Senator Tom Cotton celebrates as New York Governor Kathy Hochul announces the deployment of 750 National Guard members to combat crime in New York City. The move comes as the crime rate in the city has increased by 20% in the first two months of 2024 compared to the same period last year. Cotton, a Republican senator from Arkansas, took a swipe at The New York Times for reporting on Hochul’s plan, referencing his own op-ed published by the newspaper in 2020 titled “Send in the Troops.” The op-ed argued in favor of deploying the military to quell the George Floyd riots that erupted across the country.
The Times’ reporting caught Cotton’s attention, and he sarcastically summarized it as “sending in the troops to help restore law and order.” This statement refers to the controversy surrounding Cotton’s op-ed from 2020, which caused turmoil among the paper’s staff, resulting in several editors being pushed out. Many social media users also criticized The New York Times for now implementing a similar idea that they had previously condemned.
The op-ed by Cotton continues to haunt The New York Times almost four years later. The publication faced newsroom drama and a coordinated campaign by its employees who claimed that running the op-ed put Black staff members in danger. The Times eventually updated Cotton’s piece with an editor’s note stating that it did not meet their standards and should not have been published. Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger initially defended the op-ed but later blamed a rushed editorial process for its publication. Two members of the Times Opinion staff were pushed out, and another was reassigned.
The controversy surrounding Cotton’s op-ed has resurfaced multiple times over the years. Adam Rubenstein, a former opinion editor at The New York Times, recently wrote about the liberal bias in the newsroom. He revealed an incident during his orientation where he mentioned enjoying Chick-fil-A sandwiches, resulting in him being shamed by an HR representative who claimed that the company hates gay people. Rubenstein’s account was met with skepticism by some, including his former colleague Nikole Hannah-Jones, but it has been verified by other journalists and individuals who were present during the incident.
The deployment of National Guard members to combat crime in New York City’s subway system is a significant step taken by Governor Hochul to address the rising crime rate. The decision has sparked a political debate, with Senator Cotton using it as an opportunity to highlight his previous op-ed on the subject. The controversy surrounding Cotton’s op-ed continues to linger, showcasing the ongoing conflicts within The New York Times and its editorial decision-making process.
