Former New York Times columnist claims media, ex-employer 'sane-washing' coverage of Trump administration

Former New York Times columnist Paul Krugman said Monday that his insubstantial and the accepted media arsenic a full are "sane-washing" President Donald Trump during an interrogation connected MSNBC.

"Do you consciousness that The New York Times and different media, rather frankly, are taking up the close attack and being benignant of without fearfulness oregon favor, capable to screen this administration, which has threatened journalists, which is, arsenic we’ve covered, going aft the regularisation of instrumentality successful assorted ways. Is determination immoderate thoughts you privation to stock astir that astatine your erstwhile leader astatine the Times, oregon however the journalistic assemblage should attack this close now?" MSNBC's Ari Melber asked. 

Krugman near The New York Times successful December and said successful a substack station successful precocious January that his "relationship" with the paper had "degenerated to a point" wherever helium could not stay.

Krugman, who said helium was babelike connected the accepted quality media and adjacent reporting from the NYT, argued determination was "sane-washing" going connected and said helium was blessed to beryllium escaped to "be capable to speech astir this worldly without trying to dependable mean and sensible."

Former NYT columnist Paul Krugman said his erstwhile leader and the media successful wide was sane-washing President Trump. (Screenshot/MSNBC)

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"Definitely an unwillingness to conscionable flatly report, and we person brainsick worldly that was existent during the campaigns, adjacent much truthful now. And it really, if each you bash is work the papers, past you don’t, you don’t get each of that," Krugman said. "These are not mean and sensible times."

The erstwhile NYT columnist wrote astir economical issues and policies for the insubstantial for 25 years, including during President Biden's term, erstwhile ostentation and prices skyrocketed. While Krugman maintained earlier successful Biden's word that ostentation would not get retired of hand, he wrote successful July 2022 that helium was wrong.

Krugman wrote successful a post for The Contrarian, a Substack created by erstwhile Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin and predominant CNN impermanent Norm Eisen, that the editing process for his columns became overmuch much "intrusive" passim the 2024 predetermination year. 

 "I went from 1 level of editing to three, with an contiguous exertion and his superior some weighing successful connected the column, and sometimes doing important rewrites earlier it went to copy. These rewrites astir invariably progressive toning down, introducing unnecessary qualifiers, and, arsenic I saw it, mendacious equivalence. I would rewrite the rewrites to reconstruct the essence of my archetypal argument," helium wrote.

 Krugman said helium was gladsome to present beryllium escaped to constitute without trying to 'sound mean and sensible' ((Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for the New York Times))

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MSNBC's Melber followed up with Krugman and asked him straight if helium felt that "sane-washing" was occurring astatine The New York Times.

"Yes, I mean I'm sorry, I don't privation to trash my employer. Do not driblet your subscription to The New York Times arsenic an indispensable quality source," helium said. "Mostly it takes the signifier of a benignant of flattening, that everything becomes, you don’t get the afloat sense."

Krugman suggested the media was downplaying the news, oregon including what helium feels are cardinal details further down successful definite reporting. 

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"If you work astir Elon Musk’s attack connected USAID – the captious bureau – did you work that helium called it ‘evil,’ that helium said each of the unit are left-wing Marxists who hatred America?" Krugman said, providing an example. "You astir apt whitethorn not person seen that, oregon it was downplayed. It was successful paragraph 19. And that’s what I don’t deliberation the media are adequately conveying astir what’s happening now."

The NYT did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.