The Right Wing Loves the NYT Now

Outlets that are known for their innaccuracy and extremism on trans issues are absolutely gaga over the NYT article on puberty blockers.

by Evan Urquhart

When a large mainstream newspaper writes a biased trashfire of an article ignoring basic journalistic ethics around the proper use of expert sources, the right wing celebrates, and the right wing press is in full fiesta mode over the New York Times piece about trans youth who access puberty blockers. This was so predictably predictable one almost wonders if it was exactly what the NYT was hoping for.

FOX News is quietly jubilant at the “long delayed” NYT coverage. Presumably, what’s been long delayed is shoddy, irresonsible, deeply biased and misleading work masquerading as investigative journalism. Certainly FOX News would know that when they see it.

Religious media are also singing the NYT’s praises. The Catholic Register (which has often been featured by Assigned for extreme anti-trans frothing), ironically praises the NYT report as science based. This is a bit rich from a relgion that preaches whether or not trans people are helped by transition we will be so spiritually harmed by transition in the next world that we, therefore, must never be allowed to access lifesaving treatments in this one.

There are notes of caution from outlets that normally bash the NYT as leftists and communists. A far right blog, The American Conservative, cautions readers not to show the paper of record the respect due to a, er, paper of record, and includes a lot of stuff like this feverish-sounding passage.

Generally, though, the tone is more like this headline in the conservative Telegraph, a UK broadsheet, which is known for being anti-LGBTQ+ and, more specifically, transphonic.

Assigned would like to congratulate the New York Times on its new bedfellows in religious and far right media.

Evan Urquhart

Evan Urquhart is a journalist whose work has appeared in Slate, Vanity Fair, the Atlantic, and many other outlets. He’s also transgender, and the creator of Assigned Media.

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