The Times included his work on the pandemic in its Pulitzer submission, two people familiar with it said. Some employees then organized a letter saying that “our community is outraged and in pain” and asking why Mr. McNeil’s conduct hadn’t prevented him from covering a crucial story with complex racial disparities. Some Black journalists felt their white colleagues were rallying to Mr. McNeil’s defense rather than worrying about his words’ impact. Critics scoured Mr. McNeil’s old work, and complained on Twitter. The questions about The Times’s identity and political leanings are real; the differences inside the newsroom won’t be easily resolved.

Source: New York Times February 14, 2021 23:48 UTC