After Dismissing Queer Journalist for a Political Tweet, New York Times Forced to Defend Reporter Called on Racist Comments

After being slammed for dismissing out freelancer Lauren Wolfe for tweeting her admiration for President Joe Biden, the New York Times is finding itself defending a reporter who was investigated for racist comments, the Daily Beast reported.

"Less than six months before he became the New York Times' go-to reporter on the coronavirus pandemic, Donald McNeil Jr. was under intense scrutiny from the paper's top brass over accusations that he made wildly offensive and racist comments while leading a Times student trip," wrote the Daily Beast.

The New York Times reported the story on Friday, and released a statement. "In 2019, Donald McNeil Jr. participated in a Student Journeys as an expert. We subsequently became aware of complaints by some of the students on the trip concerning certain statements Donald had made during the trip.

"We conducted a thorough investigation and disciplined Donald for statements and language that had been inappropriate and inconsistent with our values," the statement continued. "We found he had used bad judgment by repeating a racist slur in the context of a conversation about racist language. In addition, we apologized to the students who had participated in the trip."

The Times did not provide details of when and how McNeil had been disciplined and he declned to comment. Putney Student Travel, the operator of the 14-day trip, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

"Donald McNeil Jr, a 45-year veteran of the paper and its lead reporter on the coronavirus pandemic, was accused by a number of students of using the N-word during a Times-endorsed educational trip to Peru. The reporter also suggested he did not believe in white privilege and used stereotypes about Black teenagers, according to complaints filed to the paper," writes The Guardian.

The Daily Beast added: "Two students specifically alleged that the science reporter used the "n-word" and suggested he did not believe in the concept of white privilege; three other participants alleged that McNeil made racist comments and used stereotypes about Black teenagers."

Six students or parents made the complaints about the Times-sponsored trip, which cost approximately $5,500 for each participant.

"I expect immediate action on the actions taken by Donald, I am deeply disappointed about the New York Times because of the comments he made during our trip. I think firing him would even be appropriate," one participant wrote wrote the Daily Beast.

Another wrote that McNeil made "varous racist comments" and was "disrespectful to many students during mealtimes and in other settings."

"I would change the journalist. He was a racist," a third person wrote. "He used the 'N' word, said horrible things about black teenagers, and said white supremacy doesn't exist."

"He wasn't respectful during some of the traditional ceremonies we attended with indigenous healers/shamans," yet another wrote. "He made students in the program feel uncomfortable with his remarks. I was really disappointed after hearing great things about his work."

The Times reported that "Dean Baquet, the executive editor, said that when he first heard about the complaints about Mr. McNeil, 'I was outraged and expected I would fire him.' After the investigation, however, Mr. Baquet 'concluded his remarks were offensive and that he showed extremely poor judgment, but that it did not appear to me that his intentions were hateful or malicious.

"'I believe that in such cases people should be told they were wrong and given another chance,' Mr. Baquet continued. 'He was formally disciplined. He was not given a pass.'"

McNeil has written for the paper since xxx and has won numerous awards for his reporting on infectious diseases, including his coverage of the Zika and Ebola outbreaks, along with the AIDS epidemic. He also has served as a foreign correspondent reporting from Africa and Europe.

"Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, McNeil has emerged as one of the paper's breakout stars and one of the country's most prominent journalistic voices on the pandemic," wrote the Daily Beast. "While many Americans were still seemingly unconcerned about the virus in early 2020, McNeil's reporting and a key appearance on the popular Times podcast The Daily emphasized its severity and potential to become a deadly global pandemic."

And, according to a source to the Daily Beast, McNeil's writing has been submitted to the Pulitzer Prize committee to be considered for this year's awards.