News

NY Times journos brace for media war as Conservatives finally turn tables

August 26, 2019 | | Print Article

Journalists at The New York Times were mocked for a report revealing that conservative allies of President Donald Trump are allegedly collecting negative information on media critics to use against them.

New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger declared that the publication will not be “intimidated or silenced” by the apparent group of conservative operatives compiling “dossiers of potentially embarrassing social media posts and other public statements by hundreds of people,” according to a report in The New York Times published Sunday.

(Image: Wikimedia)

The article by reporters Jeremy Peters and Ken Vogel characterized the effort as a “war on the press” and the “latest step in a long-running effort” by Trump and his allies to “undercut the influence of legitimate news reporting.”

The report claimed that the “operation has compiled social media posts from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and stored images of the posts that can be publicized even if the user deletes them.” Potentially “fireable” information on “several hundred” journalists has also been uncovered, including information on journalists’ families, according to one source.

The report also claimed that “only a fraction” of the information has been released like that on journalists at CNN, the Times and the Washington Post, but more will be uncovered as the 2020 election campaign gets into full swing. The White House and the Trump campaign reportedly told the Times they were not aware of or involved in the so-called operation.

“We know nothing about this, but it’s clear that the media has a lot of work to do to clean up its own house,” Tim Murtaugh, communications director of Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, told the Times.

“Two can play at this game,” Sam Nunberg, Trump’s 2016 campaign advisor, said. “The media has long targeted Republicans with deep dives into their social media, looking to caricature all conservatives and Trump voters as racists.”

New York Times editor, Tom Wright-Piersanti, recently issued an apology after Breitbart News uncovered several anti-Semitic and racist tweets from a decade ago.

“I have deleted tweets from a decade ago that are offensive. I am deeply sorry,” the editor, who was demoted last week for the controversial remarks, tweeted.

In the Sunday Times report, Vogel and Peters claimed that materials that have been published on journalists have been, at times, “stripped of context or presented in misleading ways,” yet they  “proved authentic, and much of it has been professionally harmful to its targets.”

Sulzberger slammed the so-called operation in a statement printed by the publication.

“They are seeking to harass and embarrass anyone affiliated with the leading news organizations that are asking tough questions and bringing uncomfortable truths to light,” Sulzberger said. “The goal of this campaign is clearly to intimidate journalists from doing their job, which includes serving as a check on power and exposing wrongdoing when it occurs. The Times will not be intimidated or silenced.”

“Their goal is to silence critics and undermine the public’s faith in independent journalism,” he added. “This represents an escalation of an ongoing campaign against the free press.”

The Washington Examiner’s Seth Mandel reacted to the press meltdown in a series of tweets, noting that “what these reporters are calling a ‘war on the press’ is an admission they’ve been waging this war for years.”

“Companies are to blame too. How many ppl got fired over an old dumb joke, or something out of context, or something the person clearly no longer believes?” Mandel tweeted. “Stop inviting twitter trolls to run your HR for you and life will be better for everyone.”

Others on Twitter found the Times outrage humorous and another example of the left’s hypocrisy.

“Take a Xanax for your TDS [Trump Derangement Syndrome] next time,” environmental author Michael Shellenberger tweeted.

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

$10
$15
$25
$50
Other
$
Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.
Frieda Powers
Latest posts by Frieda Powers (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles