Newkirk was inspired to begin freelancing after the shooting of Michael Brown and subsequent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, and has been a staff writer for "The Atlantic" magazine since 2016. In 2018, Newkirk helped produce a special commemorative issue of the magazine on Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy over the 50 years since King's assassination in 1968. , Newkirk was working on a longform podcast, exploring the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.