Executives at The New York Times scrambled on Thursday to address the concerns of employees and readers who were angered by the newspaper's publication of an opinion essay by a United States senator calling for the federal government to send the military to suppress protests against police violence in American cities.
Near the end of the day, James Bennet, the editor in charge of the opinion section, said in a meeting with staff members that he had not read the essay before it was published. Shortly afterward, The Times issued a statement saying the essay fell short of the newspaper's standards.
"We've examined the piece and the process leading up to its publication," Eileen Murphy, a Times spokeswoman, said in a statement. "This review made clear that a rushed editorial process led to the publication of an Op-Ed that did not meet our standards. As a result, we're planning to examine both short-term and long-term changes, to include expanding our fact-checking operation and reducing the number of Op-Eds we publish."
The
Op-Ed, posted on the Times website Wednesday, carried the headline "Send In the Troops." It was written by Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas. "One thing above all else will restore order to our streets: an overwhelming show of force to disperse, detain and ultimately deter lawbreakers," the senator wrote.
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