A New York Times writer said that he was cast out and chastised for naming a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich as his favorite sandwich.
Adam Rubenstein, a former Opinion writer for the New York Times detailed the moment he was reprimanded for his answer in another article published by The Atlantic called ‘I was a Heretic at The New York Times.’
The moment happened during an orientation with other new employees after he was hired by the publication in 2019. Rubenstein noted that the group played an ice breaker game, where he was asked what his favorite sandwich was.
‘The spicy chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A,’ Rubenstein said to the group and said that he ‘considered the ice broken’ from his response.
He said that he then got an angry response from the HR representative that was leading the orientation, who said: ‘We don’t do that here. They hate gay people.’
After that was said, Rubenstein said that the others started to snap their fingers in agreeance before he tried to save himself and added: ‘Not the politics, the chicken.’
Adam Rubenstein, a former Opinion writer for the New York Times said that an HR representative scolded him for liking Chick-fil-A
The moment happened during an orientation with other new employees after he was hired by the publication in 2019
After he told the group that he enjoyed Chick-fil-A’s spicy chicken sandwich, he said the HR rep said: ‘We don’t do that here. They hate gay people’
‘But it was too late. I sat down, ashamed,’ he wrote.
Chick-fil-A is commonly known for its chicken-focused menu and its chairman’s negative view point on gay marriage as many liberals have protested against the Atlanta-based fast food chain for their stance.
After his story for The Atlantic published on Monday, Rubenstein posted the link to it on X (formally Twitter) and said: ‘I took notes’
Rubenstein recalled that when he got the job, his parents, who were longtime subscribers of the publication ‘were thrilled’ for him. He later resigned in 2020 by announcing his departure in a Slack messaging channel for Times staffers, The Daily Beast reported.
He previously worked at The Wall Street Journal out of college and then The Weekly Standard, who said ‘was conservative yet unrelentingly anti- Donald Trump.’
In the piece, he described himself as a person ‘with a background writing for right-of-center publications,’ and that The New York Times published pieces by conservatives who ‘tended’ to agree ‘with the liberal line.’
‘James Bennet, the Times’ editorial-page editor, and James Dao, the op-ed editor, were committed to publishing heterodox views,’ Rubenstein said in the article.
He then mentioned the publication’s ‘mandate’ which was to provide readers with ‘intelligent discussion from all shades of opinion.’
Rubenstein left the Times more than six months after he edited Senator Tom Cotton’s famous published piece ‘Send in the the Troops.’
In the piece, he described himself as a person ‘with a background writing for right-of-center publications,’ and that The New York Times published pieces by conservatives who ‘tended’ to agree ‘with the liberal line’
Chick-fil-A is commonly known for its chicken-focused menu and its chairman’s negative view point on gay marriage as many liberals have protested against the Atlanta-based fast food chain for their stance
The opinion piece sparked much controversy as it came out around the murder of George Floyd, as the article pushed for the military to send in troops to help with the many protests against police brutality.
Before Rubenstein left, the opinions editor James Bennet decided to resign due to the backlash.
Prior to his departure, Bennet defended the column and said that it showed readers ‘counter-arguments, particularly those made by people in a position to set policy.’
In response to Rubenstein’s newly published piece, New York Times spokesperson told DailyMail.com: ‘Our Opinion section’s commitment to publishing diverse views — including those that are unpopular, controversial or heterodox — is unwavering.’
‘That was true before the publication of Senator Cotton’s guest essay in June 2020 and remains true today. Indeed, we’ve only furthered that promise to our readers, offering an even more diverse mix of voices in Opinion than we did four years ago.’
‘However, the commitment to publishing diverse opinions cannot be used as cover for bad process or shoddy work. In this case, the piece itself and the series of decisions that led to its publication did not hold up to scrutiny.’
Besides the Chick-fil-A moment, Rubenstein also detailed other aspects from his job at The New York Times as he claimed that op-ed submissions from conservatives were ‘treated differently’
‘None of that was Adam’s fault. As a junior member of the team, he deserved better editorial support and oversight.’
‘It was clear to me then and it’s clear to me now that the fight over Cotton’s op-ed was never about safety, or the facts, or the editing, or even the argument, but control of the paper and who had it. In the end, all that mattered was that an example had been made,’ he said.
Besides the Chick-fil-A moment, Rubenstein also detailed other aspects from his job at The New York Times as he claimed that op-ed submissions from conservatives were ‘treated differently.’
He added that those pieces ‘faces a higher bar for entry, more layers of editing, and greater involvement of higher-ups.’
‘The Times had hired me to provide research for columnists and to solicit and edit newsy, against-the-grain op-eds. I brushed off my discomfort about the office politics and focused on work,’ Rubenstein said.