The Times’ Kristof Controversy
On Monday, The New York Times published an explosive investigation by columnist Nicholas Kristof, detailing horrifying allegations of sexual abuse against Palestinians in Israeli detention facilities, immediately igniting fierce external backlash and prompting sweeping denials and outrage from Israeli officials. Some went as far as to call the opinion piece “blood libel” and to make accusations of antisemitism against both Kristof and the newspaper of record.
The Times’ first response was to defend Kristof and his reporting, albeit over 24 hours later, issuing a statement on X that emphasized his decades-long track record covering sexual violence in conflict zones, stressing that the investigation relied on victims’ accounts, “backed by independent studies.” Kristof also took to social media to parry the criticism, retweeting the statement.
Nevertheless, the tidal wave of attacks hasn’t ceased, and more than two days since the story was published, the paper’s newsroom…
Lonely Tony in Taipei: While Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for talks with Xi Jinping, America’s network evening news anchors reported from China on the high-stakes talks. Except for one. Tony Dokoupil helmed the “CBS Evening News” from Taipei, Taiwan, after failing to obtain a visa in time to travel to China, Semafor’s Max Tani first reported and Status has confirmed. The embarrassment came after Bari Weiss, a television novice, heard…