<
https://www.techdirt.com/2025/07/08/the-new-york-times-runs-interference-for-a-racist-to-manufacture-a-fake-scandal-about-zohran-mamdani/>
"The
New York Times has had a rough few decades when it comes to being
manipulated by bad actors. But their latest embarrassment—a complete non-story
about NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s college application to Columbia
University from 2009—represents a new low in journalistic malpractice that
combines hacked materials, racist sources, and a breathtaking willingness to be
used as a vehicle for right-wing propaganda. Oh, and all for a story that has
zero news value and zero insight into Mamdani’s qualifications to be mayor of
New York City.
Here’s what happened: The
Times published a story claiming that Mamdani, who
was born in Uganda to parents of Indian descent, checked both “Asian” and
“Black or African American” boxes on his Columbia University application all
the way back in 2009. The implication, pushed by the story’s framing, was that
this was somehow scandalous—a case of gaming the system for affirmative action
benefits.
As he runs for mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani has made his identity
as a Muslim immigrant of South Asian descent a key part of his appeal.
But as a high school senior in 2009, Mr. Mamdani, the Democratic nominee,
claimed another label when he applied to Columbia University. Asked to
identify his race, he checked a box that he was “Asian” but also “Black or
African American,” according to internal data derived from a hack of
Columbia University that was shared with The New York Times.
Columbia, like many elite universities, used a race-conscious affirmative
action admissions program at the time. Reporting that his race was Black or
African American in addition to Asian could have given an advantage to Mr.
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and spent his earliest years there.
I’m genuinely curious about the
Times’ logic here. Person born in Uganda
checks “African American” box. Where’s the lie? Did Uganda move? Is it not in
Africa anymore? Are we really going to pretend that America’s racial
categories, designed primarily for descendants of American slavery, map
perfectly onto the global complexity of human identity?
If there is a story, it is solely about the
Times’ decision and later
justification for publishing this non-story."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
