What obituaries reveal about our culture

By PBS NewsHour

Community Score: 50% | 2.9K views | 4d

0 community ratings: null thumbs up, null thumbs down

Obituaries tell us about "what we value as a society," New York Times reporter Sam Roberts says. "These are kind of the last judgments on people, and we select people who are intrinsically interesting, who are transformative or emblematic of some sort of transformation, and are occasionally even fun to read about," Roberts told Geoff Bennett. Roberts, who has written some 1,600 obituaries over his decadeslong career at the New York Times, is the author of a new book, "Are They Dead Yet?" He speaks with Bennett on the latest episode of the PBS News podcast "Settle In." Tap the link in our bio for more from the episode. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newsho

Tags: News, podcast, settle-in, obituary, writer, journalist, author, book, pbs, pbs news

More from PBS NewsHour

  • What scientists are learning after SpaceX debris crashed into the moon — Score: 50%
  • WATCH: Trump says Secret Service wanted him to sneak off AF1, defends safety of plane with staff — Score: 50%
  • WATCH: Trump arrives at finale of Patriot Games high school athlete competition — Score: 50%
  • WATCH: Border czar Homan says ICE is still making record arrests 'despite the radical courts' — Score: 50%
  • PBS News Hour full episode, August 11, 2026 — Score: 50%
  • What to know as your driver's license gets a digital upgrade — Score: 50%