The New York Times is facing a threatened shareholder lawsuit over its coverage of former Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, Israel and other politically charged stories.
The New York Times is facing a threatened shareholder lawsuit over its coverage of former Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, Israel and other politically charged stories.
The National Center for Public Policy Research warned Tuesday that it will sue unless the newspaper turns over records within a week, alleging directors failed to oversee the Gray Lady’s editorial standards and corrections practices.
The demand cites the Times’ June 4 article on Platner, a May opinion essay by Nicholas Kristof that included allegations of sexual abuse in Israeli detention and the paper’s coverage of Israel-related political stories as evidence of what it calls a broader pattern of inconsistent editorial standards.
The New York Times is facing a threatened shareholder lawsuit over its editorial oversight and coverage of several high-profile stories, including the Senate bid of Graham Platner. ZUMAPRESS.comNews of the threatened shareholder suit was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
The June 4 Platner piece drew criticism from people who said the Times downplayed allegations against the far-left pol.
The story described former girlfriends’ relationships with Platner as “unsettling” and “reckless.” It included allegations from Lyndsey Fifield saying Platner had twisted her arm behind her back and locked her in a room — but the authors said they “could not corroborate” all of the accusations, leaving some out, according to the suit.
The controversy intensified a month later after Jenny Racicot — who had also spoken with Times reporters before the article was published — alleged in a Politico interview that Platner sexually assaulted her in 2021.
The demand also points to a May opinion essay by Times columnist Nicholas Kristof on alleged sexual abuse of Palestinians in Israeli detention. Getty Images for Aurora Humanitarian InitiativeAccording to Racicot, he allegedly entered her home uninvited and forced her to have sex despite her repeated objections. Platner has denied the accusation.
Platner won Maine’s Democratic Senate primary but suspended his campaign days later. He formally withdrew from the race last week.
Kristof’s opinion essay centered on allegations of sexual abuse involving Palestinian detainees held by Israeli forces. Anadolu via Getty ImagesThe shareholder demand also points to a May opinion column by Kristof that alleged Palestinian detainees were subject to sexual abuse by Israeli prison guards and soldiers.
The essay drew fierce backlash from the Israeli government, which denounced it as a “blood libel” and announced plans to pursue a defamation lawsuit against the newspaper.
The Times stood by the column, saying it had been carefully fact-checked and that Kristof’s reporting was supported by on-the-record interviews and other corroborating material.
In its demand, NCPPR argues the controversy exposed conflicting public messages from the newspaper’s leadership.
The Times called the shareholder demand “a clear attempt to chill First Amendment-protected journalism.” NY PostIt notes that opinion editor Kathleen Kingsbury publicly defended the piece after saying editors “found no errors,” while executive editor Joe Kahn later said the newsroom “wouldn’t have done that exact piece.”
The shareholder group contends those differing public statements raise questions about whether the Times’ board adequately oversees the company’s editorial standards.
The Times rejected the allegations.
“As we told the National Jewish Advocacy Center and National Center for Public Policy Research in response to an earlier demand letter, while positioned under corporate law, it is a clear attempt to chill First Amendment-protected journalism,” a spokesperson for the Times told The Post said in a statement.