NY Times Op-Ed Defends J.K. Rowling Day After Paper Accused of ‘Anti-Trans’ Coverage
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File
The day after receiving two letters signed by hundreds of NGOs, activists, celebrities, and even contributors alleging an “anti-trans” bias, the New York Times defiantly published an op-ed vehemently defending J.K. Rowling – who herself has been blasted by critics as transphobic.
The op-ed by former books editor Pamela Paul simply titled, “In Defense of J.K. Rowling” pulled no punches in both accusing Rowling’s critics of an unjust witch hunt and declaring that demonizing her is “is as dangerous as it is absurd.”
Paul argued, “The brutal stabbing of Salman Rushdie last summer is a forceful reminder of what can happen when writers are demonized. And in Rowling’s case, the characterization of her as a transphobe doesn’t square with her actual views.”
The letter sent to the Times by GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, singled out Paul for her past articles. “The Opinion editors gave noted cisgender heterosexual Pamela Paul space for her unfounded thoughts about how LGBTQ people should describe themselves, as if the Times could not find anyone with lived experience in the LGBTQ community to write about our issues,” the letter read.
The letter, which included a scathing condemnation of the Times for allegedly “platforming lies, bias, fringe theories, and dangerous inaccuracies,” also made 3 key demands:
Stop printing biased anti-trans stories, immediately.
Listen to trans people: hold a meeting with trans community leaders within two months.
Hire at least four trans writers and editors within three months.
For anyone who was wondering how the New York Times might react editorially to the scathing criticism from the left, the paper’s editors made clear by publishing Paul on Thursday that they are not changing course – at least not right away.
In a statement to Mediaite on Wednesday, the Times said, “We received the letter from GLAAD and welcome their feedback. We understand how GLAAD sees our coverage. But at the same time, we recognize that GLAAD’s advocacy mission and The Times’s journalistic mission are different.”
“Our journalism strives to explore, interrogate and reflect the experiences, ideas and debates in society – to help readers understand them. Our reporting did exactly that and we’re proud of it,” the statement added.
Paul’s op-ed is certain to kick up additional anger from those who support the letter as her language is far from subtle.
In defending Rowling, Paul characterized accusations against the Harry Potter author as conspiratorial. “Millions of Rowling’s readers no doubt remain unaware of her demonization. But that doesn’t mean that — as with other outlandish claims, whether it’s the Big Lie or QAnon — the accusations aren’t insidious and tenacious,” Paul wrote, comparing Rowling’s critics to election deniers and QAnon conspiracy theorists.
