NYT: The NY Post Has Shunned CNN, MSNBC, the NYT & the WaPo as Sources for Stories

Edited by: Fern Sidman

It appears that a division is growing among some media outlets this week, as the New York Times reported that three journalists who work for the New York Post were instructed by senior editors to not use reportage from CNN, MSNBC, the New York Times and The Washington Post as the sole criteria for any article that appears in the Post.

As is general practice in the media, publications and electronic media often use repackaged news content from other similar organizations, but it now appears that the Murdoch owned newspaper has deemed material garnered from certain outlets off limits, according to the NY Times report.

It is noteworthy to mention that the outlets in question that have been banned by the top brass at the Post, namely  CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post and The New York Times are among the news organizations that President Trump has labeled as “fake news.”

The three journalists from the Post spoke to the NY Times on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. They revealed that the directive to ban the aforementioned news sources was handed down by Michelle Gotthelf, the editor in chief of the Post along with editors of various sections of the paper. According to the journalists from the Post, if they spot a story that they think would be of interest to their readers that happens to emanate from the outlawed sources, they can only use it if they do their own reporting on it first. They can no longer rely on these sources as their sole basis for the article in which they are writing.

The NY Times posed the question to the journalists as to why the Post singled out CNN, MSNBC, the NY Times and the Washington Post for dismissal but not such sources as CBS News or Variety.

According to the Times report, the New York Post journalists said no specific explanation had been proffered by their editor, but rather made the assumption that politics was a motivating factor in the decision.

The Times reported that “CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post and The Times are seen as liberal within the Murdoch empire, which is home to Fox News and Fox Business, cable networks that were instrumental to the rise of President Trump.” The journalists said that “to publish articles based on the work of those organizations would not fit The Post’s right-leaning identity.”

Throughout the 2020 election season, the Post threw its weight behind Trump and at times published severely critical articles about his perceived adversaries.

The decision to become a megaphone for Trump was made under the guidance of senior adviser Col Allan, a former editor in chief at the Post, according to the Times article.

The Times also noted that when it appeared that things were not looking good for Trump at the polls as election day neared, the Post changed their tune and began to critique the president’s consistent message that the election has been stolen from him.

As election day neared, the Post turned tail and began to chastise the president for his fraudulent election claims.  The paper reported that the  president was making the “unfounded claim that political foes were trying to steal the election.”

As for the Col Allan, who had steered the Post in Trump’s direction, he announced after the president’s defeat in the polls that he had plans to retire. While at the Post, Allan had made it very clear who he was supporting in the hotly contested race by reportedly wearing a Make America Great Again cap in the newsroom, as was reported by the NY Times.

In the aftermath of the election, the president had amplified his message that the election had been rigged against him. As a result, he attracted a following of people who began pronouncing the “Stop the Steal” movement on social media.

In a rebuke to Trump, the Times reported the Post ran an editorial on its cover that was headlined “Stop the Insanity” on December 27th.

The editorial took Trump to task over his adamant refusal to accept the outcome of the election and to publicly concede defeat, as was reported by the Times. They told him to “end this dark charade.”

The Times also made note of the not-so-coincidental timing of the Post decision to outlaw articles based on the work of CNN, MSNBC, The Times and The Washington Post. The decision was made only days after the January 6th riots at the Capitol in Washington when Trump supporters attacked the building, looking for legislators who were voting on the electoral college certification of votes for Joe Biden. The rancorous crowd also chanted, “Hang Mike Pence” after the president told the rally attendees prior to the march to the Capitol that he hoped his vice president would do the right thing and stop the certification.

During the riots that ensued at the Capitol, Trump supporters also attacked journalists as they were consistently told by Trump that the media was the “enemy of the people.”

The Times reported that supporters of Trump also chanted, “CNN sucks,” and MSNBC journalists said they had made sure not to display MSNBC-identifying markers on their gear or clothing.