Tuesday, December 5, 2023 | 
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Daryl Austin

Daryl Austin is a journalist based in Utah. His work has appeared in National Geographic, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today and The New York Times.

This photo of Helen Foster Snow was taken in 1941 after her return from China to the U.S.
U.S. & World
At the table with Chairman Mao — How a controversial Cedar City-born journalist witnessed a revolution
Helen Foster Snow’s stories shaped America’s understanding of the people they believed were the enemy.
By Daryl Austin
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Health
Even with our dirty sodas and cookie empires, Utah is the healthiest state in the nation
The Beehive State took first place in a new study from Florida-based wellness company Life Extension as the healthiest state in America.
By Daryl Austin
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Latter-day Saints
FBI, CIA, NSA ... BYU?
The truth about government agencies’ rumored special interest in recruiting Latter-day Saints turns out to be more nuanced.
By Daryl Austin
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Politics
Republican counties have higher death rates — except in Utah. Why?
The health divide between Republican and Democratic counties — and Utah’s anomalistic data — illustrates the need to depoliticize public health.
By Daryl Austin
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Science & Tech
The walls (and the vacuums) have eyes! How Big Tech watches us
Big Tech’s concerning surveillance capabilities grow amid iRobot buyout.
By Daryl Austin
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Health
Legalizing marijuana is popular. Experts say it could cause more harm than good
Data should give policymakers pause as Congress considers further deregulating marijuana.
By Daryl Austin
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Sports
The legalization of sports wagering and the increase in problem gambling
It’s been 4 years since the Supreme Court cleared the way for states to legalize sports gambling. Thirty-three already have and with great impact.
By Daryl Austin
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Culture
Celebrity relationship or business deal?
There are surprising reasons why celebrities fake relationships and lifestyles. There may also be consequences for those who believe them.
By Daryl Austin
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Perspective
Misinformation was contagious during the pandemic. Sometimes, it also turned deadly
The practice of asking consequential questions of uninformed people can be a matter of life or death.
By Daryl Austin
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Coronavirus
Were side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine all in your head?
More than a third of purported COVID-19 vaccine side effects are a result of the placebo effect, study says.
By Daryl Austin
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Opinion
To mask or not to mask? Here’s what 2 years and hundreds of COVID-19 experts say
I spoke to hundreds of experts about COVID-19. Here’s what they say about masks.
By Daryl Austin
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Perspective
Even in death, some COVID-19 skeptics pretend they weren’t wrong
Self-deception and dishonesty have become commonplace throughout the pandemic.
By Daryl Austin
A Delta Airlines pilot wears a face mask as he walks through a terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Opinion
Opinion: A word to the wise — if you’re mask-averse, stay out of the skies
I’m not sure what’s happened to common decency, but adjusting to social norms has never been as difficult as it seems to be today.
By Daryl Austin
Students with signs ride in the back of a pickup truck to protest the Kalispell School District’s face mask requirement.
Opinion
Opinion: What do anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers have in common? Their sources
When I see the lies that many people seem to believe, the words of Ronald Reagan come to mind: ‘(It’s) not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.’
By Daryl Austin
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Opinion
After Pfizer’s FDA approval, I hope we can all learn this one pandemic lesson
It calls to mind the story of a drowning man who prayed for help but when a boat floated by, said, “never mind, Lord, I’ve found a boat and don’t need your help after all.”
By Daryl Austin
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Opinion
I’m tired of ‘taking one for the team’ because some people refuse the vaccine
Like Gov. Cox, I’m grateful for those willing to dig even deeper into their well of patience. I’m just not sure I’m one of them anymore.
By Daryl Austin
A person dressed as Mickey Mouse walks by a mural in Los Angeles.
Opinion
Disney’s ‘wokeness’ beats wickedness
Disney, with all its flaws, still produces more family-friendly entertainment than perhaps anyone in the game.
By Daryl Austin
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Opinion
George Washington’s dental troubles were dire and life-lasting
No doubt Washington is yet another complicated historical figure, but to accomplish all that he did while dealing with such a debilitating personal affliction speaks to his fortitude and resilience.
By Daryl Austin
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Opinion
Guest opinion: How I’m safely looking out for elderly neighbors during the coronavirus crisis
By Daryl Austin
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Opinion
Panic buying only makes the looming national crisis worse
By Daryl Austin
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Opinion
The rise of Pete Buttigieg and how he won a Latter-day Saint colonel’s trust
By Hal Boyd and Daryl Austin
This image made by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the tip of the three-light-year-long pillar in a stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, located 7500 light-years away from the Earth.
Opinion
Does science destroy religion and scripture?
I still recognize, of course, that many of my religious beliefs defy a ready explanation, but I now also appreciate how scientists are similarly unable to explain many of their own findings.
By Daryl Austin