BOYCOTT, DIVEST,
UNSUBSCRIBE

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES

The New York Times is not unique among media outlets in manufacturing consent for war, for exploitation, for genocide. It is, rather, exemplary. The Times’ reputation for liberalism, for rigor, for non-partisan independence is precisely what makes it so dangerous, because it hides what it really is: a publication that exists to serve the interests of U.S. imperialism.

In December 2023, the New York Times published “Screams Without Words,” a scurrilously reported and immediately debunked piece of October 7th sensationalism, bylined by a Times reporter with a long history of fabrication (Jeffrey Gettleman); a filmmaker who served in the IOF’s intelligence division and works for Israeli state media (Anat Schwartz); and a 24-year-old food blogger (Schwartz’s nephew by marriage, Adam Sella). Schwartz had never reported for the Times—or, in fact, for any newspaper—before being recruited by Gettleman himself to help produce evidence of “widespread sexual assault.” In an attempt to quell outrage, the Times investigated Schwartz for her history of “liking” genocidal statements on social media, including, most sickeningly, a post calling for the occupation to “turn Gaza into a slaughterhouse.”

In February 2024, the Intercept published an exposé on the manufacture of “Screams Without Words.” Reporters Ryan Grim, Jeremy Scahill, and Daniel Boguslaw wrote,

“The fear among Times staffers who have been critical of the paper’s Gaza coverage is that Schwartz will become a scapegoat for what is a much deeper failure. She may harbor animosity toward Palestinians, lack the experience with investigative journalism, and feel conflicting pressures between being a supporter of Israel’s war effort and a Times reporter, but Schwartz did not commission herself and Sella to report one of the most consequential stories of the war. Senior leadership at the New York Times did.”

Our own sources at the Times provided us with the names and email addresses of the three senior leaders who, they say, are most directly responsible for the publication of “Screams Without Words.” With the launch of our Boycott, Divest, Unsubscribe campaign, WAWOG asked readers and writers of conscience to not only unsubscribe, but also email those senior leaders and tell them why. Hundreds did so within a matter of days.

The New York Times is a failed institution that serves only the powerful and the morally lazy. By refusing to name the perpetrator—the Israeli occupation forces—of the deadliest war on journalists in history, the editorial board of Times has shown that they do not even serve their own profession. By shaping its coverage in accordance with Israeli state dictates and Zionist threats, the executives of the Times have become not only complicit in, but accountable for, the slaughter of Gaza.

How do we hold the Times accountable? Three words:

Boycott. Those who believe in a free Palestine have long refused to buy products from American companies that make weapons for Israel. For exactly the same reason, we boycott all the offerings of the New York Times. We do not share their articles or listen to their podcasts. We do not cook their recipes or read their newsletters. We do not play their games.

Divest. Those of us who write refuse to contribute to the Times. When the Times asks for quotes, we turn them down. We divest ourselves of the notion that they either deserve or bestow merit.

Unsubscribe. If you read the Times, stop. If you still subscribe to the Times, cancel your subscription. Write the editors an email telling them why you’re boycotting, divesting, and unsubscribing. Use one of our templates or get creative.