New York Times view editor resigns over column controversy
08 June, 2020
James Bennet, the brand new York Times editorial page editor responsible for publishing a column that advocated using the military to quiet protests over U.S. racial inequality, resigned on Sunday, the newspaper announced.
THE BRAND NEW York Times has come under fire after it published an editorial on June 3 from U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, titled “Submit the Troops.” Cotton wrote an “overwhelming show of force” would restore order after protests spread across the country, a few of which turned violent.
“It’s past time to aid local police with federal authority,” Cotton wrote.
Bennet and a representative for Cotton cannot be reached for comment.
The column drew criticism from outside and inside the brand new York Times newsroom as some readers and journalists interpreted the column as advocating actions that could put protestors and reporters in peril.
Initially, NY Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger stood behind publishing the column. “I really believe in the principle of openness to a variety of opinions, even those we may disagree with, and this piece was published for the reason that spirit,” he said in an email to the staff on Thursday, according to a New York Times account.
By Sunday, Sulzberger said in an email delivered to staff that was seen by Reuters: “Last week we saw a substantial breakdown inside our editing processes, not the first we’ve experienced in recent years.”
The protests for racial justice first erupted 13 days ago after video footage emerged showing George Floyd, a 46-year old unarmed black man in handcuffs, lying face down on a Minneapolis street on, may 25 as a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Bennet will be replaced by Katie Kingsbury. Bennet have been the editorial page editor since 2016. He previously helped expand the number of voices the paper published and explore new formats, according to Sulzberger’s note sent to staff.
Before joining the brand new York Times as an editor, Bennet was the editor-in-chief of news magazine The Atlantic. He was in the running for the top job at THE BRAND NEW York Occasions when Executive Editor Dean Baquet steps down, according to newsroom sources.
Baquet was not immediately reachable for comment.
Bennet’s resignation comes as a number of newsrooms across the United States examine their own track record with diversity and sensitivity to issues to persons of color.
On Saturday, the very best editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Stan Wischnowski, resigned after employees walked out in protest over a headline “Buildings Matter, Too,” on a story about the impact of civil unrest on property.
“Stan Wischnowski has decided to step down as Senior Vice President and Executive Editor also to move to the next chapter of his career,” Philadelphia Inquirer Publisher and CEO Lisa Hughes said in a prepared statement.
Wischnowski had not been immediately reachable for comment.
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