New York Times insists trans reporting is accurate after ‘militant’ claim

The New York Times has refuted claims from a former editor that its senior staff are “militant” in their anti-trans views.

The 175-year-old news publication claimed accusations of its transphobic reporting are based on “falsehoods” and insisted its coverage of trans topics is “guided by facts and questions”.

Trans journalist Billie Jean Sweeney, who previously worked in the organisation’s International Desk, told Trans News Network (TNN) that senior management shut down “all avenues” of internal criticism over its reporting in the lead-up to the 2024 US election.

She claimed an “Employee Resource Group” which allowed staff to raise questions on managerial decisions was binned, just as NYT chairman A.G. Sulzberger allegedly told teams the paper would cover the election “fairly”.

Around the same time, Sulzberger said during a Reuters Foundation seminar that NYT had “protected” young people through its coverage of trans youth.

LGBTQ+ campaigners and human rights groups have routinely blasted the New York Times’ trans coverage for containing inaccuracies and misinformation, particularly around gender-affirming care for trans youth.

However, a spokesperson for the paper claimed in a Monday (5 January) statement that its work had “deeply and accurately” covered the community and highlighted the “bigotry they face”.

“The post from [Trans News Network] featured an interview with a former editor on the international desk at The Times who was not involved in these coverage decisions,” they continued.

New York Times says senior staff did not ‘attack trans people’

In the interview with TNN, Sweeney noted that the international desk “wasn’t really that involved” in election coverage but that it was nonetheless told about the paper’s policy on the election.

“It was a little off-key for us,” Sweeney said. “We were all like, ‘why are we talking about this?'”

NYT insisted senior management had not issued a “directive to attack trans people” and objected to allegations that it was trying to appease the Trump administration.

It further protested other points raised by Sweeney, such as the claim a draft story that was critical of the Cass Report had been scrapped and given to a different desk.

The spokesperson accused TNN of failing to meet the “most basic journalistic standards of fairness or accuracy”, and accused the publication of failing to issue a right of reply request.

In an Editor’s note, a Trans News Network spokesperson said it rejects NYT’s disputes as “unsubstantiated nitpicking or wilful misreads”.

They added: “We have added minor clarifications at two points in the intervew alongside the transcript, which remains as published. We stand by our reporting of the interview with Sweeney, former editor and 11-year veteran of the Times.”

TNN further criticised NYT for framing trans people’s lives as “fiercely contested”, accusing them of “denigrating our lives and communities”.

“We do not have an obligation to publish damage control on behalf of a news outlet undergoing a legitimacy crisis because of their own actions.”