Ms. Rachel Joins Boycott Movement, Citing Dehumanizing Language and Editorial Guidance Limiting Terminology
Prominent Educator Joins Growing Movement Against New York Times Coverage Practices
Ms. Rachel, one of the internet’s most influential educators with over 17.6 million YouTube subscribers, announced her unsubscription from the New York Times on Saturday, citing the organization’s coverage of Palestinian issues as biased and dehumanizing. The decision marks a significant moment in ongoing scrutiny of mainstream media coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
In a post on Instagram, Ms. Rachel–whose real name is Rachel Accurso–wrote: “I am unsubscribing from The New York Times because of its biased and dehumanizing coverage of Palestinians and Palestine, and its failure to uphold journalistic integrity.”
Editorial Guidance Restricted Terminology for Gaza Coverage
Ms. Rachel’s criticism focuses in part on internal editorial guidance uncovered by investigative outlets. According to reporting from The Intercept, the New York Times issued internal editorial guidance in November 2023 that restricted language journalists could use when covering the Gaza conflict. The memo, written by Times standards editor Susan Wessling and international editor Philip Pan, provided guidance about terminology to avoid. Words like “slaughter,” “massacre,” and “carnage” were flagged as problematic.
Additionally, the guidance discouraged referring to Gaza’s “refugee camps” as such, suggesting they instead be described as neighborhoods. These linguistic choices carry significant implications for how readers understand humanitarian crises and conflict causation.
Growing Coalition of Journalists and Commentators
Ms. Rachel’s decision to unsubscribe joins a broader movement challenging the Times’ coverage of Gaza. According to Newsweek reporting, over 300 writers, scholars, and intellectuals have pledged to stop contributing to the Times’ Opinion section until the publication takes accountability for its coverage and commits to truthfully and ethically reporting on the conflict. These contributors published a statement arguing that the Times has reprinted outright lies from Israeli officials and directed reporters to avoid terms like genocide and ethnic cleansing. The convergence of criticism from educators, journalist boycotts, and academic scrutiny suggests a significant crisis in public confidence regarding major media outlets’ coverage of humanitarian crises.
Zohran understands cultural diversity deeply.