New York Times reporters rally against top editor's "dismissive" comments

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Salon

Published May 15, 2024 9:27PM (EDT)


The New York Times, which has faced mounting criticism from journalists and politicians for its coverage of Joe Biden, the war in Gaza and other editorial decisions, is now facing an internal battle. Semafor reports that a draft letter is circulating amongst New York Times reporters, in response to comments from editorial higher-ups that young journalists viewed as “dismissive” of their concerns.

In the letter, a senior editor is called out for allegedly discouraging reporters from raising concerns about the paper’s voice and failing to protect “the empathy of our journalism." In a May 2 interview with Semafor, Executive Editor Joe Kahn defended his proclivity to view young reporters as unwilling to “commit themselves to the idea of independent journalism.” “The newsroom is not a safe space. It’s a space where you’re being exposed to lots of journalism, some of which you are not going to like,” Kahn told Semafor.

The comments were seemingly in reference to the hotly-debated Times editorial guidelines to avoid words like “genocide” and “occupied territory” in reporting surrounding Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza, and a letter from Times reporters to the editorial board on its coverage of transgender people. “Young adults who are coming up through the education system are less accustomed to this sort of open debate, this sort of robust exchange of views around issues they feel strongly about may have been the case in the past,” Kahn told the Wall Street Journal in a separate interview.

Also discussed in the Semafor interview was the Times’ increasingly negative coverage of the Biden administration and campaign, and discussions of the candidate’s age, which Biden officials say is unfair. “The role of the news media in that environment is not to skew your coverage towards one candidate or the other, but just to provide very good, hard-hitting, well-rounded coverage of both candidates, and informing voters,” Khan said. But critics have grown increasingly skeptical that the Times is covering Biden impartially.

Read more: https://www.salon.com/2024/05/15/new-york-times-reporters-rally-against-top-editors-dismissive-comments/

[Lovie777]

1. RWers control majority of the media.......................

[Beowulf42]

14. The Very Idea........

The very idea that the top brass at the New York Times has to publish an article like this makes me smell a rat...........

[NNadir]

2. Going way back to "Saddam Hussein's Weapons of Mass Destruction" to "...but her emails..." to the present day...

...the Times has been increasingly right wing working to outfox Fox. I don't miss it since cancelling my subscription to what once was a fine paper.

[Lonestarblue]

7. William Safire was one of the Times' most famous writers.

He regularly savaged the Clintons because he considered them, especially Bill, to be poor white trash who had no business leading the US government, a job reserved for someone in the elite Ivy League. He published lies about both Clintons, and when the facts emerged and they were found to be lies, the Times never forced him to apologize or print retractions. That’s why I was not surprised in 2016 when the Times harped on Hillary’s emails incessantly while ignoring Donald’s multiple bankruptcies and illegal shady business practices.

The Times has not harped on Biden’s age as much lately, Now they’re just publishing pieces fluffing Trump.

[NanaCat]

17. Never mind how both Bill and Hillary

Had Ivy degrees themselves, from Yale Law.

I remember being at a cocktail party In SF with some East Coast movers and shakers in attendance. The GQP among them were literally sneering that the Clintons would have rusted out cars and trailers on the White House lawn.

[Lonestarblue]

19. Exactly. The snobbishness was unbelievable.

[NNadir]

20. He was certainly a pig politically but to be honest, I looked...

...forward every weekend to his column on language.

I learned a lot about writing from him; but he wasn't the "token" right winger. He was part of the club.

[NanaCat]

16. Plus Whitewater, Troopergate, Swiftboaters, Clinton Cash

Filegate, Travelgate, Gore inventing the internet--

All those GQP lies with the goal of destroying Democrats? The NYT was at the forefront at whoring all of them.

[Tumbulu]

21. I subscribe to the Washington Post online now

and soon might spring for the LA Times. No longer support The NY Times.

[3Hotdogs]

3. With Cohen gone, I wonder who is gonna write Maggie Haberman's election coverage for Trump/

[NNadir]

5. It's surprising how little coverage this is getting in the honest media, to the extent honest media still exists. n/t.

[KS Toronado]

11. This possibly related to Cops ratting fellow Cops out?

[Uncle Joe]

4. Kicked and recommended

Thanks for the thread BumRushDaShow

[Kid Berwyn]

6. "Occupied Territory"

What other truths are editorially banned at NYT?

[mwooldri]

8. Just need to rename the paper the New Trump Times.

If it is a biased news source, label it as such.

[nowforever]

9. Waiting

For coverage of Sudan, Haiti and Myanmar let's report on the rest of our massacres now occurring.

[progressoid]

10. The role of the news media in that environment is not to skew your coverage towards one candidate or the other, but just

The role of the news media in that environment is not to skew your coverage towards one candidate or the other, but just to provide very good, hard-hitting, well-rounded coverage of both candidates, and informing voters,” Khan said.

Khan said with a wink and a nod.

[Prairie Gates]

12. They can protest like those Google workers!

Being "dismissive" of the dumb shit younger workers dream up is a privilege of age and seniority. Welcome to the adult world.

[Martin68]

13. "Young adults who are coming up through the education system are less accustomed to this sort of open debate, this sort

of robust exchange of views around issues they feel strongly about may have been the case in the past,” Kahn told the Wall Street Journal in a separate interview."

If true, that is a concerning development, possible due to the association of a frank discussion of different opinions with online flame wars, and the trolls they attract. I'd love to hear what actual "young adults who are coming up through the education system" think about this statement, and what their reactions to it might be. I'm writing as a fairly clueless boomer who just wants to understand what's true in this case.

[BaronChocula]

15. The NYT has become completely aware

that conservatives are far more punitive than progressives. Like many other outlets, they fear reprisal from conservatives and it shows in what makes it into print. IMHO.

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. Kahn's idea of "open debate" is telling his journalists to avoid using "occupied territory"? The man's an idiot

He wouldn't know "open debate" if it smacked him in the face. He wants to control the language used in the NYT (and, you know, "occupied territory" is the standard term in the rest of the world), and yet he's accusing the youngsters of wanting a "safe space"? What a hypocrite. He should resign in shame of bullshitting so openly.

[ificandream]

22. Look, people. The SURE way to stop Trump is to vote for Biden. And get all your friends who support him to vote for him.

The New York Times coverage, whatever that is, won't elect Trump.