PoliticoNew York Times opinion editor resigns after outrage over Tom Cotton’s ‘send troops in’ op-ed
- James Bennet stepped down following the opinion article that called for using the military against recent protests
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Rishika Dugyala on politico.com on June 7, 2020
The New York Times announced on Sunday that its editorial page editor had resigned after backlash from the public and the company’s own employees over a Republican senator’s op-ed that called for using military force against recent protests.
“James is a journalist of enormous talent and integrity who believes deeply in the mission of The Times,” said paper’s publisher, AG Sulzberger. “He oversaw a significant transformation of the Opinion department, which broadened the range of voices we publish and pushed us into new formats like video, graphics and audio. I’m grateful for his many contributions.”
Bennet added in the Sunday statement: “The journalism of Times Opinion has never mattered more than in this time of crisis at home and around the world, and I’ve been honoured to be part of it. I’m so proud of the work my colleagues and I have done to focus attention on injustice and threats to freedom and to enrich debate about the right path forward by bringing new voices and ideas to Times readers.”