Activists rally outside of The New York Times building in Manhattan. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Red paint splattered across the front entrance. Graffiti scrawled on the glass reading, “NYT lies, Gaza dies.” That was the scene early Wednesday morning outside The New York Times offices in Times Square, where vandals targeted the newspaper overnight amid a swelling wave of criticism over its reporting on Gaza. While a cleanup crew eventually scrubbed most of the paint away, the scene was a vivid display of the backlash The Times now finds itself facing after updating a widely read front-page story about starvation in Gaza.
On Tuesday afternoon, The Times published an editors’ note to its piece, “Gazans Are Dying of Starvation,” which had prominently featured a harrowing photo of 18‑month‑old Mohammed Zakaria al‑Mutawaq. The child, pictured on the front page Friday visibly emaciated, was described in the story as suffering from severe malnutrition, a fact the paper said it had verified with the medical clinic treating him.
But after publication, the Times learned additional details about the boy’s pre‑existing health problems, including conditions affecting his brain and muscle development. The paper updated its story to include the new information and published a statement online explaining the decision, noting that its reporters “continue to report from Gaza, bravely, sensitively, and at personal risk, so that readers can see firsthand the consequences of the war.” Indeed, I'm told the photographer who took the image has struggled himself to obtain food.
Inside the Times, according to people familiar with the matter, leadership believed the move to update the story…
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The Washington Post building. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The Post in Peril: Who will even be left standing at The WaPo after this latest round of buyouts? On Wednesday came yet another wave of high-profile departures: deputy managing editors Mike Semel, Ann Gerhart, and Monica Norton; deputy opinion editor Stephen Stromberg; veteran sports columnist Sally Jenkins; and renowned media critic Erik Wemple. (Jenkins will head to The Athletic and Wemple will take his enormous talents to The NYT.) It’s an astonishing exodus that has left media executives and Posties alike bewildered. As one Postie told me Wednesday…
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