearted, they still take some skill to tackle well. Give these ideas a try.

• What would happen if cats (or any other animal) ruled the world?
• What do newborn babies wish their parents knew?
• Explain the best ways to be annoying on social media.
• Invent a wacky new sport, explain the rules, and describe a game or match.

• Imagine a discussion between two historic figures from very different times, like Cleopatra and Queen Elizabeth I.
• Retell a familiar story in tweets or other social media posts.
• Describe present-day Earth from an alien’s point of view.
• Choose a fictional character and explain why they should be the next president.
• Describe a day when kids are in charge of everything, at school and at home.

Literary essays analyze a piece of writing, like a book or a play. In high school, students usually write literary essays about the works they study in class. These literary essay topic ideas focus on books students often read in high school, but many of them can be tweaked to fit other works as well.

• Discuss the portrayal of women in Shakespeare’s Othello .
• Explore the symbolism used in The Scarlet Letter .
• Explain the importance of dreams in Of Mice and Men .
• Compare and contrast the romantic relationships in Pride and Prejudice .

• Dissect the allegory of Animal Farm and its relation to contemporary events.
• Interpret the author’s take on society and class structure in The Great Gatsby .
• Explore the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia.
• Discuss whether Shakespeare’s portrayal of young love in Romeo and Juliet is accurate.
• Explain the imagery used in Beowulf .

Narrative and Personal Essay Topics for High School

Think of a narrative essay like telling a story. Use some of the same techniques that you would for a descriptive essay, but be sure you have a beginning, middle, and end. A narrative essay doesn’t necessarily need to be personal, but they often are. Take inspiration from these narrative and personal essay topics.

• Describe a performance or sporting event you took part in.
• Explain the process of cooking and eating your favorite meal.
• Write about meeting your best friend for the first time and how your relationship developed.
• Tell about learning to ride a bike or drive a car.
• Describe a time in your life when you’ve been scared.

• Share the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you.
• Tell about a time when you overcame a big challenge.
• Tell the story of how you learned an important life lesson.
• Describe a time when you or someone you know experienced prejudice or oppression.
• Explain a family tradition, how it developed, and its importance today.
• What is your favorite holiday? How does your family celebrate it?
• Retell a familiar story from the point of view of a different character.
• Describe a time when you had to make a difficult decision.
• Tell about your proudest moment.

Persuasive Essay Topics for High School

Persuasive essays are similar to argumentative , but they rely less on facts and more on emotion to sway the reader. It’s important to know your audience, so you can anticipate any counterarguments they might make and try to overcome them. Try these topics to persuade someone to come around to your point of view. ( Discover 60 more intriguing persuasive essay topics here. )

• Do you think homework should be required, optional, or not given at all?
• Everyone should be vegetarian or vegan.
• What animal makes the best pet?
• Visit an animal shelter, choose an animal that needs a home, and write an essay persuading someone to adopt that animal.
• Who is the world’s best athlete, present or past?
• Should little kids be allowed to play competitive sports?
• Are professional athletes/musicians/actors overpaid?
• The best music genre is …

• Is democracy the best form of government?
• Is capitalism the best form of economy?
• Students should/should not be able to use their phones during the school day.
• Should schools have dress codes?
• If I could change one school rule, it would be …
• Is year-round school a good idea?

A research essay is a classic high school assignment. These papers require deep research into primary source documents, with lots of supporting facts and evidence that’s properly cited. Research essays can be in any of the styles shown above. Here are some possible topics, across a variety of subjects.

• Which country’s style of government is best for the people who live there?
• Choose a country and analyze its development from founding to present day.
• Describe the causes and effects of a specific war.
• Formulate an ideal economic plan for our country.
• What scientific discovery has had the biggest impact on life today?

• Analyze the way mental health is viewed and treated in this country.
• Explore the ways systemic racism impacts people in all walks of life.
• Defend the importance of teaching music and the arts in public schools.
• Choose one animal from the endangered species list, and propose a realistic plan to protect it.

What are some of your favorite essay topics for high school? Come share your prompts on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out the ultimate guide to student writing contests .

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How to Write Any High School Essay

Last Updated: March 22, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Emily Listmann, MA and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising . Emily Listmann is a private tutor in San Carlos, California. She has worked as a Social Studies Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and an SAT Prep Teacher. She received her MA in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education in 2014. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 561,895 times.

Writing an essay is an important basic skill that you will need to succeed in high school and college. While essays will vary depending on your teacher and the assignment, most essays will follow the same basic structure. By supporting your thesis with information in your body paragraphs, you can successfully write an essay for any course!

Writing Help

Planning Your Essay

• Expository essays uses arguments to investigate and explain a topic.
• Persuasive essays try to convince the readers to believe or accept your specific point of view
• Narrative essays tell about a real-life personal experience.
• Descriptive essays are used to communicate deeper meaning through the use of descriptive words and sensory details.

• Look through books or use search engines online to look at the broad topic before narrowing your ideas down into something more concise.

• For example, the statement “Elephants are used to perform in circuses” does not offer an arguable point. Instead, you may try something like “Elephants should not be kept in the circus since they are mistreated.” This allows you to find supporting arguments or for others to argue against it.
• Keep in mind that some essay writing will not require an argument, such as a narrative essay. Instead, you might focus on a pivotal point in the story as your main claim.

• Talk to your school’s librarian for direction on specific books or databases you could use to find your information.
• Many schools offer access to online databases like EBSCO or JSTOR where you can find reliable information.
• Wikipedia is a great starting place for your research, but it can be edited by anyone in the world. Instead, look at the article’s references to find the sites where the information really came from.
• Use Google Scholar if you want to find peer-reviewed scholarly articles for your sources.
• Make sure to consider the author’s credibility when reviewing sources. If a source does not include the author’s name, then it might not be a good option.

• Outlines will vary in size or length depending on how long your essay needs to be. Longer essays will have more body paragraphs to support your arguments.

Starting an Essay

• Make sure your quotes or information are accurate and not an exaggeration of the truth, or else readers will question your validity throughout the rest of your essay.

• For example, “Because global warming is causing the polar ice caps to melt, we need to eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels within the next 5 years.” Or, “Since flavored tobacco appeals mainly to children and teens, it should be illegal for tobacco manufacturers to sell these products.”
• The thesis is usually the last or second to last sentence in your introduction.

• Use the main topics of your body paragraphs as an idea of what to include in your mini-outline.

Writing the Body Paragraphs

• Think of your topic sentences as mini-theses so your paragraphs only argue a specific point.

• Many high school essays are written in MLA or APA style. Ask your teacher what format they want you to follow if it’s not specified.

• Unless you’re writing a personal essay, avoid the use of “I” statements since this could make your essay look less professional.

• For example, if your body paragraphs discuss similar points in a different way, you can use phrases like “in the same way,” “similarly,” and “just as” to start other body paragraphs.
• If you are posing different points, try phrases like “in spite of,” “in contrast,” or “however” to transition.

Concluding Your Essay

• For example, if your thesis was, “The cell phone is the most important invention in the past 30 years,” then you may restate the thesis in your conclusion like, “Due to the ability to communicate anywhere in the world and access information easily, the cell phone is a pivotal invention in human history.”
• If you’re only writing a 1-page paper, restating your main ideas isn’t necessary.

