Dozens of New York Times employees have formed a group to defend journalistic independence amid concerns that the union that represents the Times and hundreds of other news organizations is becoming too vocal on various issues.
The newly formed “Independence Group” is made up of high-profile journalists such as Megan Twohey, Julian Barnes and Emily Bazelon.
It would operate within the confines of NewsGuild-CWA and be open to staff at rival publications, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“We want to articulate the standards that many members must follow and why we think they are important, and it is a problem for us to undermine and compromise them,” said Twohey, who was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team that uncovered sexual assault allegations against the Former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.
The caucus “believes that journalists should be able to report freely, following the facts where they lead with an open mind and without outside interference,” according to a document sent by organizers to the Times Guild, a subsidiary of the NewsGuild.
A group of New York Times journalists are forming their own union called the Independence Caucus. fake images
According to the Journal, founding members of the new union were upset by NewsGuild’s recent actions, even as the union engaged in its coverage of transgender issues and at a recent virtual meeting in which union members debated the merits of issuing a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to US government aid to Israel.
Supporters of the new union said such a move would compromise their neutrality and put their colleagues in war zones at risk.
Jacob Bernstein, a reporter for the Styles section, argued that it was a mistake for the union to organize such a debate without war correspondents who could speak to security concerns.
“What does that say about your commitment to uncovering the facts and to our well-being?” she asked.
Others argued that the idea of releasing a statement violates The New York Times policy, which states: “Staff members may not march or demonstrate in support of public causes or movements,” the Journal reports.
It also served as a reminder to some that the NewsGuild represents groups with conflicting philosophies and rules.
Megan Twohey is one of the organizers of the union conference. Getty Images Caucus members, including Emily Bazelon, were frustrated by what they see as a union advocating for different issues. Neilson Barnard
Twohey later sent a message to his colleagues on Slack about the formation of the “Independence Caucus.”
“Our national union has grown by leaps and bounds and some members do not work in media organizations,” he wrote, according to the message reviewed by the Journal.
“We see this caucus, in part, as a way to continue important conversations in our union about how to respect and balance the different priorities of our broad membership.”
Matthew Rosenberg, who has been covering the war in Gaza, then responded that he agreed.
“I wish we lived in a time when we could let our work speak for ourselves,” he wrote, according to the Journal.
“We don’t, and too often we sit silently while colleagues in the media (mostly outside the NYT) take overtly political stances.
“Some of us felt it was time to talk.”
Organizers, including Julian Barnes, were especially upset by a recent virtual NewsGuild meeting in which the possibility of publishing a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza was discussed. X/@julianbarnes
Others went even further and are reportedly considering ways to separate themselves from the NewsGuild entirely, and have even held meetings with lawyers about that possibility, according to the Journal.
Speaking to the outlet, NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss said he supports the formation of a new group “and will always support workers coming together to discuss issues and strengthen our union.”
As for those thinking about leaving the union, he said: “It’s not the way I handle problems. I am more mental, if I want to change something, I get more involved.”
He also denied that the union was taking a stance on the war in Israel, saying that the NewsGuild was not actually considering issuing a statement and that it simply held the meeting to hear from members who wanted to issue a statement and those who opposed the idea. . .
“Hundreds of people wrote to us and called us from all over,” he told the Journal. “What we had was a listening session to hear directly from the people.”
The Independence Caucus would exist under the current Times Guild and would be open to journalists from other media. AFP via Getty Images
He also said the NewsGuild has represented organizations “outside the media for a long time,” and said he believes it is “good for us” to hold debates.
And he noted that union members and leaders have issued statements and resolutions dating back 90 years, when its convention passed a resolution affirming that abortion and contraception “should be a personal matter for a woman to decide.”
He reaffirmed that claim last year, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The Post also contacted the NewsGuild for comment.
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