Florida and Conservative Think Tank Sue NYT, Allege Anti-Israel Bias

The state of Florida and a New York-based think tank filed a lawsuit against The New York Times Company (NYT) on Wednesday, seeking internal documents to determine whether the company is allowing its paper to be biased against Israel.

The Suit: The suit was filed by NYT shareholders, the State Board of Administration of Florida (SBA), and the self-described "nonpartisan, free-market, independent conservative" National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) think tank.

The Demand: On May 29, the National Jewish Advocacy Center (NJAC), acting on behalf of NCPPR, requested to examine the company's records to see whether it "failed to adequately discharge their fiduciary duties with respect to material legal, reputational, and financial risks arising from the Company's publication of factually unsupported content." The NCPPR took issue with an opinion from Nicholas Kristof titled "The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians," which it described as "controversial." The NJAC stated that the NCPPR has the right to inspect the company's records as shareholders under New York law, NY BCL § 624. The NCPPR said shareholders have been requesting the records for months. In its news coverage of the suit, The New York Times (Lean Left bias) said in August it refused to turn over the records.

Florida Context: Florida's SBA is responsible for the state's investment funds, including its pension program. The Times reported that, according to its most recent SEC filing, Florida holds about 145,000 shares of NYT. In February 2025, the Florida SBA sued retail company Target, alleging it "misled investors" with its promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Key Quotes: Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier discussed the lawsuit in a conference at Miami-Dade College and wrote on X that the suit was filed for the good of "Florida's 1.2 million public retirees." Uthmeier said the suit is not a "challenge to any certain article or editorial discretion" and that news outlets "certainly have First Amendment rights," but about "legal responsibilities and duties" to shareholders. Uthmeier said the SBA observed 72 recent errors The Times made that involved "pro-Hamas" bias and "had to be retracted." Charlie Stadtlander, a spokesman for The Times, said, "This lawsuit has no merit and was brought for an improper purpose. Although it is positioned as a corporate governance petition to inspect the company's books and records, it is a transparent attempt to exert agenda-driven pressure against an independent media organization, level false allegations of bias and chill journalism protected by the First Amendment."

Whistleblower: The Free Press (Lean Right), which AllSides has previously observed as being "very pro-Israel," reported speaking to an unnamed former Jewish Times employee. According to the suit, she had raised concerns about antisemitism and anti-Israel bias 15 times between 2019 and her March 2026 departure from the outlet. She told The Free Press, "​​The public deserves a better picture of how the Times manufactures the news when Jews or Israel are involved."

How The Media Covered It: The Free Press' coverage focused heavily on the whistleblower's account and allegations of bias at the paper. In its news coverage, The New York Times described Utheimer as "an aggressive conservative culture warrior" who is currently running to retain his post as attorney general. Reuters (Centers) argued in news coverage that the suit "escalates a growing battle nationwide over journalistic independence" and cited the recent confrontation between the Trump administration and several major news networks.

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