New York Times Writer Resigns, Cites Media Bias and Hostile Work Environment

Bari Weiss, a writer and editor for the New York Times' opinion desk, published a resignation letter Monday, citing media bias and a "hostile work environment." Weiss wrote in her letter that she was hired to diversify the New York Times' opinion section, which is rated Left by AllSides, by bringing in first-time writers, centrists, conservatives and "others who would not naturally think of the Times as their home." Instead, Weiss wrote she found that "a new consensus has emerged in the press, but perhaps especially at this paper: that truth isn’t a process of collective discovery, but an orthodoxy already known to an enlightened few whose job is to inform everyone else." Weiss' letter was embraced by several prominent voices from the right, including Sen. Ted Cruz, Donald Trump Jr., and Ben Shapiro; prominent voice from the left, Bill Maher, also expressed support for Weiss. When it comes to wording, some left-rated outlets framed Weiss as a "controversial" opinion writer in their headlines. Several liberal journalists criticized Weiss' letter, including Linda Tirado, a freelance photojournalist who lost her eye to a rubber bullet in May while covering the street protests in Minneapolis. Tirado contrasted Weiss' concerns about press freedoms to physical attacks on the press in a tweet.