'Send in the Troops' Op-Ed Sparks Major NYT Shakeup

James Bennet is out. The New York Times editorial page editor—once considered a future contender for executive editor—has resigned amid raging backlash over an op-ed calling for military force against American protesters, per the Hollywood Reporter. "Last week we saw a significant breakdown in our editing processes, not the first we've experienced in recent years," the Times' publisher, A. G. Sulzberger, told staff in a memo. He added in a Sunday interview that "both of us concluded that James would not be able to lead the team through the next leg of change that is required."

Bennet's fall has triggered two other moves: Jim Dao, the editor who oversaw op-eds, is going to the newsroom, and Katie Kingbury, a deputy editorial page editor, will replace Bennet through the November election. The op-ed in question was written by GOP Sen. Tom Cotton and headlined "Send in the Troops." Over 800 Times staffers later opposed its publication and Bennet apologized, saying he failed to read it amid a breakdown in the editorial process. But Cotton chafed at the notion that his work didn't meet the Times' standards: "It far exceed their standards which are normally full of left-wing, sophomoric drivel," he said on Fox News. (More New York Times stories.)