Stand with Black journalists and Black employees at the New York Times.

Friend,

Earlier this month, the New York Times published a violent and racist anti-First Amendment Op-Ed by Sen. Tom Cotton (R–Arkansas). In response, Black staffers at the Times banded together to protest by sharing the Op-Ed with a tweet: “This puts Black @nytimes staff in danger.”

Organizations like the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette are now undergoing long-overdue public reckonings thanks to brave Black journalists and Black employees who are challenging the ways that newsrooms uphold white supremacy.

The winds of change have been blowing for decades, and those who’ve maintained the status quo need to step up. Stand with Black employees at the New York Times who are bravely calling for much-needed change.

The U.S. media system has historically functioned as an arm of the broader system of racial oppression in this country.¹ As the paper of record, the New York Times has held a unique and powerful place in upholding and reinforcing anti-Blackness and white supremacy in the United States and abroad for over 160 years.

The 2020 racial-justice uprisings have underscored the need to shift power and build journalism that will expose and eradicate white supremacy in pursuit of human dignity for all. We can have journalism that centers impacted voices and addresses community-information needs instead of favoring privileged populations that support the status quo.

Building that future starts with recognizing and repairing the abuses taking place within the halls of the New York Times and many other news and media organizations. Tell leadership at the Times to publicly stand with — and meet the demands of — their Black staff.

This is the week of Juneteenth, a celebration of Black liberation. It’s unconscionable that newsrooms are still oppressing the rights of Black employees in 2020. We must stand with those who are speaking out, and finally begin to make justice real.

Thanks for all that you do—

Tauhid, Collette and the rest of the Free Press team
freepress.net

P.S. For far too long media organizations like the New York Times have reinforced white supremacy and failed to meet the needs of Black employees calling for change. Urge the Times to meet the demands of their Black staff.

1. “The Colonial Roots of Media’s Racial Narratives,” Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Feb. 1, 2012