The New York Times is reviewing Jonathan Weisman’s “poor judgment” on social media after multiple instances in which his actions on Twitter have been called into question.
Following two instances in as many weeks of him facing scrutiny for comments he made on Twitter, the Times announced they are “closely examining what to do” about him “repeatedly displaying[ing] poor judgment on social media,” according to Yashar Ali.
Weisman, the paper’s deputy Washington editor, came under fire last week for claiming that two congresswomen of color, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, weren’t really from the Midwest and that Lloyd Doggett of Texas and John Lewis of Georgia weren’t from the Deep South.
He faced backlash, and later deleted the tweet, for implying that they weren’t really from the regions they were raised in.
“Saying [Tlaib] and [Omar] are from the Midwest is like saying … [Lewis] from the Deep South. C’mon,” he tweeted in response to a tweet about rising liberal politics in the Midwest.
Weisman’s social media usage put the spotlight back on him Wednesday when he pointed out that Justice Democrats, a liberal political action committee, had backed an Ohio primary challenger, “seeking to unseat an African-American Democrat, Joyce Beatty, who represents Columbus.”
But, the challenger, Morgan Harper, responded saying she is “also black,” to which the editor said he saw a photo with the endorsement.
Roxane Gay, an author and Times contributor, tweeted: “Any time you think you’re unqualified for a job remember that this guy, telling a black woman she isn’t black because he looked at a picture and can’t see, has one of the most prestigious jobs in America. Shoot your shot.”
Weisman proceeded to email Gay and ask for an “enormous apology,” and went as far as to reach out to her publisher for an apology.
