New York Times Fires Back at Conservative Critics Over 9/11 Anniversary Coverage

The New York Times' communications team unleashed a sharp public rebuke Friday after prominent conservative commentators accused the paper of skewing its Sept. 11 anniversary coverage, setting off a heated back-and-forth on social media.

The dispute began when Ben Shapiro posted on X that an outside observer reading the top headlines on the Times' website Friday morning "would immediately assume that 9/11 was an attack on Muslims." The Times' official communications account fired back swiftly, calling the claim "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 paper's statement went on to tout its coverage over the past 25 years, saying it has "led the way on reporting on the event, its human toll, and resulting societal shifts," and pointed to what it described as a "deep and diverse set of journalism" on its site.

Shapiro was unconvinced, responding, "Are you f***ing kidding me right now? This was the top of your homepage about three hours ago," alongside a screenshot he said proved his original point.

Conservative media critic Stephen L. Miller also drew fire from the Times after sharing a headline from the paper focused on Islamophobic attacks against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, captioning it simply, "The New York Times on 9/11." The Times replied to Miller with the identical statement it had issued to Shapiro. Miller pushed back, writing, "I didn't editorialize, or put up an opinion. I simply posted what the New York Times chose to publish on 9/11. And the NY Times Comms is struggling with it."

The exchange marks an unusually combative public posture from the Times' communications team, which typically avoids direct social media sparring with individual critics. The dispute underscores the broader tension between conservative media figures and legacy outlets over how major news organizations frame anniversary coverage of the attacks, with critics arguing outlets like the Times have shifted focus in recent years toward downstream societal effects of the attacks rather than the attacks themselves and their victims.

Neither Shapiro nor Miller has indicated they plan to let the matter drop, suggesting the dispute over the Times' coverage is likely to continue generating online debate throughout the 25th anniversary news cycle.