The New York Times is cutting part of its copy editing department. This caused reporters and other staffers to stage a walkout and protest.
There’s something strange about employees of a liberal company like the Times protesting their own employer. It could only get weirder if the New York Times covered the protest, which they did.
Sydney Ember reports:
Times Staff Members Protest Cuts and Changes to News OperationWith the imminent elimination of a stand-alone copy desk at The New York Times, copy editors and reporters have sent two strongly worded letters to top management voicing their concerns over the changes to the newsroom’s structure.On Wednesday, copy editors sent an open letter to Dean Baquet, The Times’s executive editor, and Joe Kahn, the managing editor, challenging the decision to cut staff and eradicate the copy desk, which is responsible for, among other things, catching factual and grammatical errors and ensuring that articles adhere to Times style guidelines.“We have begun the humiliating process of justifying our continued presence at The New York Times,” the letter from the copy desk began.On Thursday, Times reporters sent their own letter to Mr. Baquet and Mr. Kahn in support of the copy desk. “Editors — and yes, that especially means copy editors — save reporters and The Times every day from countless errors, large and small,” the reporters wrote.
Here’s a video of the protest:
Peter Hasson of the Daily Caller has more:
Breitbart News reporter Adam Shaw captured video of NYT editors and reporters chanting and carrying signs as they took part in the walkout Thursday afternoon. “No editors, no peace!” the protesters chanted, appropriating the chant “No justice, no peace” commonly used by Black Lives Matter and other anti-police protesters.The NYT protesters also carried misspelled signs that read, “This wsa not edited,” suggesting that the NYT will be more frequently plagued by simple typos if the copy editors are let go.The protest came two days after former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin sued the NYT for defamation after the editorial board falsely claimed she incited the 2011 shooting of then-Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords.
Here are a few Twitter reactions:
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish members of the media from college students.
That’s not a good thing.
Featured image source.
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