NY Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger Writes Internal Memo After Staff Revolt Over Cotton Op-Ed: ‘Essential’ That We Reflect on Criticism

Ken MeyerJun 4th, 2020, 12:30 pm
 

New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger defended the paper’s decision to publish an op-ed from Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) despite the public objections of the paper’s staff.

A litany of Times editors have revolted against the publication of Cotton’s “Send in the Troops” essay, in which, he calls for President Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act and send the U.S. military to deal with the riots occurring amid social unrest over George Floyd’s death.

Sulzberger sent a staff memo on Thursday (obtained by CNN’s Oliver Darcy), acknowledging those who think the op-ed went “outside the realm of acceptability,” but also defending the op-ed’s publication on the grounds of “openness to a range of opinions, even those we may disagree with.”

From the letter:

The op-ed page exists to offer views from across the spectrum, with a special focus on those that challenge the positions taken by our Editorial Board. We see that as a source of strength, allowing us to provide readers with a diversity of perspectives that is all too rare in modern media. We don’t publish just any argument — they need to be accurate, good faith explorations of the issues of the day — and there are many reasons why Op-Eds are denied publication. It is clear many believe this piece fell outside the realm of acceptability, representing dangerous commentary in an explosive moment that should not have found a home in The Times, even as a counterpoint to our own institutional view. I believe in the principle of openness to a range of opinions, even those we may disagree with, and this piece was published in that spirit. But it’s essential that we listen and to reflect on the concerns we’re hearing, as we would with any piece that is the subject of significant criticism.

Read the full letter below, via Darcy:

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