Over 150 writers boycott New York Times over “biased Gaza coverage”
More than 150 writers who contribute to the American newspaper The New York Times have announced a boycott of its opinion section in protest against what they described as “biased coverage” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the ongoing war on Gaza.
According to Middle East Eye, the writers decided to stop publishing in the paper over its reporting style on events in Gaza, saying their move was a response to the paper’s alignment with the Israeli narrative.
The writers called on The New York Times management to conduct “a review of anti-Palestinian bias and produce new editorial standards for Palestine coverage”. They also demanded that “The New York Times’ editorial board call for a US arms embargo on Israel.”
In a joint letter, the writers said: “Until The New York Times takes accountability for its biased coverage and commits to truthfully and ethically reporting on the US-Israeli war on Gaza, any putative ‘challenge’ to the newsroom or the editorial board in the form of a first-person essay is, in effect, permission to continue this malpractice.”
They added: “Only by withholding our labor can we mount an effective challenge to the hegemonic authority that the Times has long used to launder the US and Israel’s lies.”
Among the signatories were several prominent American activists, artists, and politicians, including Rima Hassan; Chelsea Manning; Rashida Tlaib; Sally Rooney; Elia Suleiman; Greta Thunberg; Viet Than Nguyen; and Dave Zirin, according to Middle East Eye.
In their letter, the writers stated: “We owe it to the journalists and writers of Palestine to refuse complicity with the Times, and to demand that the paper account for its failures, such that it can never again manufacture consent for mass slaughter, torture, and displacement.”