NY Times rushed out story on Mamdani claiming to be black on Columbia application over fears it would be scooped by Christopher Rufo: report

New York Post

5 days ago

The New York Times rushed to put out its story on Zohran Mamdani claiming to be 'African American' when he applied to Columbia University because the newspaper feared it would be scooped by right-leaning journalist Christopher Rufo, according to a report.
The Gray Lady is facing a storm of criticism following its decision to publish the story based on hacked Columbia documents that revealed Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, identified as both 'Asian' and 'Black or African American' on his 2009 college application.
Mamdani, who is of Indian descent and was born in Uganda, confirmed the details to the Times and said he checked those boxes because the application did not reflect the complexity of his background.
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4 Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, claimed to be African American on his 2009 college application.
Paul Martinka for NY Post
Two people familiar with the reporting process told Semafor that the Times knew Rufo and other reporters were working on the same lead.
Rufo confirmed to Semafor that he had been pursuing the story and planned to release more details on his Substack.
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A Times spokesperson declined to say whether Rufo's reporting prompted the timing of the publication but referred Semafor to a prior statement given to the Columbia Journalism Review.
'What matters most here is whether the information was true and factual — it was, confirmed by Mr. Mamdani; that it was independently confirmed; and that it is relevant to the public,' Patrick Healy, assistant managing editor for standards and trust at the Times, told CJR.
Mayor Eric Adams, who is running against Mamdani as an independent, publicly called on Columbia to release Mamdani's admission records, calling his racial identification 'deeply offensive.'
Aides to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, said Mamdani's claims on the form could be 'the tip of the iceberg' and that the state assemblyman could be hiding even more 'fraud.'
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4 The New York Times broke the story about Mamdani's application to Columbia University.
Christopher Sadowski
The Times piece drew criticism over the weekend, sparking heated debate among Mamdani's supporters, media observers and even Gray Lady journalists.
Some critics defended Mamdani's racial identification, pointing out that he was born in Africa. Others questioned the ethics of reporting on a college application that was ultimately rejected, and whether hacked materials from a teenager's personal file merited a full news article.
A large share of the criticism focused on the source of the documents — a online figure known using the psuedonym Crémieux.
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Initially described by the Times as 'an academic and an opponent of affirmative action,' Crémieux has previously promoted controversial views on the link between race and IQ.
According to The Guardian, Crémieux is the alias of Jordan Lasker. The Times later updated the article to note that Crémieux 'writes often about IQ and race.'
The Post has sought comment from Rufo and Mamdani. Lasker was not immediately available for comment.
Jane Kirtley, a media ethics professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, questioned the decision to grant the source anonymity.
'It seems a little disingenuous to play this game of 'We know something you don't know,'' she said.
'Why would you promise him anonymity and then play hide-the-ball with the readers?'
She added: 'My question is: Why would you have even made that promise to this individual in the first instance? I don't see the need.'
The story also caused friction within the Times newsroom.
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4 According to a report, the Times rushed the story's publication because it feared it would be scooped by right-leaning journalist Christopher Rufo.
The Washington Post via Getty Images
'People are really upset,' one Times journalist told Semafor.
Times columnist Jamelle Bouie was particularly vocal, posting on Bluesky: 'i think you should tell readers if your source is a nazi.'
He deleted that post — and others expressing frustration with the article — citing a violation of Times social media guidelines. Bouie did not respond to a request for comment.
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Lydia Polgreen, another Times columnist, shared her perspective without directly commenting on the story's newsworthiness.
'I can see why a political young man like Zohran might fill out his college application the way he did,' she wrote on Twitter.
'Because if you are like me, you struggle to be known in this country. Our visual sorting is so simplistic and quite brutal.'
Polgreen, who is biracial with African parents, said she understood Mamdani's identification choices.
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4 Mamdani unsuccessfully applied for admission to Columbia University (whose campus is seen above).
AP
The Times leadership stood by the reporting.
According to Semafor, senior editors were aligned in their decision to publish and approved the story after a standard editorial review. A senior Times reporter defended the story by pointing to the public conversation it had sparked.
'The fact that this story engendered all the conversation and debate that it has feels like all the evidence you need that this was a legit line of reporting,' the reporter said.
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Still, critics questioned the newsworthiness of the article and the Times' choice to base it on stolen records.
'We publish stories once newsworthy information is confirmed and our reporters and editors have completed their work,' a Times spokesperson told The Post.
'That was the case with this story; we went to Mr. Mamdani, he confirmed our information as true, and our colleagues had done thorough reporting. We don't hit publish because others may be working on a story.'