New York Times Editorial Board Sparks Furor Online With Op-Ed Shredding Cancel Culture

Alex GriffingMar 18th, 2022, 2:33 pm
 

JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images

The New York Times editorial board sparked a passionate conversation online Thursday after publishing an op-ed titled, “America Has a Free Speech Problem.”

In the editorial, the board dubbed cancel culture a “burden” and ripped into both the American left and right for infringing on free speech.

The board diagnosed the problem as: “Americans are losing hold of a fundamental right as citizens of a free country: the right to speak their minds and voice their opinions in public without fear of being shamed or shunned.”

“This editorial board plans to identify a wide range of threats to freedom of speech in the coming months, and to offer possible solutions,” they continued, previewing upcoming content from the paper.

The board went on to write, “This social silencing, this depluralizing of America, has been evident for years” and charged “for a strong nation and open society, that is dangerous.”

“The political left and the right are caught in a destructive loop of condemnation and recrimination around ‘cancel culture,’” the board continued before explaining how they believe we got to this point:

Many on the left refuse to acknowledge that cancel culture exists at all, believing that those who complain about it are offering cover for bigots to peddle hate speech. Many on the right, for all their braying about cancel culture, have embraced an even more extreme version of censoriousness as a bulwark against a rapidly changing society, with laws that would ban books, stifle teachers and discourage open discussion in classrooms.

“But the old lesson of ‘think before you speak’ has given way to the new lesson of ‘speak at your peril.’ You can’t consider yourself a supporter of free speech and be policing and punishing speech more than protecting it,” the board added.

The op-ed includes polling data commissioned by the Times to illustrate its argument that Americans are increasingly afraid to speak their minds.

The article takes direct aim at progressives, arguing they believe policing speech “has provided a necessary, and even welcome, check on those in power.”

“But when social norms around acceptable speech are constantly shifting, and when there is no clear definition of harm, these constraints on speech can turn into arbitrary rules with disproportionate consequences,” the board warns, in a stern rebuke of “cancel culture.”

The editorial quickly began trending on Twitter after it was published and many on the left angrily condemned it.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) responded, writing, “Dear @nytopinion: I served on active duty to defend the right of any person to say stupid, racist shit. That doesn’t mean I have to respect or coddle people who say stupid, racist shit. I have the right to shame and shun people who say stupid, racist shit. Get it New York Times?”

Jeff Jarvis, a CUNY professor, condemned the editorial as “appalling” and “pure moral panic.” Jarvis kicked off a long Twitter thread, arguing, “The both-sidesism of The New York Times comes out in full force from its editorial board as it equates the left criticizing hate and the right burning books.”

Daily Beast columnist Wajahat Ali wrote in response, “Retweet if you want the New York Times to add more columnists who write about the rise of fascism instead of adding more who always complain about cancel culture.”

Below are some more reactions to the editorial:

Tags:
Alex Griffing - Senior Editor

Alex Griffing is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Send tips via email: alexanderg@mediaite.com. Follow him on Twitter: @alexgriffing