• For example, if you write an essay discussing the themes of a book, think about how the themes are affecting people’s lives today.

• Try to pick the same type of closing sentence as you used as your attention getter.

• Including a Works Cited page shows that the information you provided isn’t all your own and allows the reader to visit the sources to see the raw information for themselves.
• Avoid using online citation machines since they may be outdated.

Revising the Paper

• Have a peer or parent read through your essay to see if they understand what point you’re trying to make.

• For example, if your essay discusses the history of an event, make sure your sentences flow in a chronological way in the order the events happened.

• If you cut parts out of your essay, make sure to reread it to see if it affects the flow of how it reads.

Community Q&A

• Allow ample time to layout your essay before you get started writing. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• If you have writer's block , take a break for a few minutes. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2
• Check the rubric provided by your teacher and compare your essay to it. This helps you gauge what you need to include or change. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

• Avoid using plagiarism since this could result in academic consequences. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1

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• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/types-of-essays/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/
• ↑ https://guides.libs.uga.edu/reliability
• ↑ https://facultyweb.ivcc.edu/rrambo/eng1001/outline.htm
• ↑ https://examples.yourdictionary.com/20-compelling-hook-examples-for-essays.html
• ↑ https://wts.indiana.edu/writing-guides/how-to-write-a-thesis-statement.html
• ↑ https://guidetogrammar.org/grammar/five_par.htm
• ↑ https://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/jason.laviolette/persuasive-essay-outline
• ↑ https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/paragraphs/topicsentences
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/transitions/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/ending-essay-conclusions
• ↑ https://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/how-to-write-an-essay/conclusion
• ↑ https://pitt.libguides.com/citationhelp
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/revising-drafts/

About This Article

Writing good essays is an important skill to have in high school, and you can write a good one by planning it out and organizing it well. Before you start, do some research on your topic so you can come up with a strong, specific thesis statement, which is essentially the main argument of your essay. For instance, your thesis might be something like, “Elephants should not be kept in the circus because they are mistreated.” Once you have your thesis, outline the paragraphs for your essay. You should have an introduction that includes your thesis, at least 3 body paragraphs that explain your main points, and a conclusion paragraph. Start each body paragraph with a topic sentence that states the main point of the paragraph. As you write your main points, make sure to include evidence and quotes from your research to back it up. To learn how to revise your paper, read more from our Writing co-author! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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• School Education /

Essay on My First Day in School: Sample in 100, 200, 350 Words

• Updated on  
• Jan 23, 2024

Essay on My First Day in School: The first day of school is often considered an important day in every child’s life. It is a time of a mix of emotions, like nervousness, excitement, homesickness, feelings of shyness, and likewise. But did you know these feelings are responsible for making our day memorable?

As children, we all are like a blank canvas, easily dyed into any colour. Our first day in school is like a new world to us. As a child, we all have experienced those feelings. So, to make you feel nostalgic and refresh those special feelings, we have brought some samples of essay on my first day in school.

Master the art of essay writing with our blog on How to Write an Essay in English .

This Blog Includes:

Essay on my first day in school in 100 words, essay on my first day in school sample in 200 words, essay on my first day in day in school in 350 words.

It was a cloudy day when I took my first step into the compound of my school. I was carrying a new backpack that was filled with notebooks. Though the backpack was a bit heavy, instead of focusing on the weight, I was excited about the beginning of my journey on my first day in school.

My classroom was at the end of the corridor. As I entered my classroom, my class teacher introduced me to the class and made me feel welcome. Activities like reading, solving problems in groups, and sharing our lunch boxes slowly and steadily transformed the new student with a sense of belonging.

The whole day progressed with mixed excitement as well as emotions. As the bell rang, declaring the end of the school day, the school felt like a world of possibilities where the journey was more than textbooks.

To improve your essay writing skills, here are the top 200+ English Essay Topics for school students.

Also Read: Speech on Republic Day for Class 12th

It was a sunny day and the sun was shining brightly. With my new and attractive backpack, I was moving through the school gate. It was my first day in school and I was filled with nervousness and excitement. From the tower of the building to the playground everything was bigger than life. As a school student, I was about to enter a new world. 

The corridor was filled with the echo of students. As I entered the classroom, wearing a mix of curiosity and excitement, my classmates and class teacher welcomed me with a warm smile. After a round of introductions and some warm-up activities, strangers gradually started tuning into potential friends. At lunchtime, the cafeteria was filled with the smell of delicious food. However, I hesitated before joining the group of students but soon enough, I was laughing with my new friends and sharing stories. The unfamiliar were now my friends and transformed my mixed emotions into delightfulness. 

The bell rang for the next class and I stepped out for new learning in my new academic home. My first day of school had many memorable stories, with old subjects and new introductions of knowledge. The day was spent learning, sharing and making new memories. 

Also Read: Essay on Joint Family in 500+ words in English  

My first day in school started by stepping onto the school bus with a bag full of books and a heart full of curiosity. It was like I was starting a new chapter in my life. After traveling a long way back, I stepped at the gate of my school. The school gate welcomed me with open arms and greeted me with a sense of excitement as well as nervousness.

As I entered the classroom, I found many new faces. Arranging my stuff on the seat, I sat next to an unknown, who later on turned into the best friend of my life. I entered my class with a welcoming smile, and later on, I turned everything in with ease. During our lunchtime, the cafeteria was filled with the energy of students. 

At first, I hesitated to interact with the children, but later on, I was a part of a group that invited me to join the table. At lunchtime, I made many new friends and was no longer a stranger. After having delicious food and chit-chatting with friends, we get back to our respective classrooms. Different subjects such as mathematics, science, and English never left the same impact as they did on the first day of school. 

The teacher taught the lessons so interestingly that we learned the chapter with a mix of laughter and learning. At the end of the day, we all went straight to the playground and enjoyed the swings. Moreover, in the playground, I also met many faces who were new to the school and had their first day in school, like me.

While returning home, I realised that my first day was not just about learning new subjects; it was about making new friends, sailing into new vibrant classrooms, and settling myself as a new student. The morning, which was full of uncertainty at the end of the day, came to an end with exciting adventures and endless possibilities. With new experiences, I look forward to new academic and personal growth in the wonderful world of education.

Also Read: Leave Letter for Stomach Pain: Format and Samples

My first day of school was filled with mixed feelings. I was nervous, homesick, and excited on the first day at my school.

While writing about the first day of school, I share my experience of beginning my journey from home. What were my feelings, emotions, and excitement related to the first day of school, and how did I deal with a whole day among the unknown faces, these were some of the things I wrote in my first day of school experience essay. 

The first day of school is important because, as a new student, we manage everything new. The practice of managing everything is the first step towards self-responsibility.

Along with studying my favourite subjects, I share fun moments and delicious foods with my friends in school. 

Parents are filled with emotions on the first day of their child. As school is the place to gain knowledge, skills, and experience, parents try their best to give their children the best academics they can.

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For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay writing page and follow Leverage Edu.

