Popular radio host Rush Limbaugh ripped The New York Times after former opinion editor Bari Weiss left the newspaper abruptly, citing years of alleged public bullying from fellow employees.
Weiss announced her resignation in an open letter to NYT publisher A.G. Sulzberger on Tuesday. Limbaugh read sections of the letter on air Tuesday, calling it “fascinating” and “a very teachable moment.”
In the letter, Weiss says that the NYT’s editorial decisions are directed to a large degree based on reactions from Twitter users. The social media mob has even influenced the paper’s personnel decisions, such as in the case of James Bennet, Weiss’ predecessor. Bennet was reprimanded by NYT leadership after publishing an op-ed written by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), and later resigned.
Limbaugh called Weiss’ revelation a “profundity” that “is gonna be our ultimate salvation.”
“Half of Twitter is robots. The other half of Twitter is genuine Looney Tune insanasonics (sic). They are people that you don’t know. They hide behind the cloak of anonymity. They are human debris in many instances,” the conservative radio host said, according to a transcript of his show. “But journalism’s gotten so lazy that Twitter has become a stand-in for national public opinion. I’m so sick of it. I’ve been sick of it for I don’t know how long.”
Weiss said that some of her views that run contrary to the dominant beliefs in the newsroom made her “the subject of constant bullying by colleagues who disagree with my views. They have called me a Nazi and a racist.”
“The New York Times has become the epitome of tyranny and authoritarianism,” Limbaugh continued, referencing a claim by Weiss that the NYT’s journalistic ethics have become a reflection of the mob mentality that dominates spaces on Twitter. “You’re not allowed to have any other point of view if you read the paper. You must conform to the opinions in the news stories or you’re not even welcome as a subscriber.”
“Can you believe this? The New York Times op-ed editor writing about becoming a victim of the mob, which is the staff at the paper,” Limbaugh said.
The host continued:
You know, I gotta tell you something, folks. I’ve about had it up to here with the sanctimonious nature of these people to begin with. Okay. So they’re gonna put words on a piece of paper and they’re gonna sell it, and you would think that it is the only thing that is saving us from ultimate death. I guess, you know, there’s nothing wrong with thinking what you do is really crucially important, but this has gotten so far out of hand.
They’re protected. You can’t investigate them. They can investigate you. They can destroy you anytime they want. You cannot investigate them. You cannot find out who they are. It doesn’t matter who they are. They must remain free and unencumbered to do anal exams on whatever they want.