Politics

NYT Reporters Stage Walkout, Chant ‘No Editors, No Peace’ Over Staff Cuts [VIDEO]

Font Size:

Reporters and editors at The New York Times staged a walkout Thursday afternoon, chanting “no editors, no peace” in protest of the NYT’s plan to cut loose dozens of copy editors as the paper adapts to the digital age.

“We have begun the humiliating process of justifying our continued presence at The New York Times,” the NYT’s copy editors said in a letter Wednesday to executive editor Dean Baquet. “We worry that the errors and serious breaches of Times standards that copy editors catch each day will go unnoticed,” they added.

“Editors — and yes, that especially means copy editors — save reporters and The Times every day from countless errors, large and small,” the paper’s reporters said in a letter supporting the copy editors. “We believe that the plan to eliminate dozens of editing jobs and do away with the copy desks is ill-conceived and unwise, and will damage the quality of our product.”

Breitbart News reporter Adam Shaw captured video of NYT editors and reporters chanting and carrying signs as they took part in the walkout Thursday afternoon. “No editors, no peace!” the protesters chanted, appropriating the chant “No justice, no peace” commonly used by Black Lives Matter and other anti-police protesters.

WATCH:

The NYT protesters also carried misspelled signs that read, “This wsa not edited,” suggesting that the NYT will be more frequently plagued by simple typos if the copy editors are let go.

The protest came two days after former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin sued the NYT for defamation after the editorial board falsely claimed she incited the 2011 shooting of then-Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords. (RELATED: Sarah Palin Suing New York Times For Defamation)

Palin claimed the paper “exceeded the bounds of legality, decency and civility by publishing the false and defamatory column.”