Deepika Joshi

Deepika Joshi is an experienced content writer with expertise in creating educational and informative content. She has a year of experience writing content for speeches, essays, NCERT, study abroad and EdTech SaaS. Her strengths lie in conducting thorough research and ananlysis to provide accurate and up-to-date information to readers. She enjoys staying updated on new skills and knowledge, particulary in education domain. In her free time, she loves to read articles, and blogs with related to her field to further expand her expertise. In personal life, she loves creative writing and aspire to connect with innovative people who have fresh ideas to offer.

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Replay: ‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year’ Remains a No-Senior-Skip Masterpiece

Writer Caroline Bell reflects on the end of her college career through the lens of the third installment in the High School Musical Series, “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.”

I was 6 years old when “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” was released in 2008.

While Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez were saying their post-grad goodbyes, I was graduating kindergarten — not exactly the target demographic for the coming-of-age film.

I appropriately rediscovered “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” while in high school. Although it’s the franchise’s lowest-rated movie, it felt the most relatable. I was also applying to colleges, marking each of my lasts and navigating life as a high school senior.

Then, two months before my graduation, COVID-19 hit and the world shut down.

I craved normalcy, envying the characters’ mundane dilemmas. I wanted to pour over early admissions programs like Gabriella instead of waiting around to hear which schools had gone test-optional. I wanted to vigorously prepare for my last band concert like the ambitious Ryan Evans, who worked tirelessly to choreograph his last musical.

I wanted a senior prom with all my friends, just like East High School’s.

Now, as I close out my fourth year of college, I can’t help but feel drawn to the film’s soundtrack once again. Burdened with the stress of finding a job and entering the real world, I’ve found refuge in the campy, heavily-dramatized ballads sung by fellow graduates attempting to sort out their lives.

True to the anxieties of graduating, “Now Or Never” opens the album with the sound of Troy’s pounding heartbeat.

“The way we play tonight (Yeah) / Is what we leave behind (That’s right),” Troy sings from the basketball court as his Wildcat teammates cheer him on.

Voices overlap as Troy attempts to lead his team to win the championship. Cheerleaders, coaches and spectators all remind him how high the stakes of his last game are.

The album’s third track “I Want It All” features the ever-fabulous twins Sharpay and Ryan Evans as they manifest their goals. Every ounce of stage fright would escape my body as I performed the Broadway-esque tune from the driver’s seat on the way to school, my brother Josh rolling his eyes a seat over.

“Don’t you see that bigger is better / And better is bigger? / A little bit is never enough, no, no, no,” Sharpay sings.

Prom night hijinks and wardrobe malfunctions ensue in “A Night to Remember” as the characters prepare for a big dance, which — true to the meta nature of the movie — isn’t their actual prom but the rehearsal of a musical number.

My neighbor Grace and I would perform this number in her bedroom as kids. We’d go through her dress-up box and hold dresses to our chest debating which to wear to our imaginary prom, just like the girls in the scene.

“Just Wanna Be With You,” the obligatory Kelsi Nielsen-constructed Troy and Gabriella duet, has always served as a bittersweet reminder that no matter what I face in life, the people who love me will always be there for me.

During quarantine, I thought of the forced distance between my friends and I — now I think of the ways that distance brought us closer together.

“You’re on my mind, you’re in my heart / It doesn’t matter where we are / We’ll be alright / Even if we’re miles apart,” Troy and Gabriella harmonize.

Gabriella puts physical and emotional distance between herself and East High in “Walk Away,” a percussion-heavy ballad. She sings of cutting ties with high school relationships and memories after enrolling in an early admission program at Stanford University, desperately wanting to move on.

Although Gabriella and I don’t share the same philosophy, I can’t help but shed a tear over the line, “I don’t think I’ll survive a goodbye again,” as I think about my impending graduation.

“Scream,” Troy’s own moment of emotional catharsis, is male rage at its most melodramatic. He tears down banners, throws basketballs and punches walls, wreaking gentle havoc on the school.

In my mind, it’s the yin to the yang of “Bet On It”— swapping golf metaphors for basketball.

We’re brought full-circle through the franchise with “We’re All In This Together (Graduation Mix),” which plays in the background as main characters’ post-graduation plans are read off by East High’s drama teacher Ms. Darbus. I’m forced to recall my own high school graduation, which ended up taking place on my high school’s football field, everyone seated six feet apart.

I rarely watch “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” nowadays. It hurts to see the characters dance at prom and stand on stage at graduation together. Still, I listen to the soundtrack regularly to remind me of moments I did have — drives to and from school with the radio blaring, after school sing-a-longs in random classrooms with friends or parking lot dance parties after everyone else had gone home.

“High School Musical,” the last cast-led song on the album and my personal favorite, feels different than any other song. With an upbeat bassline, horns and tambourine, it’s a fitting way to mark the end of a nostalgic franchise as its characters move on to bigger endeavors.

As I move on to bigger and better things, I hold with me the memories I made in college — the friends I made, the laughs we shared, the fun we had. I know moving on doesn’t mean leaving behind — I’ll carry college with me wherever I go, just as I still hold onto high school.

“I want the rest of my life to feel just like a / High school musical,” the cast sings as a stage curtain closes.

“High School Musical 3: Senior Year” is available to stream on all major platforms.

Featured image courtesy of Disney+

Caroline Bell

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'Put my life into wrestling': Appleton North's Jake Stoffel is chosen as high school wrestler of the year

A PPLETON – As the debate over specialization or playing multiple sports rages on, Jake Stoffel is proof that the answer isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Stoffel, a senior at Appleton North, was in sixth grade when he decided he would forgo other sports and focus on his No. 1 love — wrestling.

He set a lofty, faraway goal that he wanted to win not one, but two high school state wrestling championships before he graduated.

And he was willing to do whatever it took to make that dream come true.

“I sat down with my parents around sixth grade and they kind of gave me this little option of, ‘All right, what are we going to do here?’ And I knew right away, yep, wrestling, this is what’s going to happen. I’m going to leave all other sports and put my life into wrestling, and that’s how it’s been since sixth grade,” Stoffel said.

The singular focus and determination couldn’t have worked out better for Stoffel, who capped his final season for the Lightning with his second WIAA Division 1 state title to secure an undefeated season with a 42-0 record.

His success on the mat has earned him a scholarship to wrestle at the University of Missouri, and he’s been chosen The Post-Crescent’s high school wrestler of the year for the 2023-24 season.

“Jake has set a new standard for Appleton North wrestling,” said Scott Clough, who announced recently he was retiring after 23 years as head coach of the Lightning. “From the first day he stepped into the wrestling room at Appleton North, he made an immediate impact and continued to do so throughout his high school career. 

“His wrestling IQ is so high, plus he’s ultra-competitive, dedicated, passionate, athletic and the list could go on and on. He’s everything a coach could ask for and then some.” 

Stoffel's growth shows up on the mat

Stoffel got started in wrestling as a 4-year-old with a nudge from his dad, Nate, an accomplished high school wrestler and a longtime coach in the area.

“He didn’t force me to do it. Just put me in it to see if I liked it. From then on, I’ve loved it,” Stoffel said. “Having fun is the biggest thing with it. From 4 years old on to now, I’m still having fun with it. It’s been super exciting.”

