Prof. Jane Kirtley Quoted in London Tribune About Questionable Sources

Professor Jane Kirtley, Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law, was quoted in the London Tribune about the use of questionable sources by the New York Times in reporting on the ethnicity of Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. The Times is facing criticism following its decision to publish the story that revealed that Mamdani identified as both “Asian” and “Black or African American” on his 2009 college application. Critics claim the Times rushed to publish the story to beat the competition and that the information was from an anonymous source who obtained documents that were hacked from Columbia University. Prof. Kirtley questioned the decision to grant the source anonymity. She said, “It seems a little disingenuous to play this game of ‘We know something you don’t know.’” She added, “Why would you promise him anonymity and then play hide-the-ball with the readers? My question is: Why would you have even made that promise to this individual in the first instance? I don’t see the need.”