Two award-winning New York Times reporters have resigned after signing an open letter released by “Writers Against the War on Gaza.”
The letter signed by New York Times Magazine writers Jazmine Hughes and Jamie Lauren Keiles, as well as many others, begins, “Israel’s war against Gaza is an attempt to conduct genocide against the Palestinian people.”
This war did not begin on October 7th. However, in the last 19 days, the Israeli military has killed over 6,500 Palestinians, including more than 2,500 children, and wounded over 17,000. Gaza is the world’s largest open-air prison: its 2 million residents—a majority of whom are refugees, descendants of those whose land was stolen in 1948—have been deprived of basic human rights since the blockade in 2006. We share the assertions of human rights groups, scholars, and, above all, everyday Palestinians: Israel is an apartheid state, designed to privilege Jewish citizens at the expense of Palestinians, heedless of the many Jewish people, both in Israel and across the diaspora, who oppose their own conscription in an ethno-nationalist project.
Journalists from the Los Angeles Times, Jewish Currents, Al Jazeera, Vox Media, New York Magazine, and many other outlets also signed the letter.
New York Times magazine editor Jake Silverstein informed staff on Friday evening that he had spoken to Hughes and a joint decision was made for her to turn in her resignation.
“While I respect that she has strong convictions, this was a clear violation of The Times’s policy on public protest,” Silverstein wrote in an email obtained by The Wrap. “This policy, which I fully support, is an important part of our commitment to independence.”
Silverstein explained that Hughes had also violated the company’s policy by signing an open letter condemning the New York Times’ coverage of transgender issues.
“She and I discussed that her desire to stake out this kind of public position and join in public protests isn’t compatible with being a journalist at The Times, and we both came to the conclusion that she should resign,” Silverstein’s email continued.
Keiles, who is Jewish and transgender, announced his resignation in a post on X.
“I resigned from my contributor writing position at the times mag earlier this week because having a formal institutional affiliation was starting to become a liability to my work,” Keiles wrote. “Sources were increasingly asking me to answer for what they understood to be shoddy coverage of BLM, trans stuff, Israel. though I love my editors and have always felt supported, I ultimately decided the institution was taking more from me than giving to me.”
sources were increasingly asking me to answer for what they understood to be shoddy coverage of BLM, trans stuff, israel. though i love my editors and have always felt supported, i ultimately decided the institution was taking more from me than giving to me
— Jamie Lauren Keiles (@jamiekeiles) November 3, 2023
nobody asked me to leave. was a personal decision about what kind of work i want to be able to do. all this said, i standby my choice to sign the @wawog_now letter and pray for a free palestine soon
— Jamie Lauren Keiles (@jamiekeiles) November 3, 2023
Keiles added that they were not asked to resign, but made the decision to do so on their own.
