New York Magazine faces backlash for ‘banning’ conservative columnist Andrew Sullivan from writing about anti-racism riots – or face the sack
- Andrew Sullivan announced on Thursday that the latest installment of his column in New York Magazine would not be running this week
- Cockburn, a blog run by UK-based news outlet The Spectator, alleged that New York Magazine would not allow Sullivan to write about the riots
- ‘Presumably Sullivan’s editors are frightened that he might make the radically bourgeois point that looting and violence are wrong,’ a Cockburn blog post says
- Sullivan’s Twitter account is studded with criticisms of recent protests sparked by the death of George Floyd
- News that his column won’t run was met with mixed reactions on Twitter
Daily Mail.com – June 7, 2020
A vehicle burns near New York’s Union Square on Saturday, April 30, 2020. Click to enlarge
New York Magazine is facing backlash after it allegedly banned a conservative commentator from writing about anti-racism protests that have taken over the US.
Andrew Sullivan, a British journalist, announced on Thursday that the latest installment of his column in New York Magazine would not be running this week.
He did not publicly state why the column was cancelled, but an explanation was outlined in a scathing post on Cockburn, an American blog run by the UK-based Spectator outlet, which frequently publishes Sullivan’s work.
‘Sullivan revealed on Twitter yesterday that his column wouldn’t be appearing. The reason? His editors are not allowing him to write about the riots,’ the post claims.
‘Presumably Sullivan’s editors are frightened that he might make the radically bourgeois point that looting and violence are wrong.’
New York Magazine did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment about Sullivan’s column.
Heads up: my column won't be appearing this week.
— Andrew Sullivan (@sullydish) June 4, 2020
The Cockburn blog charged that Sullivan’s contract with New York Magazine states that he cannot write about the riots for any other publication – or else he can lose his job.
The blog cited a source ‘close to New York Magazine’ who said Sullivan ‘has to have his work vetted by sensitive junior editors to make sure it doesn’t trigger them.
‘If it passes their sniff testing, it can be published.’
Sullivan’s Twitter account is studded with criticisms of recent protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck during an arrest on May 25.
While many of the protests have been peaceful, others have devolved into violence with businesses burned and looted.
Sullivan has retweeted several posts and videos of destruction in progress, with comments calling out their distinction from peaceful protests.
The Cockburn blog accused New York magazine and other media outlets of censoring voices outside the mainstream, like Sullivan’s.
‘It’s the bonfire of the liberals!’ the post states.
‘Who cares about the First Amendment? Not the Maoists who are marching through NYC’s media institutions.
“The blog cited a source ‘close to New York Magazine’ who said Sullivan ‘has to have his work vetted by sensitive junior editors to make sure it doesn’t trigger them.”
Ye gods. The schoolkids now censor what teacher can say. Soon, adults will need their children’s permission to talk to them at mealtimes. Wouldn’t want to “trigger” the poor dears at dinnertime and make a mess.