Commonwealth Policy Center

Journalism is in a bad place, especially over at The New York Times where another opinion editor was squeezed out. Bari Weiss resigned because of a hostile work environment and harassment by people who disagreed with her opinions. Weiss said, “Intellectual curiosity is now a liability at The Times.” The hostile climate led to prominent journalist Andrew Sullivan also resigning from New York magazine. Just weeks ago, James Bennet, the Times opinion editor was forced out for simply printing a conservative op-ed written by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton. So why should dealings at the Times matter in the heartland of the country? It’s because it’s the paper of record and it influences so many other publications. If journalistic freedom of inquiry and integrity is lost there, your hometown paper may be next.