NYT opinion editor quits over piece titled ‘Send in the Troops’

James Bennet, the New York Times editorial page editor responsible for publishing a column that advocated using the military to quiet protests over US racial inequality, resigned on Sunday, the newspaper announced. The New York Times has come under fire after it published an editorial on 3 June from US senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, titled “Send in the Troops”. The column drew criticism from inside and outside the New York Times newsroom as some readers and journalists interpreted the column as advocating actions that would put protesters and reporters in danger. By Sunday, Sulzberger said in a note sent to staff that was seen by Reuters: “Last week we saw a significant breakdown in our editing processes, not the first we’ve experienced in recent years.” The protests for racial justice first erupted 13 days ago after video footage emerged showing George Floyd, a 46-year old unarmed black man in handcuffs, lying face down on a Minneapolis street on 25 May as a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.