The Daily: "How Cesar Chavez Abused His Power" Review – A Necessary Reckoning

Episode: How Cesar Chavez Abused His Power | Duration: 45.5 minutes | Ad load: 4 ads, 2.1 min | Verdict: 8/10

When The Daily dropped "How Cesar Chavez Abused His Power," it wasn't breaking news—The New York Times had already published the investigation. But what host Natalie Kittrell does here is something harder: she shows you how you're supposed to think about a person whose legacy you've inherited, been taught to revere, and now have to completely reconsider. This episode is a masterclass in handling the kind of story that reshapes history while it's still being written.

What This Episode Gets Right

The reporting from journalists Merry Fernandez and Sarah Hertz is patient and precise. Instead of shock-value storytelling, they walk you through the actual investigative process: the accidental email tip from a Chavez biographer in 2021 saying there was "more than" affairs; the slow accumulation of corroboration; the incredibly difficult work of getting women to trust them with 50-year-old secrets.

There's one line that does enormous work. A reporter talks about growing up in Fresno, California: "You can't grow up in Fresno and be from a Mexican-American family and not have Cesar Chavez as just part of the weather of your life." That's not filler—that's explaining why this story isn't academic. It's explaining why rewriting that legacy is painful, complicated, and necessary all at once.

The episode respects its subjects. It doesn't sensationalize the abuse allegations. It lets space breathe around hard moments. It acknowledges that these women carried this burden alone, sometimes for decades, before anyone would listen. That's what investigative journalism is supposed to do, and The Daily does it.

The Ad Reality

Four ads total, 2.1 minutes (4.9% of the episode). You're looking at Serial's New York Times podcast promo, American Petroleum Institute, New York Times subscription, and the mid-roll break. Nothing surprising there. PodSkip listens ahead and skips them automatically—free, on-device, no tracking—so you get the full story without interruption.

The Honest Take

This is a serious episode about serious things: sexual abuse, institutional cover-ups, how we reckon with complicated legacies. If you're looking for background listening, this isn't it. If you're interested in investigative journalism, how historical narratives get rewritten, or just understanding a moment that's reshaping how an entire country thinks about one of its civil rights icons—this is essential.

The pacing is measured, not breathless. That works because it's measured—it gives the story and the reporting the weight they deserve. You don't want this rushed.

FAQ

Is this episode depressing?

Potentially, yes. It's about sexual abuse and institutional cover-up. The episode ends with the practical aftermath: renamed holidays, removed statues, rewritten narratives. But there's clarity in finally knowing the truth, and that clarity has weight too.

How much is filler?

None, really. Even the reporters' personal connections to the subject matter serve the story. Every moment builds toward understanding both the reporting and why it mattered.

Can I listen to this without background knowledge?

Yes. The episode assumes you know Chavez was important to the civil rights movement, but it doesn't assume anything beyond that. It's designed for a general New York Times audience, so it explains what you need to know.