Entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang believes it’s time to change the internal landscape at the New York Times following the abrupt resignation of one of the outlet’s top conservative writers.
Writing on Twitter, Yang said on Tuesday that the paper should consider making “some real changes” after columnist Bari Weiss released a scathing letter outlining a pattern of harassment from colleagues for her centrist viewpoints.
“If someone like @bariweiss feels like she can’t do her best work at the @nytimes they should make some real changes over there,” Yang tweeted.
If someone like @bariweiss feels like she can’t do her best work at the @nytimes they should make some real changes over there.
— Andrew Yang??? (@AndrewYang) July 14, 2020
Weiss, who said she was hired to provide diversity of opinion in a newsroom that missed the mark on the 2016 presidential election, alleged that she was mocked and derided by colleagues who felt that her presence at the paper hurt the “inclusivity” of the workplace.
“The lessons that ought to have followed the election — lessons about the importance of understanding other Americans, the necessity of resisting tribalism, and the centrality of the free exchange of ideas to a democratic society — have not been learned,” wrote Weiss in the letter that she shared Tuesday. “Showing up for work as a centrist at an American newspaper should not require bravery.”
Yang, who complained about unfair representation among liberal news outlets during his candidacy for president, emphasized that he felt similar to Weiss by sharing a tweet from a supporter who suggested that the climate of the New York Times adversely affected Yang’s opportunity to compete in the Democratic primary process.
“I certainly don’t agree with @bariweiss on every issue, but this is a stunningly honest and very insightful breakdown of everything that’s wrong with the American media,” wrote Twitter account Tearo. “#YangGang watched the unfortunate real life consequences of this industry.”
