The brother of Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bennet is under consideration for the top editorial jobs at the New York Times.
Dubbed the “Anti-Trump Dynasty” by the Washington Post, James Bennet, 53, and his brother Michael, 54, chose different professions but share similar values and have both been outspoken in their criticism of President Trump. James currently oversees the editorial page of the Times and is rumored to be next in line for the Executive Editor position when it is vacated by Dean Baquet.
The opinion sections in the New York Times were referred to as “far left-wing” by Baquet, 63, who indicated in 2016 that some more conservative voices in the Times should be justified. James Bennet, who has been Editorial Page Editor since 2016, has been the subject of some controversy for including Brett Stephens in the team of opinion writers.
Stephens’ first column for the newspaper cast doubt on some theories about the effects of man-made climate change and resulted in subscription losses. Stephens and Bennet found themselves embroiled in controversy once again when, earlier this year, Stephens criticized an academic for referring to him as a “bedbug,” and asserted that it was akin to the dehumanizing language employed by the Nazis in World War II.
Stephens became a punchline on Twitter after publishing his article about language, and Bennet quickly came to his defense, noting that he had helped edit the column before it ran.
“After that whole thing erupted, James and I went out for a very friendly drinking session,” said Stephens after the incident. “His line was: ‘We seem to be approaching peak Twitter insanity.'”
While Stephens’ editorial voice bends against many of the more liberal positions at the Times, some conservatives have been critical of his more left-wing views on issues, such as gun control. He has also consistently spoken out against the president, once comparing him to fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
Bennet defended his choice to hire Brett Stephens, despite criticism from people who felt he was too conservative.
“I think if we show we take conservatives seriously and we take ideas seriously … we get a lot more moderates paying attention to what the New York Times has to say,” Bennet said in a staff meeting.
Throughout the criticism, however, Bennet found support in his mission to diversify the editorial voice of the New York Times from owner A.G. Sulzberger.
“It’s increasingly hard to find places where diverse voices debate ideas respectfully and thoughtfully. But that’s exactly what James believes is needed, and it’s what he’s building,” said Sulzberger. “Under his leadership, Opinion has been vital, creative, and unafraid to tackle big issues, from privacy to domestic abuse to the legacy of slavery. He’s not only a great editor but a deeply honorable one. As much as any journalist I’ve worked with he’s constantly pushing himself to make the right journalistic decision.”
Bennet and the New York Times were the subjects of controversy after running a piece in 2017 that linked former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to the shootings in which then-Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise were injured. Though the original article was edited to remove that link, Palin later sued Bennet and the newspaper for defamation. He later referred to the gaffe as an “honest mistake.”
Sources from the Times indicated that Bennet had been the subject of evaluation by Times employees, which some say is an indication that he is a serious candidate for the role Baquet is expected to leave in the near future.
Michael Bennet, who currently represents Colorado in the U.S. Senate, has a harder road to his next promotion. He is currently at an average of less than 1% among other Democratic contenders for the Oval Office.
