The Worst New York Times Tweets And Headlines Of 2019
Reprinted with permission from MediaMatters
The New York Times, long referred to as the ânewspaper of record,â has failed multiple times in 2019 in the way it covered President Donald Trump, the 2020 presidential race, and other issue areas in its headlines and tweets. Media critics, experienced journalists, and other experts called out some of the Timesâ headlines and tweets for pushing misinformation, framing the story in line with right-wing talking points, or using euphemisms in place of accurate descriptions.
The New York Times helped Trump spread misinformation about the Russia probe
On March 24, the Times posted a tweet repeating Trumpâs lies verbatim that special counsel Robert Muellerâs investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election âwas an illegal takedown that failedâ and Muellerâs report was âa complete and total exoneration.â A Times headline from the same day also misleadingly claimed that Muellerâs investigation found no Trump-Russia conspiracy.
In April, the Times helped spread right-wing falsehoods by credulously repeating a claim by Attorney General Bill Barr during a congressional hearing, which he later walked back, that âspying did occurâ on the Trump campaign. On July 25, the Times published a piece on the special counselâs congressional testimony titled âLack of Electricity in Mueller Testimony Short-Circuits Impeachment.â The headline was criticized by The American Independentâs Oliver Willis for treating the hearing like it was entertainment.Â
The Times pushed GOP lies on abortion and deceptively made Trumpâs rhetoric appear moderate
A February 5 tweet reporting on Trumpâs comments on abortion during his State of the Union address quoted a benign-sounding line from him: âLet us work to build a culture that cherishes innocent life.â The tweet failed to address Trumpâs smears and lies about Democratic politicians and their support for abortion rights legislation, such as his deranged claim that a Democratic bill in Virginia would allow medical providers to âexecute a baby after birth.â
In mid-May, the Times sent a tweet highlighting Republicansâ âgrisly claims that Democrats promote âbirth day abortionsâ and are âthe party of death.ââ Media critic Jamison Foser told the Times that it was spreading Republicansâ lies. The Times later deleted the tweet, saying the tweet did not clarify that âsome of the Republicansâ claimsâ were âfalse or misleading,â an error Foser said the Times should not have made in the first place.
The Times repeatedly failed to call out Trump and one of his advisers on their racist behavior
On July 14, Trump posted an unambiguously racist tweet when he told Democratic congresswomen of color to âgo backâ to âthe totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.â Instead of calling it as such, the Timesâ headline went with: âTrump Fans the Flames of a Racial Fire.â The now-shuttered progressive news website Splinter ridiculed the headline as âanother wishy-washy, bullshit reactionâ from the Times, writing, âTrump is, in every sense of the word, a racist, who once again has said something racist. And once again, the New York Times has proved that it has no intention of ever stating this simple fact.â Journalists Soledad OâBrien and Ashley Feinberg also criticized the Timesâ handling of Trumpâs racist comment. The following day, after Trump called the members of Congress he had attacked earlier racist, the Times gave equal weight to his absurd accusation:
Following the tragic white nationalist mass shooting early August in El Paso, Texas, the Times ran a headline about a speech Trump gave that claimed âTrump urges unity vs. racism.â That headline was heavily criticized for downplaying the presidentâs weaponization of racial hatred.
And the Times failed again on August 18, when it described Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller, who later was exposed pushing white nationalist websites and ideas, as a âyoung firebrandâ in a headline. Multiple journalists criticized the Times for its misstep.Â
The Times gave Trump the headlines he wanted regarding his Ukraine scandal and impeachment
On September 22, progressive talk radio host Michelangelo Signorile criticized a Times headline that suggested Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden committed wrongdoing in Ukraine, even though the story explained there was no evidence of it. âExactly what Trump ordered,â Signorile wrote.Â
The September 26 front page of the Times also featured the headline âPresident Denies Pressuring Leader of Ukraine to Investigate Bidenâ â right next to an annotated copy of the call summary showing Trump pressuring Ukraineâs leader.
On October 4, pollster Matt McDermott pointed out the Times also gave Trump âthe headline heâs been looking forâ with the headline âUkraine to Review Criminal Case of Firm Linked to Bidenâs Son.â He urged the Times to do better, explaining that such a headline was helping Trump break the law.
And in early December, the Times tried multiple times to fix a problematic headline that essentially blamed Republicans and Democrats equally for the partisan nature of Trump impeachment inquiry. Lawyer and writer Luppe B. Luppen pointed out a key flaw in all versions of the headline.Â
The Times wrote bad headlines and tweets on other topics as well
On January 9, the Times tweeted an image that aimed to fact-check a statement Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) made about Trumpâs comments on an ongoing government shutdown. The fact-check made a logical leap in stating Schumerâs comment needed context. Yet the context essentially confirmed what Schumer had said.
In early March, following an unhinged two-hour rant from Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the Times published a headline that focused on a âfree speech order for college campuses.â Oliver Willis criticized the Times for normalizing âa madmanâ with its take on the presidentâs âdelusional, embarrassing, and terrifying speech.â
The Times also made some missteps in its tweets about the 2020 election. A May 26 tweet from the paper uncritically repeated several of Trumpâs insults of several Democratic presidential candidates, prompting Soledad OâBrien to ask why does the Timesâ âpolitical coverage suck so frequently and consistently.â In a mid-June tweet, the Times parroted Trumpâs false justification, made during an ABC News interview, that he would accept information from a foreign government about a 2020 Democratic rival.
A September 12 Times headline about military personnel staying at a Trump resort in Scotland on the taxpayersâ dime claimed âFor Military Personnel, Trumpâs Turnberry Hotel is âBetter Than a Tent.ââ The headline failed to convey the storyâs details that there was an uptick in military personnel staying at the hotel despite closer, cheaper options available for flight overstays.
On October 16, the paper published a headline about a meeting between Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) ostensibly on Syria after Trump abandoned Kurdish allies there, stating, âSomeone Had a âMeltdownâ at the White House. Pelosi and Trump Just Disagree on Who.â Multiple witnesses confirmed Trumpâs childish behavior. ProPublicaâs Jesse Eisinger chastised the Times for an âinexcusableâ headline, writing, âTo soften and normalize Trumpâs behavior on this week of all weeks is something else.â
A November 29 Times headline asking âWould Republicans Follow Their Garland Rule for the Court in 2020â was so ridiculous on its face that TPM editor and publisher Josh Marshall simply laughed at it, while a law professor and a Supreme Court reporter pointed out that the âGarland Ruleâ was a Republican fabrication.
And on December 18, after Trump suggested at a rally during the House vote to impeach him that the late Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) was âlooking upâ from hell, the Times published a tweet and a headline summing up Trumpâs rally without mentioning his disgusting comment:
OâBrien and other journalists called out the Times for normalizing Trumpâs outrageous attack.