Two Prominent ‘New York Times’ Journalists Depart Over Past Behavior

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A copy of The New York Times from May 24, 2020.

Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

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Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

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In a joint letter to the newsroom, Baquet and Kahn said, «We do not tolerate racist language regardless of intent. They pledged to better define and enforce guidelines on workplace behavior, including «red-line issues on racist language.

In the resignation letter that audio producer Mills posted online, he acknowledged he had made missteps earlier, as a producer at the public radio station WNYC in New York. There, he said, he had gotten a reputation as a «flirt, had given a coworker a backrub during a team meeting, and had poured a drink on a colleague’s head at a bar. Mills said he was formally rebuked and passed over for a promotion at WNYC as a consequence of his actions.

He emphasized the behavior in question was years in the past and said he had learned his lesson long ago. Yet, as the fallout from Caliphate cast light on the Times’ disparate treatment of Mills and Callimachi, Mills came under new pressure to explain his earlier behavior toward women.

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«The allegations on Twitter quickly escalated to the point where my actual shortcomings and past mistakes were replaced with gross exaggerations and baseless claims, he wrote.

«As the pressure of this online campaign has grown to encompass some staffers of The Times, it has led to a climate where, even though I still love the mission of this important institution, I feel it is in the best interest of both myself and my team that I leave the company at this time, he wrote.

Baquet and Kahn acknowledged Mills’ departure with a note that spoke of the new leadership over the growing audio division and stressed the need for a collaborative, collegial and respectful workplace.