A shareholder of The New York Times is requesting a comprehensive inspection of the newspaper’s Board and Audit Committee records, giving the company five days to respond before legal action is taken.
The National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), a beneficial shareholder in the NYT Company, is seeking access to specific books and records after the controversial May 11, 2026, Nicholas Kristof column titled “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians.”
NCPPR is being represented by the National Jewish Advocacy Center (NJAC), and the request is made under New York Business Law and applicable common‑law shareholder rights.
The demand aims to determine whether the company’s board of directors and senior management have neglected fiduciary duties concerning “material legal, reputational and financial risks arising from the publication of factually unsupported content.”
Specifically, the inquiry focuses on the design and operation of legal‑review processes, source‑verification procedures, and correction mechanisms.
The request also seeks to establish whether these protocols were followed—or bypassed—in connection with the Kristof article.
For instance, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, cited as an on‑the‑record source, later claimed his statements were misrepresented.
“When a columnist’s own quoted source publicly accuses the columnist of misrepresentation after publication, that is not a detail the company can wave away by noting the editors found no errors,” NJAC said.
NJAC clarifies it is not requesting reporter’s notes, unpublished drafts, confidential source identities, or attorney work, nor is it seeking to challenge the column’s viewpoint, which is protected by the First Amendment. The focus is on potential corporate mismanagement, insufficient oversight, and gaps in public discourse.