Michael Barbaro & Rukmini Callimachi on “The Daily” Podcast Recorded Live at SXSW 2018 [Video]

At SXSW 2018, Michael Barbaro, host of The New York Times audio show The Daily, kicked off his conversation with New York Times foreign correspondent Rukmini Callimachi with a probing question: "Why on earth does somebody become the world's leading authority in journalism on terrorism and ISIS?"

In just one year, The Daily has become the top news podcast in the U.S., redefining the sound of The New York Times and introducing Times journalism to a broad new audience. From interviews with James Comey to sitting down with Tonya Harding, Michael Barbaro's podcast covers human interest, politics, world news, and nearly every topic imaginable.

Live at SXSW, Michael Barbaro interviewed the award-winning foremost expert on Islamic terrorism, Rukmini Callimachi. His conversation with Callimachi dives deep into her career experiences reporting on al-Qaeda and extremism from her 7-year role covering a 20-country beat in Africa to her position as West Africa Bureau Chief for The Associated Press. Callimachi discusses the tools she uses to infiltrate terrorist networks in order to better understand how ISIS and similar organizations are formed and operated.

"The better part of my brain-space on any working day is consumed with the question, how close can I get to them without getting killed?" - Callimachi

In what Barbaro describes as a "painful but enlightening conversation," Callimachi discusses the evolution of ISIS, the horrors she witnessed first-hand in the Middle East, and the concerning road ahead as the terrorist organization transforms and continues to gain global support.

Watch the video above for the full Michael Barbaro and Rukmini Callimachi Featured Session at the 2018 SXSW Conference. Browse more 2018 Keynotes, Featured Sessions, Red Carpets, and Q&A’s on our YouTube Channel.

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Photo by Will Blake

By Ari Roth

05/3/2018