Stoffel wrestled at 113 pounds as a freshman at North and finished with a 16-1 record during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season. It would be the only season he didn’t advance to state.

He was 43-3 as a sophomore and finished third at state at 132 pounds, then went 44-1 as a junior and won his first state title, this time in the 152-pound weight class.

While it’s not uncommon for wrestlers to move up in weight classes as they get older and mature, Stoffel’s growth came in many ways.

“My dad was always like, ‘You got to get in the weight room, you got to get in the weight room.’ It finally clicked that sophomore year and it just took off,” Stoffel said. “It’s just like another home to me. The weight room, eating right, all those things. It was just kind of a mix between natural growth and me just progressing in that weight room.”

If weight classes didn’t exist, Stoffel said his ideal wrestling weight would be around 185 or 190 pounds. That’s where he was as he trained last summer before cutting weight for the start of the high school season in November.

The experience he gained the last four years wrestling anywhere from 113 pounds to 190 was invaluable and made him a better wrestler.

“It really helped progressing through each weight class because being 113, you’re small, fast, you’re not really using your strength against other people,” he said. “I kind of developed this progression all the way up to 175 pounds where I can use my little guy speed when it needs to come into play and then just being stronger from the weight room, it just helps so much. Mentally I was always prepared for the next step. I was always wrestling weight classes up throughout my younger years. I was always wrestling up. All those things prepared me for the end goal of the state tournament to be in almost three weight classes a year. It was just a grind pushing myself in the weight room. It really helped me grow as a person and in my wrestling.”

Stoffel saves his best for final season

Having secured his first state title as a junior with a 5-3 victory over Caleb Dennee of Marshfield, Stoffel could reach the goal he had set years earlier of winning two state titles if he took care of business this season. He also desperately wanted to go undefeated as a senior after losing only one match the year before.

His closest match during the regular season came at the Mid-States Wrestling Classic in Whitewater in late December, when he faced Illinois state champion Matthew Jens of Grayslake Central in the championship match at 175. It was a tight match throughout, with Stoffel eventually winning 3-2 by ultimate tiebreaker.

“That’s probably my tightest and toughest high school match,” Stoffel said. “Although it was tough, I didn’t feel in danger or anything like that. I always had the mindset of being dominant and being that predator on the mat. I’m never going to be the prey. I’m always going to fight for points, be the first to score, and all those things.”

Stoffel won his fourth Fox Valley Association title in February, then cruised through regionals and sectionals to earn the No. 1 seed at 175 for the state meet at the Kohl Center in Madison.

He won his first two matches at state with quick pins, then beat Johnny Botsch of Brookfield East 4-2 in the semifinals. He put the finishing touches on his undefeated season with a 6-2 victory over Benjamin Ott of Nicolet in the championship match for his second title.

“My dream, since a little kid, it’s been to win two state titles and even more than that, but the main goal was to win the two. I accomplished that this year,” Stoffel said. “It was super fun. Was undefeated, which was my plan going into it. It was the plan last year, too, fell short by one match. But this year it’s been a ride. It was good all the way through. Had a couple tough matches with exciting state finals.

“I love the Kohl Center. It’s an amazing place. It excited me every time I go there. It was such a good year with the duals, the tournaments, everything. I set out to win another state title, be undefeated, and I accomplished that. With the high school season, it’s been a ride and finishing off with another state title really made me feel every feeling I could feel.”

Stoffel finished his career at North with a 145-5 record and is second in all-time wins for the Lightning, just five behind Ian Laatsch’s 150 victories.

While it’s likely he would have surpassed Laatsch’s record had his freshman season not been shortened due to the pandemic, Stoffel nonetheless is proud of the legacy he left on and off the mat at North as a three-time team captain.

“It means so much to me. Appleton North wrestling has been amazing. I can’t describe the words to thank all my coaches and things for pushing me every day and doing these different things,” Stoffel said. “Coach Clough, he’s the best coach out there. I say it with my full heart. You won’t get better than him. He’s the true guy. He’ll drop everything for you. He’ll do what it takes to be the best version of yourself, on and off the mat.

“I know at the end of the day, when I am however years old and pass away, people aren’t going to remember me as this great wrestler. If I win Olympics, I’m not going to be remembered as this great wrestler. It’s the person who I was, the person I made myself out to be.”

Stoffel will wrestle for the Missouri Tigers

Stoffel, who won’t turn 18 until August, will continue his wrestling career at the University of Missouri and join a Tigers program that finished 11th at the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 23.

Missouri’s program has featured a number of wrestlers from Wisconsin in recent seasons, just another reason it felt like home for Stoffel when he made his recruiting visit.

“It’s weird to say it, but as soon as I stepped in that airport I had this weird feeling. Everybody talks about like you’ll feel it, you’ll feel it when you get there. You’ll know that’s the place to be. And that first step in the airport, I had this really weird but good feeling,” Stoffel said. “I feel at home with them. It’s just like North wrestling. It’s just a family. We can all have our own goals and dreams and all achieve them together.”

Stoffel said the plan is to redshirt his first year on campus and he thinks that development year will be good for him. However, if the chance comes for him to get on the mat right away, he’s not going to back down from the challenge.

“If the opportunity arises where I can be on that lineup and my coaches, my team, my family, myself all believe that I can go out there and contend for a national title my freshman year, I’m going to full force go for it,” he said. “If I’m hitting the gas pedal and doing the right things in and out of the wrestling room and everybody believes in me and I believe in myself, that’s an option there.”

Post-Crescent All-Area Wrestling Team

Brock Arndt, sr., Appleton North : 30-2 record, state runner-up at 285 in Division 1.

Lillie Banks, so., Menasha : 47-0, state champion at 132.

Blake Carton, jr., Shiocton : 45-4, state runner-up at 150 in Division 3.

Liam Crook, so., Kaukauna : 42-0, state champion at 165 in Division 1.

Andy DiPiazza, fr., Kaukauna : 46-6, state runner-up at 106 in Division 1.

Jacob Herm, jr., Neenah: 47-0, state champion at 144 in Division 1.

Vanden Hoffman, sr., Weyauwega-Fremont : 45-2, state runner-up at 285 in Division 3.

Bob Huntley, jr., Brillion: 56-4, state runner-up at 126 in Division 2.

Declan Koch, so., Neenah: 45-3, state runner-up at 138 in Division 1.

Hailie Krueger, jr., New London: 42-0, state champion at 152.

Wyatt Magolski, sr., New London: 46-4, state runner-up at 120 in Division 2.

Henry Niebauer, sr., Hortonville: 44-3, state runner-up at 150 in Division 1.

Lucas Peters, sr., Kaukauna: 50-4, state runner-up at 132 in Division 1.

Jake Stoffel, sr., Appleton North : Wrestler of the year.

Peter Tomazevic, jr., Freedom: 46-6, state runner-up at 132 in Division 2.

Hunter Vander Heiden, jr., Freedom: 47-4, state runner-up at 285 in Division 2.

