The fun they had: New York Times staff mimicked mass killings in leaked photos

Two leaked photographs show top New York Times staff in poses making fun of mass killings shortly after they happened.

An unnamed former New York Times employee provided Gawker with the photos, which were then published on Tuesday. They show an apparent disconnect between the NYT image of decorous professionalism and literal images of staff making light of mass death.

One photo shows the longtime NYT opinion page editor Andrew Rosenthal wielding a fake M16 rifle and a bottle of wine over staffers stained with fake blood, recreating the June 2001 Nepalese royal massacre. The massacre was committed by the Crown Prince Dipendra, who took the lives of nine people including the king, queen, as well as his own.

“These photos are in poor taste, not reflective of the values of The New York Times and deeply regrettable,” NYT’s publisher, Arthur Sulzberger Jr. told Gawker in a statement Tuesday morning. Schulzberg is also the Chairman of the paper’s owner, The New York Times Company.

Source

I called up the Editor in Chief, a Mr. Wong & asked them if they had the chance to mock the SC shooting yet. Gave my name & title of this article.

These are the kind of ppl that report the news & determine what news is shown, in what light, etc. You can be libby, conservative, Dem or Repub, but I do think MOST of us can agree that this is reprehensible, and on a whole new level of stupid & unemployed worthy.

SNIP

That is simply bizarre. I can't imagine an office dressing up with silly hats like that for any reason outside of New Years, much less to poke fun at a mass murder.

originally posted by: NavyDoc
That is simply bizarre. I can't imagine an office dressing up with silly hats like that for any reason outside of New Years, much less to poke fun at a mass murder.

Sounds like they are making too much money at the NYT if they have time for that kind of BS.
I thought newspapers were in dire financial straits.

This happened before 911.

The calendar on the wall indicates that the reenactment also occurred in June 2001, when the memory of the tragedy would have still been fresh in the minds of the public.

It was a different time.

a reply to: schadenfreude

Is it fair to give out phone numbers on ATS? Unless I'm wrong I haven't seen that before.

a reply to: Aleister

It's not like a private residence. It's in the phone book, I'm just making it more accessible.

These are the photos that we know of.

Different time? pfft, as a white man I got slammed for being racist yesterday over a flag, so diff time yeah...

funny how thats so one-sided.

a reply to: schadenfreude

You must be a YOUNG white man then. Pre-911 was a very chill time. This wouldn't even have made the news then.

They're getting the real "feel" of the story.

That's what happens when over-educated people get good jobs in journalism.

Graduates are the reflection of the educators.

a reply to: intrepid

I'm 44 actually, I'm just sick of the hypocrisy. I'm choking on it, as I'm sure some are around here too.

a reply to: intrepid

Very chill in consideration of what's going on now.

It's like America sold it's soul that day.

a reply to: schadenfreude


With staff like this, I guess they routinely mock their customers dead and live. Hopefully this will accelerate the decline of this so-called news outlet.

originally posted by: InverseLookingGlass
a reply to: schadenfreude


With staff like this, I guess they routinely mock their customers dead and live. Hopefully this will accelerate the decline of this so-called news outlet.

Just for my reference, what political bent does this rag have?

a reply to: schadenfreude

Not surprising as they are the same industry trying to lead the US into a Race war.

I can only imagine the behind scenes they did of Ferguson, while representing themselves as the fighters to end racism.

Yeah, reprehensible and stupid... and if I'd been in the NYT office when this happened, I would have feigned stricken grief and said I had lost a loved one to a mass shooting... just to shame them and shock them out of that mindset, and then been shamed myself for lying about loss... sigh.

The overly PC environment where even (debased) humor is not tolerated is silly... life has good and bad, and as we are all facing an unknown death, laughing and trivializing death is our common defense... and fields like police, medical and journalism deal in death all the time... and it produces some callous responses and black humor.

It's human.

My main gripe is that people cannot seem to project empathy to feel for someone they never met... we are all so very similar and is it so hard to imagine loosing a loved one?

a reply to: intrepid

Aren't you concerned with how these photos will make the victims families feel? Kind of cold to give it a pass just because it was pre 9/11.

Here's an interesting question. After 14 years are any of these people even employed there? Hell, are they even in the industry anymore?

originally posted by: butcherguy

originally posted by: NavyDoc
That is simply bizarre. I can't imagine an office dressing up with silly hats like that for any reason outside of New Years, much less to poke fun at a mass murder.

Sounds like they are making too much money at the NYT if they have time for that kind of BS.
I thought newspapers were in dire financial straits.

Almost cult like pictures.

originally posted by: jaws1975
a reply to: intrepid

Aren't you concerned with how these photos will make the victims families feel?

And who would those be?

Kind of cold to give it a pass just because it was pre 9/11.

No. Pointing out that America didn't get bent out of shape about nothing before 911.

originally posted by: intrepid

originally posted by: InverseLookingGlass
a reply to: schadenfreude


With staff like this, I guess they routinely mock their customers dead and live. Hopefully this will accelerate the decline of this so-called news outlet.

Just for my reference, what political bent does this rag have?

NYT is liberal/left/progressive--what ever label we're allowed to use today.