We’ve long published reporting and commentary following how legacy newsrooms — and especially the New York Times — have repeatedly published misinformation about trans people, creating fertile ground for anti-trans legislation to take root.
Trans-led independent newsroom Trans News Network has issued a call to fight back: Boycott (and divest and unsubscribe) from the New York Times and its related products. If that language sounds familiar, it may be because the call joins another existing boycott of the Times over its editorial standards and coverage of Palestine. This week’s top story places the TNN boycott in the context of that movement and past critiques of the Times’ coverage of trans communities.
And in case you missed the most recent piece in our Since 2020 series: As Donald Trump wins more attention from U.S. news media, one loser has often been international journalists, who reflect on shrinking opportunities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read on for more, and find an abbreviated version of our media links on Instagram each week. (Here’s an example from last week.)
GENDER
Trans News Network calls for boycott of New York Times over paper’s coverage of trans people
Trans News Network is calling for a public boycott of the New York Times, including Times products like the Games and Cooking apps and refusing to click on links to reporting published in the piece: “No excuses, no exceptions … This boycott will no longer be necessary when the NYT stops pushing [the] genocide [of trans people].”
The trans-led non-profit newsroom published their announcement Aug. 21, writing that the Times’ news framing and opinion pieces have contributed to an anti-trans atmosphere while human rights experts warn about the early stages of trans genocide in the United States.
“We are real people, and these are real lives that are being actively threatened by the kind of environment the New York Times is actively contributing to,” Mira Lazine, TNN co-founder and reporter, said.
TNN demands resignation of key management officials from the Times, including publisher A.Z. Sulzberger, and the dismissal of several reporters whose articles have been cited in anti-trans legislation alongside a completely different editorial direction.
“I have personally seen how much of the Times’ reporting hurt people in my community,” Lazine continued. “I'm one of the people that fled across the country because of anti-trans laws. The New York Times was contributing to the atmosphere that created them.”
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING?
A bit more media
👏 FOLLOW-UP: Karen Attiah has won her case in federal court — meaning her former employer, The Washington Post, has been ordered to reinstate Attiah, with back pay. The veteran columnist was fired from the Post after social media posts about white men who espouse political violence in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk killing. Arbitration found that the Post violated its labor agreement. “Recognizing an individual’s or individuals’ race or gender does not, in and of itself, constitute misconduct,” wrote the arbitrator.
💸 The Objective’s former Democracy Correspondent Uyiosa Elegon covered how newsrooms practicing movement journalism are struggling under a fascist onslaught that’s seen philanthropic support recede. Prism and Scalawag, two such publications, have both seen significant reductions in funding since 2025.
📚 Behind the New York Times’ Heated Rivalry story: Fansplaining, which reports on fanfiction and the world of fandom, covers how the team learned the Times had a Fansplaining account it used to report their story about the fandom behind the hit TV show — and how they denied it.
🤖 In an age of historic lows in media trust, The Wall Street Journal announced an op-ed writer is using AI to “write” his column. “I’m not embarrassed by it,” said billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller about his op-ed column on market policy, which Paul Gigot, the WSJ editorial page editor equated to the use of grammar checkers.
📉 Tomorrow (August 28th) the Associated Press will cut 20 U.S.-based video production staffers focused on covering U.S. news and move their jobs to India. Ten photo editors and 10 video editors in London will also be laid off. Executive editor Julie Pace said in an email that the changes are linked to a planned “centralized global hub" intended to scale video and photo capabilities.
❓ Buzzfeed is facing more significant cuts a year after the National desk was shrunk from 14 to 7 reporters. While management says the cuts are “financially necessary,” the HuffPost Union is asking: Where’s the proof?
📚 From the literature: A new article in Journalism Studies examines how Facebook’s Community Standards affect the editorial standards of Palestinian news organizations. The study found tensions between visibility and freedom of speech as news organizations try to cover the Israeli invasion and genocide in Gaza. (To clarify: The study misstates that Telegram does not read messages sent on its secure platform.)
🎒 Merry J-School Debate for all who participate! This magical time only comes around once (or twice) a year.
Have a story you think we should include in this section of next week’s newsletter? Let us know here or by responding to this email.
JOURNALISM IN A GRAF
Quote of the week
“As the last full-time Black staff opinion columnist left in the section before my firing, I know that my termination sent a chilling message to Black journalists about our disposability, especially when we say or do anything to challenge the status quo. … I am not the first woman journalist at the Washington Post to be punished for not adequately mourning the sudden death of a prominent male celebrity. My former colleague Felicia Somnez was unjustly suspended in the wake of the death of basketball star Kobe Bryant for tweeting about his sexual assault allegations.”
This issue is by Marlee Baldridge and James Salanga. Thanks for reading. We’ll have more for you next week.
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