To the Editors and Journalists of The New York Times,
We stand at a moment in history that will define the future of democracy, not just in the United States, but across the world. A coup is underway in America. It is unfolding not with tanks in the streets but through the calculated erosion of institutions, the weaponization of misinformation, and the normalization of authoritarian tactics. You, as one of the most powerful and influential media organizations on the planet, have a moral and ethical responsibility to report this truthfully, urgently, and without equivocation.
For too long, the American press has tiptoed around the gravity of what is happening, defaulting to both-sides journalism, softening language, and failing to call a coup by its name. This hesitancy is not neutrality; it is complicity. The New York Times has the power to shape public understanding, to break through apathy and confusion, and to galvanize the very forces that can still stop this descent into authoritarian rule. If you rise to this challenge, you could change the course of history. If you fail, history will remember your silence as betrayal.
This is not politics as usual. The institutions that once served as guardrails; Congress, the courts, law enforcement are being co-opted, dismantled, or rendered impotent in real time. We have seen this playbook before: in Hungary, in Turkey, in Russia. Each time, the press had a chance to raise the alarm before it was too late. Will you meet this moment, or will you let history repeat itself?
You must be brave. You must be relentless. Call it what it is. Do not let euphemisms and procedural reporting mask the reality of what is happening. Investigate, expose, and hold those responsible to account. You are not just reporting on history; you are shaping it.
A free press is one of the last remaining lines of defense against tyranny. If The New York Times, with its vast reach and influence, tells the unvarnished truth with the urgency and clarity this crisis demands, you can awaken millions. You can embolden leaders. You can turn the tide.
Democracy is not lost in one dramatic moment; it slips away when institutions fail to act, when voices of influence remain timid, and when those who could have made a difference choose comfort over courage.
You have a choice. The world is watching.
Be on the right side of history.
Sincerely,
Kate Shepherd
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