Stolen Documents from a White Supremacist Group Used in Mamdani's Article Causes Public Controversy
The New York Times published an article last Thursday about Zohran Mamdani, a New York mayoral candidate. The article reported that in 2009, Mamdani, who is of Indian descent and was born in Uganda, checked boxes indicating that he was both 'Asian' and 'Black or African American' during a college application to Columbia. The article was based on documents obtained from a hack of Columbia University’s computer systems. However, the story has sparked controversy over sourcing, newsworthiness, and race. Jordan Lasker, an American internet personality and independent researcher known for promoting a genetic relationship between race and intelligence, has been identified as the source of the hacked materials. Lasker has made controversial racist and anti-Semitic posts, but there is no publicly available evidence linking him to the news story about Zohran Mamdani at the New York Times. Mamdani told the Times that he selected those boxes because the available options did not reflect the complexity of his background. The Times has updated its article to note that the source, known as Cremieux, 'writes often about IQ and race.' The controversy has led to ethical concerns, with media ethics professor Jane Kirtley raising questions about the promise of anonymity made to the source and the initial characterization of the source in the article. Kelly McBride, chair of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at the Poynter Institute, has expressed concern about the lack of initial information about Cremieux. Patrick Healy, the assistant managing editor for standards and trust at the Times, defended the article’s publication, stating it was important, factual, and confirmed by Mamdani. The Times newsroom is taking a firm line to pushback, with executive editor Joe Kahn emphasizing the need to take on controversial stories despite potential scrutiny and backlash. The story has also led to internal discussions within the Times newsroom, which is in transition. Last summer, the Times declined to publish Trump campaign documents concerning JD Vance that were thought to have been stolen by Iranian-backed hackers. The story was overseen by a newsroom in transition: the longtime Metro editor, Nestor Ramos, is in the process of taking over the National desk. The controversy has also led to some backlash within the Times itself. Jamelle Bouie, a Times opinion columnist, criticized the article and later deleted his posts, citing violation of Times social media standards. Late on Friday, the Times closed comments on the Mamdani story and posted a survey about the college admissions process. The survey asked, 'Are You Frustrated by Census and Racial Categories?' implying a potential focus on the controversy surrounding racial categories in college applications. Using stolen or hacked materials as the basis for reporting has been a subject of significant debate in media circles. The Times' handling of the Mamdani story has added fuel to this ongoing debate.
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