Honorable mention

Allison Abel, so., Menasha; Josue Azuara, fr., Weyauwega-Fremont; Carter Birdyshaw, fr., Weyauwega-Fremont; Cash Botting, so., Hortonville; Gwen Breckheimer, sr., Chilton/Hilbert; Katherine Cook, fr., Freedom; Kolin DeGroot, so., Kaukauna; Mason Demerath, so., Shiocton; Jacob Durocher, sr., Wrightstown; Tristin Ellerman, sr., Hortonville; Sophia Galoff, sr., Brillion; Brody Hart, sr., Winneconne; Tanner Hart, sr., Kimberly; Ben Hilbert, fr., Appleton West; Jordan Jahnke, jr., Shiocton; Sam Keuler, sr., Wrightstown; Austin Kufner, so., Fox Valley Lutheran; Kylee Kurszewski, so., Neenah; Jaydon Le Noble, fr., Weyauwega-Fremont; Peyton Lee, jr., Kaukauna; Cael Leisgang, so., Seymour; Nehemiah Lendobeja, so., Kaukauna; Carter McDaniel, jr., Weyauwega-Fremont; Patrick Moore, sr., Freedom; Logan Mueller, jr., Brillion; Ayden Needham, sr., Hortonville; Aidan Peters, fr., Seymour; Ilijah Sanchez, jr., Shiocton; Izaiah Sanchez, so., Shiocton; Mackenzie Schiedermayer, so., Hortonville; Nolan Skebba, jr., Hortonville; Parker Spierings, fr., Brillion; Brady Sprangers, so., Kaukauna; Holdyn Volkman, fr., Shiocton.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: 'Put my life into wrestling': Appleton North's Jake Stoffel is chosen as high school wrestler of the year

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Ronna McDaniel, TV News and the Trump Problem

The former republican national committee chairwoman was hired by nbc and then let go after an outcry..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

From “The New York Times,” I’m Michael Barbaro. This is “The Daily.”

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Today, the saga of Ronna McDaniel and NBC and what it reveals about the state of television news headed into the 2024 presidential race. Jim Rutenberg, a “Times” writer at large, is our guest.

It’s Monday, April 1.

Jim, NBC News just went through a very public, a very searing drama over the past week, that we wanted you to make sense of in your unique capacity as a longtime media and political reporter at “The Times.” This is your sweet spot. You were, I believe, born to dissect this story for us.

Oh, brother.

Well, on the one hand, this is a very small moment for a major network like NBC. They hire, as a contributor, not an anchor, not a correspondent, as a contributor, Ronna McDaniel, the former RNC chairwoman. It blows up in a mini scandal at the network.

But to me, it represents a much larger issue that’s been there since that moment Donald J. Trump took his shiny gold escalator down to announce his presidential run in 2015. This struggle by the news media to figure out, especially on television, how do we capture him, cover him for all of his lies, all the challenges he poses to Democratic norms, yet not alienate some 74, 75 million American voters who still follow him, still believe in him, and still want to hear his reality reflected in the news that they’re listening to?

Right. Which is about as gnarly a conundrum as anyone has ever dealt with in the news media.

Well, it’s proven so far unsolvable.

Well, let’s use the story of what actually happened with Ronna McDaniel and NBC to illustrate your point. And I think that means describing precisely what happened in this situation.

The story starts out so simply. It’s such a basic thing that television networks do. As elections get underway, they want people who will reflect the two parties.

They want talking heads. They want insiders. They want them on their payroll so they can rely on them whenever they need them. And they want them to be high level so they can speak with great knowledge about the two major candidates.

Right. And rather than needing to beg these people to come on their show at 6 o’clock, when they might be busy and it’s not their full-time job, they go off and they basically put them on retainer for a bunch of money.

Yeah. And in this case, here’s this perfect scenario because quite recently, Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee through the Trump era, most of it, is now out on the market. She’s actually recently been forced out of the party. And all the networks are interested because here’s the consummate insider from Trump world ready to get snatched up under contract for the next election and can really represent this movement that they’ve been trying to capture.

So NBC’S key news executives move pretty aggressively, pretty swiftly, and they sign her up for a $300,000 a year contributor’s contract.

Nice money if you can get it.

Not at millions of dollars that they pay their anchors, but a very nice contract. I’ll take it. You’ll take it. In the eyes of NBC execs she was perfect because she can be on “Meet the Press” as a panelist. She can help as they figure out some of their coverage. They have 24 hours a day to fill and here’s an official from the RNC. You can almost imagine the question that would be asked to her. It’s 10:00 PM on election night. Ronna, what are the Trump people thinking right now? They’re looking at the same numbers you are.

That was good, but that’s exactly it. And we all know it, right? This is television in our current era.

So last Friday, NBC makes what should be a routine announcement, but one they’re very proud of, that they’ve hired Ronna McDaniel. And in a statement, they say it couldn’t be a more important moment to have a voice like Ronna’s on the team. So all’s good, right? Except for there’s a fly in the ointment.

Because it turns out that Ronna McDaniel has been slated to appear on “Meet the Press,” not as a paid NBC contributor, but as a former recently ousted RNC chair with the “Meet The Press” host, Kristen Welker, who’s preparing to have a real tough interview with Ronna McDaniel. Because of course, Ronna McDaniel was chair of the party and at Trump’s side as he tried to refuse his election loss. So this was supposed to be a showdown interview.

From NBC News in Washington, the longest-running show in television history. This is “Meet The Press” with Kristen Welker.

And here, all of a sudden, Kristin Welker is thrown for a loop.

In full disclosure to our viewers, this interview was scheduled weeks before it was announced that McDaniel would become a paid NBC News contributor.

Because now, she’s actually interviewing a member of the family who’s on the same payroll.

Right. Suddenly, she’s interviewing a colleague.

This will be a news interview, and I was not involved in her hiring.

So what happens during the interview?

So Welker is prepared for a tough interview, and that’s exactly what she does.

Can you say, as you sit here today, did Joe Biden win the election fair and square?

He won. He’s the legitimate president.

Did he win fair and square?

Fair and square, he won. It’s certified. It’s done.

She presses her on the key question that a lot of Republicans get asked these days — do you accept Joe Biden was the winner of the election?

But, I do think, Kristen —

Ronna, why has it taken you until now to say that? Why has it taken you until now to be able to say that?

I’m going to push back a little.

McDaniel gets defensive at times.

Because I do think it’s fair to say there were problems in 2020. And to say that does not mean he’s not the legitimate president.

But, Ronna, when you say that, it suggests that there was something wrong with the election. And you know that the election was the most heavily scrutinized. Chris Krebs —

It’s a really combative interview.

I want to turn now to your actions in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

And Welker actually really does go deeply into McDaniel’s record in those weeks before January 6.

On November 17, you and Donald Trump were recorded pushing two Republican Michigan election officials not to certify the results of the election. And on the call —

For instance, she presses McDaniel on McDaniel’s role in an attempt to convince a couple county commissioner level canvassers in Michigan to not certify Biden’s victory.

Our call that night was to say, are you OK? Vote your conscience. Not pushing them to do anything.

McDaniel says, look, I was just telling them to vote their conscience. They should do whatever they think is right.

But you said, do not sign it. If you can go home tonight, do not sign it. How can people read that as anything other than a pressure campaign?

And Welker’s not going to just let her off the hook. Welker presses her on Trump’s own comments about January 6 and Trump’s efforts recently to gloss over some of the violence, and to say that those who have been arrested, he’ll free them.

