dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

Former New York Times Editor Admits Outlet Apologized to China for Critical Story

A former New York Times executive editor has admitted the publisher of the media outlet drafted an apology letter to the Chinese regime after publishing an investigative report about corruption within the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) ruling elite. Jill Abramson, executive editor at the outlet from 2011 to 2014, wrote in her upcoming book “Merchants of Truth” that her “blood pressure rose” when she first came across a draft letter from publisher Arthur Sulzberger, according to Fast Company. She said the letter was written with “input from the Chinese embassy,” and sought to appease the regime in hopes the outlet’s business in the country could be salvaged. According to Abramson, Chinese officials were “enraged” after being contacted for comment about the piece, delving into the vast wealth amassed by family members of the CCP’s top leaders. The Chinese ambassador then sought a meeting with Sulzberger, in which he threatened there would be “serious consequences” if the story were published, Abramson said. No evidence was offered from the Chinese ambassador to dispute the claims.

Despite the alleged threat, Sulzberger proceeded to publish the story, which later won a Pulitzer Prize. Within a few hours of publication, Chinese censors blocked both the outlet’s English and Chinese websites across Mainland China. NY Times China-bureau journalists were also denied new visas in the aftermath of the article. The websites remain blocked in China to this day.

Sulzberger caught a flight to China to try to convince Chinese officials to unblock the site but was unsuccessful. The outlet had only recently opened its Chinese-language site, which employed 30 Chinese journalists. Abramson accuses the publisher of drafting a letter without her knowledge and with input from the Chinese embassy, “all but apologizing” for the story. The former editor said she later confronted Sulzberger about the letter at a Starbucks cafe. During the meeting, Sulzberger “seemed startled that I had [the letter] and he kept saying, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’ He tried to slip the letter into his folder but I snatched it back,” Abramson said.

Sulzberger ultimately agreed to reword the letter with input from Abramson and then managing editor Dean Baquet, she said. Abramson was still opposed to the letter due to the way it apologized for the “perception” the story created. In a statement to Fast Company the NY Times disputed Abramson’s account, saying it was inaccurate. The statement did not provide further detail. “We published this story knowing in advance that our Chinese-language website, which had launched just months before, would be shut down,” the statement said according to Fast Company. “We’ve vigorously protested the shutdown and continue to fund the website to send a clear signal that our journalists cannot be silenced in retaliation for their coverage.”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/former-new-york-times-editor-admits-outlet-apologized-to-china-for-critical-story_2759254.html