Posting her registration letter online, New York Times columnist and op-ed writer Bari Weiss cited an "illiberal and toxic environment" in the liberal newspaper's offices, saying that her colleagues have repeatedly been "bullying" her based on her "centrist opinions."
“The paper is now published not to give readers facts and information, but to browbeat them with the far, far left political and social positions of the writers.” https://t.co/nSH9aTLwfd
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) July 15, 2020
The journalist, who joined the NYT in 2017 after leaving the Wall Street Journal, said that her opinions weren't received well by most colleagues who often called her "a Nazi and racist."
Publishing her resignation letter online triggered an online debate on whether the New York Times "has been too biased and intolerant of centrist views" according to Weiss' claims.
"I was hired with the goal of bringing in voices that would not otherwise appear in your pages: first-time writers, centrists, conservatives and others who would not naturally think of The Times as their home," Weiss' resignation letter stated.
The columnist added, "Twitter is not on the masthead of The New York Times. But Twitter has become its ultimate editor. As the ethics and mores of that platform have become those of the paper, the paper itself has increasingly become a kind of performance space. Stories are chosen and told in a way to satisfy the narrowest of audiences, rather than to allow a curious public to read about the world and then draw their own conclusions."
Responding to Weiss' resignation, the acting editor of the NYT responded saying that they "welcome articles and opinions from all political spectrum."
→ @katiekings, acting editorial page editor at @nytopinion, to @NBCNews's @claireatki, RE: @bariweiss: pic.twitter.com/rQe9Cohvh0
— David Gura (@davidgura) July 14, 2020
bari weiss just recently signed a letter condemning people getting fired from their jobs for expressing their views and then in her resignation letter complains that people who expressed their views about her weren't sanctioned or fired. cancel culture for me but not for thee
— ☀️👀 (@zei_squirrel) July 14, 2020
Last month, Editorial Page Editor James Bennett resigned from the paper after publishing a controversial op-ed by US Senator Tom Cotton in which he called for "US troops to be deployed to cities where Black Lives Matter protests were organized."
Online reactions were varied as conservative voices expressed solidarity with Weiss, saying that the paper has for the last few years allowed very limited room for non-liberal voices, which is not what the NYT stands for.
Resignation Letter — Bari Weiss. As a longtime reader who has in recent years read the paper with increasing dismay over just the reasons outlined here, I hope this letter finds receptive ears at the paper. But for the reasons outlined here,I doubt it. https://t.co/wwzowMCejP
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) July 14, 2020
A NY Times columnist quits in disgust at what an organ of enforced orthodoxy the paper’s editorial pages have become. Read every word. The ring of truth is unmistakable. https://t.co/Dyux1yssIa
— Brit Hume (@brithume) July 14, 2020
Meanwhile, some commentators argued that Weiss claims that she's a centrist while her views show a greater tendency to far-right-wing, often unwelcome by liberal journals. Some even argued that the newspaper is actually welcoming of all voices expect progressive left-wing ones, such as pro-Bernie Sanders views.
I don't think anyone thinks "centrists" are bullied at the NYT. What's going on here is that Weiss has marketed herself as a "centrist" when she's actually a conservative. Saying "centrists" are bullied is her way of trying to claim the center and portray the Times as far left.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) July 14, 2020
Such a snowflake. And the acting editorial page's editor's self own: 'viewpoints from across the political spectrum in the Opinion report."
— Dino's Grotto: Biden Nov 3 ~ Black lives Matter (@DinoInShaw) July 14, 2020
Yep. All the Viewpoints. From right of center to nazi. That is all of them. Show me one progressive voice on their editorial page.
Some Twitter users also went on to accuse Weiss of "playing the victim" saying that "a journalist should expect harsh criticism and know how to deal with it," adding that Weiss "probably couldn't handle being in an environment of dialogue and challenging views that she considered it bullying."
When a journalist quits a cushy newspaper job over “Bullying” you know she was never a journalist in the first place. Great job @nytimes https://t.co/vPsdJeeWEW
— Jimmy Dore (@jimmy_dore) July 14, 2020
Victim culture; view shared w/ Rush Limbaugh. People criticizing your views at a newspaper is not bullying. Not particularly thought out & constantly using straw men. No surprise to see NYT under bus after providing a soap box for her contrarian views https://t.co/jHFzOLK1bh
— Cascadia Now (@imleftcoast) July 14, 2020
Kudos to NYT for story on Bari Weiss resignation, but “We’re committed to fostering an environment of honest, searching & empathetic dialogue between colleagues, 1 where mutual respect is required of all” dsrvs 4 Pinocchios/Pants-on-Fire from fact-checkrs https://t.co/kGst9W58Sb
— Steven Pinker (@sapinker) July 15, 2020
Other voices expected that Weiss was facing harsh comments from her Black counterparts "because her latest views were critical of Black Lives Matter."
Bari Weiss is resigning from the NYT. In her resignation letter she says she faced “a hostile work environment.” Not once does she explain who she’s disagreeing with internally: her Black coworkers. pic.twitter.com/0WS6MgZiYe
— Gabe Schneider (@gabemschneider) July 14, 2020
