NYT journalists express betrayal over paper’s decision to run ‘send in troops’ op-ed
New York Times journalists are denouncing the paper’s decision to publish an opinion piece by Sen. Tom Cotton about the George Floyd protests.
“One thing above all else will restore order to our streets: an overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain, and ultimately deter lawbreakers,” Cotton, a Republican senator from Arkansas, wrote in the “Send In the Troops” op-ed. “But local law enforcement in some cities desperately needs backup, while delusional politicians in other cities refuse to do what’s necessary to uphold the rule of law. The pace of looting and disorder may fluctuate from night to night, but it’s past time to support local law enforcement with federal authority…. In these circumstances, the Insurrection Act authorizes the president to employ the military.”
Times staff began tweeting out the same message on Wednesday night: “Running this puts black @NYTimes staff in danger.”
Nikole Hannah Jones, a Times journalist covering racial injustice who recently won a Pulitzer Prize for her “1619” project, wrote: “I’ll probably get in trouble for this, but to not say something would be immoral. As a black woman, as a journalist, as an American, I am deeply ashamed that we ran this.”
John Eligon, who covers race for the NYT, tweeted: “When I started at the NYT 15 years ago, I could never have imagined such an influential show of solidarity among black employees because there simply weren’t enough of us. We were invisible. I am inspired & motivated by my black colleagues today.”
James Bennet, editorial page editor at the NYT, posted on Twitter on Wednesday night explaining why the opinion page decided to run the piece.
“Times Opinion owes it to our readers to show them counter-arguments, particularly those made by people in a position to set policy,” Bennet wrote. “We understand that many readers find Senator Cotton’s argument painful, even dangerous. We believe that is one reason it requires public scrutiny and debate.”
Times employees sent a letter asking for corrections, “an editor’s note or follow up, or ideally, a fully reported news story” to “examine” what they say were “cherry-picked facts woven together with hyperbolic assumptions that were gross exaggerations,” according to Vanity Fair. The letter was addressed to Bennet, two of his deputies, executive editor Dean Baquet, publisher A.G. Sulzberger, chief executive Mark Thompson, and chief operation officer Meredith Kopit Levien.
The NewsGuild of New York, the union that represents many Times journalists, said in a statement Wednesday: “This is a particularly vulnerable moment in American history. Cotton’s Op-Ed pours gasoline on the fire. Media organizations have a responsibility to hold power to account, not amplify voices of power without context and caution.”
The violence and looting is being done by much smaller groups at mostly peaceful gatherings, authorities say. The vast majority of the protesters across the nation have been “peaceful demonstrators calling for change,” law enforcement officials told ABC News.
National protests over Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in Minneapolis police custody, entered their 10th day on Thursday.
Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was shown on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than 8 minutes, including nearly 3 minutes after he became unresponsive. Chauvin was arrested Friday, according to the Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner.
Chauvin’s charges were changed to second-degree murder on Wednesday, McClatchy News reported. Chauvin was previously charged with third-degree murder. The other three Minneapolis officers on the scene of Floyd’s death have also been charged, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Wednesday.
This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 9:42 AM with the headline "NYT journalists express betrayal over paper’s decision to run ‘send in troops’ op-ed."