US protests: NYT editor resigns after backlash over senator’s hardline op-ed
After online fury and intense criticism from many New York Times staffers, the paper’s editorial page head has resigned in controversy after publishing an op-ed by a US senator who urged military force against protestors nationwide.
James Bennet – the editorial page editor since May 2016 – faced intense backlash after initially defending the column headlined “Send in The Military” by Republican US Senator Tom Cotton.
James Bennet, the editorial page editor of The New York Times, has resigned after a controversy over an Op-Ed by Senator Tom Cotton that called for military force against protesters in American cities https://t.co/Tt6PwmowZv
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 7, 2020
The hardline op-ed – which Bennet initially defended as an example of the newspaper’s commitment to ideological diversity – was met with both internal and external outrage.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Cotton’s essay encouraged an “overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain and ultimately deter lawbreakers” as anti-racism protests rage across the United States, sparked by the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis after a white officer detaining him knelt on his neck.
Some 800 Times staffers signed a petition in protest of its publication, as many of the paper’s employees tweeted: “Running this puts Black @NYTimes staff in danger.”
The company’s publisher, A.G. Sulzberger, also initially defended the decision to issue the column but later said the essay fell short of NYT standards.
Bennet also admitted he had not read the column before its publication.
On Sunday, Sulzberger dubbed James “a journalist of enormous talent and integrity” in an NYT statement announcing the resignation.
The statement did not mention the op-ed controversy, but the paper quoted Sulzberger as saying in a note to staff that “last week we saw a significant breakdown in our editing processes, not the first we’ve experienced in recent years.”
“James and I agreed that it would take a new team to lead the department through a period of considerable change.”
The paper named Katie Kingsbury, a Times staffer since 2017, the acting editorial page editor through the November election.
-
UK anti-racism protests ‘subverted by thuggery’: PM Boris Johnson
Anti-racism protests in Britain have been “subverted by thuggery”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday, warning those responsible would be ... World News -
Body of George Floyd arrives in Texas for final funeral
Houston’s police chief says the body of George Floyd has arrived in Texas for a final memorial service and funeral.Police Chief Art Acevedo tweeted ... World News -
US President Trump wanted to deploy 10,000 troops against protests, says official
US President Donald Trump told his advisers at one point this past week he wanted 10,000 troops to deploy to the Washington DC area to halt civil ... World News