James Bennet has resigned as editorial page editor after the New York Times faced backlash for publishing an opinion piece by Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark).
What We Know:
- NYT published Senator Cotton’s op-ed on Wednesday, titled “Send the Troops In”, advocating for military force against protestors. Cotton called the protests an “orgy of violence” and claimed that antifa was using the demonstrations to promote anarchy, which has since been labeled as misinformation.
- The piece outraged NYT employees and the public, with journalists saying that it actively put black employees in danger. NYT originally defended their decision to publish the op-ed, but has since changed their stance. The op-ed now displays an editor’s note saying it “fell short of our standards and should not have been published”.
- NYT reported that Bennet did not read the op-ed before it was published. Top editors apologized to staff members in a meeting and Bennet apologized for “the pain this particular piece has caused”.
- NYT publisher A.G. Sulzberger has praised Bennet for broadening the opinion page’s range of voices. Sulzberger has also criticized the page for its fact-checking and said that they might be publishing too many outside op-eds. Bennet previously served as editor-in-chief for The Atlantic, where he was also criticized for bringing in more conservative voices, like columnist Bret Stephens.
- Senator Cotton and President Donald Trump have responded. Cotton called the Times article on Bennet’s resignation “false and offensive”, saying that he only advocated for military intervention as a last resort. President Trump tweeted his support for Senator Cotton, saying the New York Times is fake news.
- NYT made their announcement a day after Philadelphia Inquirer editor Stan Wischnowski resigned. The Inquirer published an article with the headline “Buildings Matter, Too” and faced backlash from their own journalists.
Media outlets are under immense scrutiny as they respond to police brutality and nationwide protests. Employees are holding leadership accountable and sending the message that harm towards black journalists will not be tolerated.
