Ben Shapiro, New York Times spar over 9/11 coverage related to Islamophobia
Rightwing podcaster Ben Shapiro blasted the New York Times for its coverage of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as its website displayed two stories referencing Islamophobia.
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In a post on X Friday that racked up more than 440,000 views, Shapiro wrote: “If you were an alien who landed on Earth this morning, and you were reading the top headlines on the NYT’s webpage, you would immediately assume that 9/11 was an attack on Muslims.”
By Friday afternoon, the newspaper’s website was led by a handful of stories about the terrorist attacks and the memorial ceremony at Ground Zero. One of the headlines on the homepage read: “Facing Islamophobia, Mamdani Keeps Focus on 9/11 Victims.”
The Gray Lady blasted Shapiro in return, posting a screenshot of its website on X.
“This misleading statement is nothing more than a disingenuous attempt to seek attention and stoke outrage by misrepresenting The New York Times’s journalism covering the anniversary and commemoration of the Sept. 11 attacks,” the newspaper’s communications team wrote.
“In the 25 years since that day, we have led the way on reporting on the event, its human toll, and resulting societal shifts. Audiences can see for themselves The Times’s coverage now, which features a deep and diverse set of journalism reflecting on a globally significant event.”
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More coverage on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11:
- Condoleezza Rice apologizes to families for failing to prevent 9/11
- 9/11 25th anniversary live updates: JD Vance unites with Clinton, Obama, Biden, Bush at Ground Zero ceremony
- Rudy Giuliani shakes Zohran Mamdani’s hand at NYC 9/11 memorial ceremony after calling on mayor to skip
- Sept. 11 widow blasts Saudis: ‘How can it be 25 years and still we have no justice?’
But Shapiro tore into the newspaper’s defense of its coverage, posting a screenshot of what appears to be the New York Times’ mobile homepage from Friday morning. The third-highest story in the screenshot is one with the headline “Islamophobia Shaped a Generation of Muslim New Yorkers.”
“Are you f***ing kidding me right now? This was the top of your homepage about three hours ago,” Shapiro wrote in the post.
One of the highlighted stories about New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani focused on attacks against him in light of the fact he’s the city’s first Muslim mayor.
The second story – the headline of which was apparently tweaked to “After 9/11, Islamophobia Shaped a Generation of Muslim New Yorkers” – reported on “suspicion and hostility” toward Muslim New Yorkers in the aftermath of the attacks.