Do you support that?

I want to be very clear. The violence that happened on January 6 is unacceptable.

And this is a frankly fascinating moment because you can hear McDaniel starting to, if not quite reverse some of her positions, though in some cases she does that, at least really soften her language. It’s almost as if she’s switching uniforms from the RNC one to an NBC one or almost like breaking from a role she was playing.

Ronna, why not speak out earlier? Why just speak out about that now?

When you’re the RNC chair, you kind of take one for the whole team, right? Now, I get to be a little bit more myself.

She says, hey, you know what? Sometimes as RNC chair, you just have to take it for the team sometimes.

Right. What she’s really saying is I did things as chairwoman of the Republican National committee that now that I no longer have that job, I can candidly say, I wished I hadn’t done, which is very honest. But it’s also another way of saying I’m two faced, or I was playing a part.

Ronna McDaniel, thank you very much for being here this morning.

Then something extraordinary happens. And I have to say, I’ve never seen a moment like this in decades of watching television news and covering television news.

Welcome back. The panel is here. Chuck Todd, NBC News chief political analyst.

Welker brings her regular panel on, including Chuck Todd, now the senior NBC political analyst.

Chuck, let’s dive right in. What were your takeaways?

And he launches right into what he calls —

Look, let me deal with the elephant in the room.

The elephant being this hiring of McDaniel.

I think our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation.

And he proceeds, on NBC’S air, to lace into management for, as he describes it, putting Welker in this crazy awkward position.

Because I don’t know what to believe. She is now a paid contributor by NBC News. I have no idea whether any answer she gave to you was because she didn’t want to mess up her contract.

And Todd is very hung up on this idea that when she was speaking for the party, she would say one thing. And now that she’s on the payroll at NBC, she’s saying another thing.

She has credibility issues that she still has to deal with. Is she speaking for herself, or is she speaking on behalf of who’s paying her?

Todd is basically saying, how are we supposed to know which one to believe.

What can we believe?

It is important for this network and for always to have a wide aperture. Having ideological diversity on this panel is something I prided myself on.

And what he’s effectively saying is that his bosses should have never hired her in this capacity.

I understand the motivation, but this execution, I think, was poor.

Someone said to me last night we live in complicated times. Thank you guys for being here. I really appreciate it.

Now, let’s just note here, this isn’t just any player at NBC. Chuck Todd is obviously a major news name at the network. And him doing this appears to just open the floodgates across the entire NBC News brand, especially on its sister cable network, MSNBC.

And where I said I’d never seen anything like what I saw on “Meet the Press” that morning, I’d never seen anything like this either. Because now, the entire MSNBC lineup is in open rebellion. I mean, from the minute that the sun comes up. There is Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

We weren’t asked our opinion of the hiring. But if we were, we would have strongly objected to it.

They’re on fire over this.

believe NBC News should seek out conservative Republican voices, but it should be conservative Republicans, not a person who used her position of power to be an anti-democracy election denier.

But it rolls out across the entire schedule.

Because Ronna McDaniel has been a major peddler of the big lie.

The fact that Ms. McDaniel is on the payroll at NBC News, to me that is inexplicable. I mean, you wouldn’t hire a mobster to work at a DA’s office.

Rachel Maddow devotes an entire half hour.

It’s not about just being associated with Donald Trump and his time in the Republican Party. It’s not even about lying or not lying. It’s about our system of government.

Thumbing their noses at our bosses and basically accusing them of abetting a traitorous figure in American history. I mean, just extraordinary stuff. It’s television history.

And let’s face it, we journalists, our bosses, we can be seen as crybabies, and we’re paid complaining. Yeah, that’s what we’re paid to do. But in this case, the NBC executives cannot ignore this, because in the outcry, there’s a very clear point that they’re all making. Ronna McDaniel is not just a voice from the other side. She was a fundamental part of Trump’s efforts to deny his election loss.

This is not inviting the other side. This is someone who’s on the wrong side —

Of history.

Of history, of these moments that we’ve covered and are still covering.

And I think it’s fair to say that at this point, everyone understands that Ronna McDaniel’s time at NBC News is going to be very short lived. Yeah, basically, after all this, the executives at NBC have to face facts it’s over. And on Tuesday night, they release a statement to the staff saying as much.

They don’t cite the questions about red lines or what Ronna McDaniel represented or didn’t represent. They just say we need to have a unified newsroom. We want cohesion. This isn’t working.

I think in the end, she was a paid contributor for four days.

Yeah, one of the shortest tenures in television news history. And look, in one respect, by their standards, this is kind of a pretty small contract, a few hundred thousand dollars they may have to pay out. But it was way more costly because they hired her. They brought her on board because they wanted to appeal to these tens of millions of Americans who still love Donald J. Trump.

And what happens now is that this entire thing is blown up in their face, and those very same people now see a network that, in their view, in the view of Republicans across the country, this network will not accept any Republicans. So it becomes more about that. And Fox News, NBC’S longtime rival, goes wall to wall with this.

Now, NBC News just caved to the breathless demands from their far left, frankly, emotionally unhinged host.

I mean, I had it on my desk all day. And every minute I looked at that screen, it was pounding on these liberals at NBC News driving this Republican out.

It’s the shortest tenure in TV history, I think. But why? Well, because she supports Donald Trump, period.

So in a way, this leaves NBC worse off with that Trump Republican audience they had wanted to court than maybe even they were before. It’s like a boomerang with a grenade on it.

Yeah, it completely explodes in their face. And that’s why to me, the whole episode is so representative of this eight-year conundrum for the news media, especially on television. They still haven’t been able to crack the code for how to handle the Trump movement, the Trump candidacy, and what it has wrought on the American political system and American journalism.

We’ll be right back.

Jim, put into context this painful episode of NBC into that larger conundrum you just diagnosed that the media has faced when it comes to Trump.

Well, Michael, it’s been there from the very beginning, from the very beginning of his political rise. The media was on this kind of seesaw. They go back and forth over how to cover him. Sometimes they want to cover him quite aggressively because he’s such a challenging candidate. He was bursting so many norms.

But at other times, there was this instinct to understand his appeal, for the same reason. He’s such an unusual candidate. So there was a great desire to really understand his voters. And frankly, to speak to his voters, because they’re part of the audience. And we all lived it, right?

But just let me take you back anyway because everything’s fresh again with perspective. And so if you go back, let’s look at when he first ran. The networks, if you recall, saw him as almost like a novelty candidate.

He was going to spice up what was expected to be a boring campaign between the usual suspects. And he was a ratings magnet. And the networks, they just couldn’t get enough of it. And they allowed him, at times, to really shatter their own norms.

Welcome back to “Meet the Press,” sir.

Good morning, Chuck.

Good morning. Let me start —

He was able to just call into the studio and riff with the likes of George Stephanopoulos and Chuck Todd.

What does it have to do with Hillary?

She can’t talk about me because nobody respects women more than Donald Trump.

And CNN gave him a lot of unmitigated airtime, if you recall during the campaign. They would run the press conferences.

It’s the largest winery on the East Coast. I own it 100 percent.

And let him promote his Trump steaks and his Trump wine.

