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This ‘violently racist’ hacker claims to be the source of the New York Times’ Mamdani scoop

The Verge · Elizabeth Lopatto · last updated

The ultimate source for The New York Times’ story about Zohran Mamdani’s college application is an open secret. It’s an anime-loving neo-Nazi whose hobbies include furry drawings, posting fan art of a video game character, and hacking universities. On X, the alleged hacker is followed by New York Times freelancer Benjamin Ryan, who was the first byline on the Mamdani story.

The alleged hacker uses an online handle that is a racial slur, so I will be referring to them as the Anime Nazi; they have taken credit for five hacks of universities. Three of them, as first reported by Bloomberg, targeted the University of Minnesota, New York Universi …

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The New York Times is the most important — and successful — news organization in the United States, with unmatched resources. But its political coverage has its critics, including a growing number of veteran journalists.


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