Legacy Papers Have Been Weird and Hostile Toward Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani, the thirty-four-year-old Democratic Socialist poised to become the next mayor of New York City, has drawn much attention for his social media skills. His jaunty videos and online savvy have so effectively helped him build an army of supporters that his opponents began trying to copy the style of his videos. Less remarked upon, though, is the fact that he has no other choice than to be good at new media. The old media hates him.

Newspapers and their editorial sections emerge out of obscurity when it is time for the establishment to bare its fangs against a perceived threat. To most New York City voters, Mamdani is known for his smile, his charisma, and his wish to make the city a more affordable place to live. National newspapers have taken a different view.

If you live and work in the part of New York City that is not Wall Street, the Wall Street Journal opinion section’s coverage of Mamdani has been a great amusement these past months, like watching a clumsy barbecue chef frantically rolling in the mud after his apron has caught fire. Since June, when the mayoral primaries were held, the paper has run more than fifty editorials and op-eds attacking Mamdani. For a paper that ostensibly covers the entire nation, that is a lot.