Trump steaks. Where are the steaks? Do we have steaks?

I mean, it got that crazy. But again, the ratings were huge. And then he wins. And because they had previously given him all that airtime, they’ve, in retrospect, sort of given him a political gift, and more than that now have a journalistic imperative to really address him in a different way, to cover him as they would have covered any other candidate, which, let’s face it, they weren’t doing initially. So there’s this extra motivation to make up for lost ground and maybe for some journalistic omissions.

Right. Kind of correct for the lack of a rigorous journalistic filter in the campaign.

Exactly. And the big thing that this will be remembered for is we’re going to call a lie a lie.

I don’t want to sugarcoat this because facts matter, and the fact is President Trump lies.

Trump lies. We’re going to say it’s a lie.

And I think we can’t just mince around it because they are lies. And so we need to call them what they are.

We’re no longer going to use euphemisms or looser language we’re. Going to call it for what it is.

Trump lies in tweets. He spreads false information at rallies. He lies when he doesn’t need to. He lies when the truth is more than enough for him.

CNN was running chyrons. They would fact check Trump and call lies lies on the screen while Trump is talking. They were challenging Trump to his face —

One of the statements that you made in the tail end of the campaign in the midterms that —

Here we go.

That — well, if you don’t mind, Mr. President, that this caravan was an invasion.

— in these crazy press conferences —

They’re are hundreds of miles away, though. They’re hundreds and hundreds of miles away. That’s not an invasion.

Honestly, I think you should let me run the country. You run CNN. And if you did it well, your ratings —

Well, let me ask — if I may ask one other question. Mr. President, if I may ask another question. Are you worried —

That’s enough. That’s enough.

And Trump is giving it right back.

I tell you what, CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn’t be working for CNN.

Very combative.

So this was this incredibly fraught moment for the American press. You’ve got tens of millions of Trump supporters seeing what’s really basic fact checking. These look like attacks to Trump supporters. Trump, in turn, is calling the press, the reporters are enemies of the people. So it’s a terrible dynamic.

And when January 6 happens, it’s so obviously out of control. And what the traditional press that follows, traditional journalistic rules has to do is make it clear that the claims that Trump is making about a stolen election are just so abjectly false that they don’t warrant a single minute of real consideration once the reporting has been done to show how false they are. And I think that American journalism really emerged from that feeling strongly about its own values and its own place in society.

But then there’s still tens of millions of Trump voters, and they don’t feel so good about the coverage. And they don’t agree that January 6 was an insurrection. And so we enter yet another period, where the press is going to have to now maybe rethink some things.

In what way?

Well, there’s a kind of quiet period after January 6. Trump is off of social media. The smoke is literally dissipating from the air in Washington. And news executives are kind of standing there on the proverbial battlefield, taking a new look at their situation.

And they’re seeing that in this clearer light, they’ve got some new problems, perhaps none more important for their entire business models than that their ratings are quickly crashing. And part of that diminishment is that a huge part of the country, that Trump-loving part of the audience, is really now severed from him from their coverage.

They see the press as actually, in some cases, being complicit in stealing an election. And so these news executives, again, especially on television, which is so ratings dependent, they’ve got a problem. So after presumably learning all these lessons about journalism and how to confront power, there’s a first subtle and then much less subtle rethinking.

Maybe we need to pull back from that approach. And maybe we need to take some new lessons and switch it up a little bit and reverse some of what we did. And one of the best examples of this is none other than CNN.

It had come under new management, was being led by a guy named Chris Licht, a veteran of cable news, but also Stephen Colbert’s late night show in his last job. And his new job under this new management is we’re going to recalibrate a little bit. So Chris Licht proceeds to try to bring the network back to the center.

And how does he do that?

Well, we see some key personalities who represented the Trump combat era start losing air time and some of them lose their jobs. There’s talk of, we want more Republicans on the air. There was a famous magazine article about Chris Licht’s balancing act here.

And Chris Licht says to a reporter, Tim Alberta of the “Atlantic” magazine, look, a lot in the media, including at his own network, quote unquote, “put on a jersey, took a side.” They took a side. And he says, I think we understand that jersey cannot go back on him. Because he says in the end of the day, by the way, it didn’t even work. We didn’t change anyone’s mind.

He’s saying that confrontational approach that defined the four years Trump was in office, that was a reaction to the feeling that TV news had failed to properly treat Trump with sufficient skepticism, that that actually was a failure both of journalism and of the TV news business. Is that what he’s saying?

Yeah. On the business side, it’s easier call, right? You want a bigger audience, and you’re not getting the bigger audience. But he’s making a journalistic argument as well that if the job is to convey the truth and take it to the people, and they take that into account as they make their own voting decisions and formulate their own opinions about American politics, if tens of millions of people who do believe that election was stolen are completely tuning you out because now they see you as a political combatant, you’re not achieving your ultimate goal as a journalist.

And what does Licht’s “don’t put a jersey back on” approach look like on CNN for its viewers?

Well, It didn’t look good. People might remember this, but the most glaring example —

Please welcome, the front runner for the Republican nomination for president, Donald Trump.

— was when he held a town hall meeting featuring Donald J. Trump, now candidate Trump, before an audience packed with Trump’s fans.

You look at what happened during that election. Unless you’re a very stupid person, you see what happens. A lot of the people —

Trump let loose a string of falsehoods.

Most people understand what happened. It was a rigged election.

The audience is pro-Trump audience, was cheering him on.

Are you ready? Are you ready? Can I talk?

Yeah, what’s your answer?

Can I? Do you mind?

I would like for you to answer the question.

OK. It’s very simple to answer.

That’s why I asked it.

It’s very simple. You’re a nasty person, I’ll tell you that.

And during, the CNN anchor hosting this, Kaitlan Collins, on CNN’s own air, it was a disaster.

It felt like a callback to the unlearned lessons of 2016.

Yeah. And in this case, CNN’s staff was up in arms.

Big shakeup in the cable news industry as CNN makes another change at the top.

Chris Licht is officially out at CNN after a chaotic run as chairman and CEO.

And Chris Licht didn’t survive it.

The chief executive’s departure comes as he faced criticism in recent weeks after the network hosted a town hall with Donald Trump and the network’s ratings started to drop.

But I want to say that the CNN leadership still, even after that, as they brought new leadership in, said, this is still the path we’re going to go on. Maybe that didn’t work out, but we’re still here. This is still what we have to do.

Right. And this idea is very much in the water of TV news, that this is the right overall direction.

Yeah. This is, by no means, isolated to CNN. This is throughout the traditional news business. These conversations are happening everywhere. But CNN was living it at that point.

And this, of course, is how we get to NBC deciding to hire Ronna McDaniel.

Right. Because they’re picking up — right where that conversation leaves off, they’re having the same conversation. But for NBC, you could argue this tension between journalistic values and audience. It’s even more pressing. Because even though MSNBC is a niche cable network, NBC News is part of an old-fashioned broadcast network. It’s on television stations throughout the country.

And in fact, those networks, they still have 6:30 newscasts. And believe it or not, millions of people still watch those every night. Maybe not as many as they used to, but there’s still some six or seven million people tuning in to nightly news. That’s important.

