An award-winning New York Times Magazine writer resigned from the publication on Friday after signing a letter criticizing Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
Jazmine Hughes, who also previously worked as an editor for the magazine, signed the “Writers Against the War on Gaza” petition, which calls Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza a “genocide.”
Jake Silverstein, the magazine’s editor, announced Hughes’ resignation in a staff message on Friday, the Times reported.
“While I respect that she has strong beliefs, this was a clear violation of the Times’ policy regarding public protest,” Silverstein wrote. “This policy, which I fully support, is an important part of our commitment to independence.”
Hughes had previously signed another letter along with other Times employees protesting the publication’s coverage of transgender issues. The letter was criticized by Times leadership.
“She and I discussed that her desire to take such a public position and engage in public protests was inconsistent with her work as a journalist at The Times, and we both concluded that she should resign,” Silverstein continued.
Hughes declined a Times request for comment.
New York Times Magazine writer Jamie Lauren Keiles, who also signed the petition, announced Friday that he would no longer contribute to the publication. He said the Times connection hurt his writing.
“Sources increasingly called on me to take responsibility for what they said was poor reporting on BLM, trans issues and Israel,” said Keiles, who noted that he is Jewish. said on X, formerly Twitter. “Although I love my editors and have always felt supported, I ultimately came to the conclusion that the institution takes more from me than it gives.”
“Nobody asked me to leave. [It] It was a personal decision about what kind of work I wanted to do. With all of this said, I stand by my decision to sign this [Writers Against the War on Gaza] Write a letter and pray for a free Palestine soon.”
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