Observing the Decline of The New York Times Through a Window

We were always aware that the world at The New York Times was very different, but the demands of the striking Tech Workers Guild are truly surprising.

They are asking for bereavement leave for pets.

They want scented products banned in the break rooms.

They are requesting trigger warnings for news meetings — meetings that inevitably cover disturbing topics because that’s what most news is about.

Seems a bit privileged, doesn’t it?

It’s important to note that the 600-plus members of this union earn an average of $190,000, which is $40,000 more on average than journalists in the Times Guild. They also only have to work in-office two days a week (although there are also grievances about working fully remotely).

It’s worth mentioning that the paper faced a significant staff revolt when they published an opinion column suggesting that the National Guard might need to intervene in the 2020 George Floyd riots — a rebellion that was only calmed by firings at a high level.

We understand that the Times now heavily relies on left-leaning content and games like Wordle, but we have to question if they can continue to hire mainly from a pool of individuals with such sensitive dispositions and still uphold the motto of “All the News That’s Fit to Print.”