Right. We should say that kind of number is sometimes double or triple that of the cable news prime time shows that get all the attention.

On their best nights. So this is big business still. And that business is based on broad — it’s called broadcast for a reason. That’s based on broad audiences. So NBC had a business imperative, and they argue they had a journalistic imperative.

So given all of that, Jim, I think the big messy question here is, when it comes to NBC, did they make a tactical error around hiring the wrong Republican which blew up? Or did they make an even larger error in thinking that the way you handle Trump and his supporters is to work this hard to reach them, when they might not even be reachable?

The best way to answer that question is to tell you what they’re saying right now, NBC management. What the management saying is, yes, this was a tactical error. This was clearly the wrong Republican. We get it.

But they’re saying, we are going to — and they said this in their statement, announcing that they were severing ties with McDaniel. They said, we’re going to redouble our efforts to represent a broad spectrum of the American votership. And that’s what they meant was that we’re going to still try to reach these Trump voters with people who can relate to them and they can relate to.

But the question is, how do you even do that when so many of his supporters believe a lie? How is NBC, how is CNN, how are any of these TV networks, if they have decided that this is their mission, how are they supposed to speak to people who believe something fundamentally untrue as a core part of their political identity?

That’s the catch-22. How do you get that Trump movement person who’s also an insider, when the litmus test to be an insider in the Trump movement is to believe in the denialism or at least say you do? So that’s a real journalistic problem. And the thing that we haven’t really touched here is, what are these networks doing day in and day out?

They’re not producing reported pieces, which I think it’s a little easier. You just report the news. You go out into the world. You talk to people, and then you present it to the world as a nuanced portrait of the country. This thing is true. This thing is false. Again, in many cases, pretty straightforward. But their bread and butter is talking heads. It’s live. It’s not edited. It’s not that much reported.

So their whole business model especially, again, on cable, which has 24 hours to fill, is talking heads. And if you want the perspective from the Trump movement, journalistically, especially when it comes to denialism, but when it comes to some other major subjects in American life, you’re walking into a place where they’re going to say things that aren’t true, that don’t pass your journalistic standards, the most basic standards of journalism.

Right. So you’re saying if TV sticks with this model, the kind of low cost, lots of talk approach to news, then they are going to have to solve the riddle of who to bring on, who represents Trump’s America if they want that audience. And now they’ve got this red line that they’ve established, that that person can’t be someone who denies the 2020 election reality. But like you just said, that’s the litmus test for being in Trump’s orbit.

So this doesn’t really look like a conundrum. This looks like a bit of a crisis for TV news because it may end up meaning that they can’t hire that person that they need for this model, which means that perhaps a network like NBC does need to wave goodbye to a big segment of these viewers and these eyeballs who support Trump.

I mean, on the one hand, they are not ready to do that, and they would never concede that that’s something they’re ready to do. The problem is barring some kind of change in their news model, there’s no solution to this.

But why bar changes to their news model, I guess, is the question. Because over the years, it’s gotten more and more expensive to produce news, the news that I’m talking about, like recorded packages and what we refer to as reporting. Just go out and report the news.

Don’t gab about it. Just what’s going on, what’s true, what’s false. That’s actually very expensive in television. And they don’t have the kind of money they used to have. So the talking heads is their way to do programming at a level where they can afford it.

They do some packages. “60 Minutes” still does incredible work. NBC does packages, but the lion’s share of what they do is what we’re talking about. And that’s not going to change because the economics aren’t there.

So then a final option, of course, to borrow something Chris Licht said, is that a network like NBC perhaps doesn’t put a jersey on, but accepts the reality that a lot of the world sees them wearing a jersey.

Yeah. I mean, nobody wants to be seen as wearing a jersey in our business. No one wants to be wearing a jersey on our business. But maybe what they really have to accept is that we’re just sticking to the true facts, and that may look like we’re wearing a jersey, but we’re not. And that may, at times, look like it’s lining up more with the Democrats, but we’re not.

If Trump is lying about a stolen election, that’s not siding against him. That’s siding for the truth, and that’s what we’re doing. Easier said than done. And I don’t think any of these concepts are new.

I think there have been attempts to do that, but it’s the world they’re in. And it’s the only option they really have. We’re going to tell you the truth, even if it means that we’re going to lose a big part of the country.

Well, Jim, thank you very much.

Thank you, Michael.

Here’s what else you need to know today.

[PROTESTERS CHANTING]

Over the weekend, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in some of the largest domestic demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since Israel invaded Gaza in the fall.

[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

Some of the protesters called on Netanyahu to reach a cease fire deal that would free the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. Others called for early elections that would remove Netanyahu from office.

During a news conference on Sunday, Netanyahu rejected calls for early elections, saying they would paralyze his government at a crucial moment in the war.

Today’s episode was produced by Rob Szypko, Rikki Novetsky, and Alex Stern, with help from Stella Tan.

It was edited by Brendan Klinkenberg with help from Rachel Quester and Paige Cowett. Contains original music by Marion Lozano, Dan Powell, and Rowan Niemisto and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Michael Barbaro. See you tomorrow.

• April 2, 2024   •   29:32 Kids Are Missing School at an Alarming Rate
• April 1, 2024   •   36:14 Ronna McDaniel, TV News and the Trump Problem
• March 29, 2024   •   48:42 Hamas Took Her, and Still Has Her Husband
• March 28, 2024   •   33:40 The Newest Tech Start-Up Billionaire? Donald Trump.
• March 27, 2024   •   28:06 Democrats’ Plan to Save the Republican House Speaker
• March 26, 2024   •   29:13 The United States vs. the iPhone
• March 25, 2024   •   25:59 A Terrorist Attack in Russia
• March 24, 2024   •   21:39 The Sunday Read: ‘My Goldendoodle Spent a Week at Some Luxury Dog ‘Hotels.’ I Tagged Along.’
• March 22, 2024   •   35:30 Chuck Schumer on His Campaign to Oust Israel’s Leader
• March 21, 2024   •   27:18 The Caitlin Clark Phenomenon
• March 20, 2024   •   25:58 The Bombshell Case That Will Transform the Housing Market
• March 19, 2024   •   27:29 Trump’s Plan to Take Away Biden’s Biggest Advantage

Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Jim Rutenberg

Produced by Rob Szypko ,  Rikki Novetsky and Alex Stern

With Stella Tan

Edited by Brendan Klinkenberg ,  Rachel Quester and Paige Cowett

Original music by Marion Lozano ,  Dan Powell and Rowan Niemisto

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

Ronna McDaniel’s time at NBC was short. The former Republican National Committee chairwoman was hired as an on-air political commentator but released just days later after an on-air revolt by the network’s leading stars.

Jim Rutenberg, a writer at large for The Times, discusses the saga and what it might reveal about the state of television news heading into the 2024 presidential race.

On today’s episode

Jim Rutenberg , a writer at large for The New York Times.

Background reading

Ms. McDaniel’s appointment had been immediately criticized by reporters at the network and by viewers on social media.

The former Republican Party leader tried to downplay her role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A review of the record shows she was involved in some key episodes .

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We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Jim Rutenberg is a writer at large for The Times and The New York Times Magazine and writes most often about media and politics. More about Jim Rutenberg

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