If we’re going to overcome the challenges in Hawaii, we need to save and share the stories of our kupuna.
Naka Nathaniel
Naka Nathaniel was an Editor-at-Large at Civil Beat from January to September 2024. Naka returned to regular journalism after being the primary parent for his son. In those 13 years, his child has only been to the ER five times (three due to animal attacks.)
Before parenting, Naka was known as an innovative journalist. He was part of the team that launched NYTimes.com in 1996 and he led a multimedia team that pioneered many new approaches to storytelling.
On 9/11, he filmed the second plane hitting the South Tower. His footage aired on the television networks and a sequence was the dominant image on NYTimes.com.
While based in Paris for The New York Times, he developed a style of mobile journalism that gave him the ability to report from anywhere on the planet. He covered the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and was detained while working in Iran, Sudan, Gaza and China. He is one of a handful of Americans who has been in North Korea, but not South Korea. He worked in 60 countries and made The Times’s audience care about sex trafficking, climate change and the plight of women and children in the developing world.
Besides conflict, The Times also had Naka covering fashion shows, car shows and Olympics. He did all three of those events in the same week (Paris, Geneva and Turin) before going to Darfur to continue reporting on the genocide (it was the fifth of sixth trips to the region.)
Naka lives in Waimea on the Big Island.
Posted inOpinion
Naka Nathaniel: Is This A Hawaii We’re Proud Of?
Endangered species capital of the world, soaring housing costs and an increasingly displaced Indigenous population. But still, there’s hope.
Posted inOpinion
Naka Nathaniel: 3 Questions We Need To Ask Now About The Maui Fires
We’ve learned a lot from previous disasters. Those lessons should be applied to our own situation.
Posted inOpinion
Naka Nathaniel: ‘The Maui Waltz’ — I Wish We Could Listen Together
A vinyl record from a home in Texas is also a link to life in old Hawaii.
Posted inOpinion
Naka Nathaniel: The Most Important Question To Ask Right Now About The Maui Fires
Is that an assumption or knowledge? Confronting misinformation can aid in healing.
Posted inOpinion
Naka Nathaniel: Here’s A Better Way To Help Hawaii
Active community listening sessions are a way to counter disinformation.
Posted inOpinion
Naka Nathaniel: Helping Is Hard, But We Can All Be Better Prepared
Connect with neighbors and community members who may already have disaster plans.
Posted inOpinion
Naka Nathaniel: The Hard Lessons We Have Learned From Hilo And Kauai
Many families can’t afford the time it will take to rebuild the Maui economy.
Posted inOpinion
Naka Nathaniel: Here Are The Deeper Truths About Maui
Our islands are interconnected and what happens to one will impact the others.