Accusations of antisemitism embedded in the New York Times newsroom have roots dating back years. The paper removed a bizarre list of Jewish lawmakers who opposed former President Obama’s Iran Deal following a backlash in 2015.
The New York Times faced accusations of antisemitism four years ago after it opted to publish an interactive map, singling out Jewish lawmakers who opposed the Iran Deal. It was titled, “Lawmakers Against the Iran Nuclear Deal” and featured a few categories, one of which read, “Jewish?”:
“Though more Jewish members of Congress support the deal than oppose it, the Democrats against the deal are more likely to be Jewish or represent Jewish constituencies,” the Times assessed.
An archived version of the Times’ post read:
Debate over the accord divided Democrats between their loyalties to the president and their constituents, especially Jewish ones, animated the antiwar movement on the left and exposed the waning power of the Israeli lobbying force that spent millions to prevent the accord.
Jewish leaders slammed the Times‘ chart, claiming that it perpetuated antisemitic tropes, such as “Jewish money” influencing and pressuring lawmakers’ decisions– a concept Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), the Democrat Party’s “problem child” in terms of making antisemitic statements – has openly touted herself.
“It’s a grotesque insult to the intelligence of the people who voted for and will vote against [the deal],” associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center Abraham Cooper said, according to the Washington Free Beacon:
Cooper said it evokes images of “Jewish pressure” and “Jewish money” influencing the Iran vote.
This type of reporting “does a disservice to the issue and that’s the exact opposite job of the New York Times,” Cooper said. “They have some explaining to do. Why’d they do it? Shame on the New York Times for the timing and implications of this piece.”
“I guess we should be grateful the New York Times chose not to illustrate its Jew tracker by awarding a six-pointed yellow badge to every Jewish opponent of this catastrophic sellout,” a leader of a D.C.-based Jewish organization told the Free Beacon at the time.
The Times initially removed the “Jewish?” column without an immediate explanation, later framing the piece with the following line: “Though more Jewish members of Congress support the deal than oppose it, of the 23 Democrats against the deal, 15 are Jewish.”
The Times’ Jonathan Weisman, who was recently demoted from his deputy editor position for “repeatedly posted messages on social media about race and politics that showed what the paper called ‘serious lapses in judgment,'” defended the problematic piece following the backlash:
The New York Times is currently under fire following an exclusive Breitbart News report, which unearthed a series of grotesque antisemitic tweets from Times‘ longtime senior staff editor Tom Wright-Piersanti.
“I was going to say ‘Crappy Jew Year,’ but one of my resolutions is to be less anti-Semitic. So… HAPPY Jew Year. You Jews,” one of the offensive tweets reads.
Breitbart News’s report sparked a national firestorm, prompting a brief apology from Wright-Piersanti: “I have deleted tweets from a decade ago that are offensive. I am deeply sorry”:
“I am disgusted but not surprised by this latest revelation out of the New York Times,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said.
“Will there be consequences? Doubtful. The New York Times is too busy weaponizing journalism to harass this President and the people who work for him to bother holding their own people accountable,” she added.
The Times has yet to issue a significant remark on the matter, only confirming that it is “reviewing next steps.”
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