ChIck-fil-A

Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP

Past this week Adam Rubenstein, a former New York Times editor scapegoated within the Tom Cotton op-ed affair at the Gray Lady back in 2020, published a inform-all about his experiences on the paper.

In his lede, Rubenstein recalled being chided for determining Chick-fil-A’s spicy rooster sandwich as his favorite after being asked a seemingly innocent icebreaker at his orientation.

Consistent with Rubenstein, an HR rep responded, “We don’t do this right here. They hate homosexual folks,” and his new colleagues celebrated the rebuke via snapping. While Rubenstein equipped many extra serious examples of bias on the Instances, it was once this anecdote that attracted essentially the most attention online. Many left-leaning journalists simply outright denied that one of these thing may have ever took place.

“Never took place,” insisted Nikole Hannah-Jones on X.

All I do know is, my sandwich opinions are real and higher than this man’shttps://t.co/QiY0W80h7p https://t.co/pDILlLdIPt

— Talia Lavin (@mobydickenergy) February 26, 2024

“Is any person going to contact the Atlantic to ask them about the process at the back of publishing this egregiously faux anecdote,” asked Michael Hobbes.

Is somebody going to contact the Atlantic to ask them about the process at the back of publishing this egregiously fake anecdotehttps://t.co/yvZ9hZ0l78 percenttwitter.com/vLKAXsaOjh

— Michael Hobbes (@RottenInDenmark) February 26, 2024

“All I do know is, my sandwich opinions are actual and higher than this man’s,” declared Talia Lavin.

All I do know is, my sandwich opinions are actual and better than this man’shttps://t.co/QiY0W80h7p https://t.co/pDILlLdIPt

— Talia Lavin (@mobydickenergy) February 26, 2024

While a number of folks got here ahead to corroborate that Rubenstein had relayed the story to friends rapidly after it happened, the disbelief of Rubenstein’s critics endured.

However on Friday, Washington Submit media critic Erik Wemple took to X to reveal that his reporting verified that Rubenstein was telling the reality in a thread:

A notice in regards to the Chick-fil-An issue of past this week: Former New York Times opinions staffer Adam Rubenstein wrote within the Atlantic that he was scolded in a 2019 orientation session for citing the chain’s crispy rooster sando as his fave. An HR rep mentioned, “We don’t try this right here. They hate homosexual individuals.” To which, attendees “started snapping their fingers in acclamation,” wrote Rubenstein. The incident was once the lede of a feature titled, “I Was a Heretic at The New York Instances.”

Other Folks on X picked up on the colorful incident and…declared that it didn’t occur… But some of Rubenstein’s former colleagues have tweeted that he shared the same story with them at the time. And there’s extra corroboration, too. Consistent with several sources, Rubenstein’s encounter with the HR legitimate itself turned into an HR difficulty in the weeks following the incident. Rubenstein advised some colleagues about it, together with longtime columnist David Brooks, who used to be his supervisor. After hearing in regards to the topic, Brooks apprised then-opinions chief James Bennet, who then discussed it with Rubenstein in his place of job – and concluded that one of these therapy shouldn’t persist at the Instances. Bennet mentioned it with HR. In a espresso-shop dialogue requested by an HR rep, Rubenstein casually talked about the incident. Throughout the affair, Rubenstein made clear that he did not wish to file a grievance or receive an apology. I requested my sources whether or not there have been ever any concerns expressed about the factual accuracy of the anecdote, and none of them remembers one of these thing.

https://t.co/SVzR6lMClv %twitter.com/AdwF9wtMPz

— Adam Rubenstein (@RubensteinAdam) March 1, 2024

Rubenstein took a smartly-deserved victory lap on X.

The publish Exiled NYT Staffer Vindicated After Journalists Insisted Chick-Fil-A Story Had to Be Faux first appeared on Mediaite.