Why a New York Times Nail Salon Exposé is Published in Four Languages

by: Lene Bech Sillesen | CJR

While doing dogged shoe leather reporting for her New York Times investigative series on the exploitation of workers in the nail salon industry, Unvarnished, journalist Sarah Maslin Nir had unusually well-groomed nails. Getting interviews with salon workers—who often don’t speak English, have little free time, and may be fearful of their employers—proved challenging, so Nir sat down for manicures and discreet conversations with salon workers several times a week.