The New York Times defends Mamdani exposé after liberal backlash

The article revealed Mamdani identified as “African/Black” on his 2009 college application, despite having Indian ancestry.

A senior New York Times staff members took to social media on Saturday to defend the paper’s decision to publish a critical report about mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

The report, which focused on Mamdani identifying as “African” on his Columbia University application, sparked backlash from liberal supporters of Mamdani, who were outraged that the outlet published the exposé.

“Our reporters obtained information about Mr. Mamdani’s Columbia college application and went to the Mamdani campaign with it. When we hear anything of news value, we try to confirm it through direct sources. Mr. Mamdani confirmed this information in an interview with The Times,” Times assistant managing editor for Standards and Trust Patrick Healy wrote on his X account.

Healy noted that Mamdani chose to identify as Asian, but also as “African/Black,” on his 2009 application for admission to Columbia University.

Mamdani was born in Uganda to two parents of Indian descent, but has no known African heritage.

After the report was published, he explained that he felt entitled to identify as African due to being born on the continent.

“Our reporters obtained information about Mr. Mamdani’s Columbia college application and went to the Mamdani campaign with it. When we hear anything of news value, we try to confirm it through direct sources. Mr. Mamdani confirmed this information in an interview with The Times,” Healy continued.

“We believe Mr. Mamdani’s thinking and decision-making, laid out in his words, was newsworthy and in line with our mission to help readers better know and understand top candidates for major offices.”

But many Mamdani supporters, including high-profile liberal commentators, were unimpressed with Healy’s explanation.

“Your absolute abrogation of the NYT standards would in a better era there have led the full range of you in management to resign. Utter failure,” raged Keith Olbermann, a fierce critic of Donald Trump who is one of the most outspoken left-wing voices in American media.

“Then again, if you don’t realize NYT is perceived as actively campaigning against Mamdani, you’re all lost anyway,” Olbermann added.