The New York Times is conducting a review of columnist Nicholas Kristof's work to determine if clarifications are needed regarding his failure to disclose connections between campaign donors and subjects of his columns. Kristof, who ran for governor of Oregon as a Democrat in 2021, returned to the Times in 2022 after being deemed ineligible due to residency requirements. The Times had previously stated that Kristof would either refrain from writing about donors or disclose such relationships in his articles.
Reports indicate that Kristof wrote favorably about Bill Gates, a significant donor to his campaign, without disclosing this connection. Gates and his former wife reportedly donated a combined $100,000 to Kristof's campaign. Additionally, Kristof quoted other individuals, such as Bob Sternfels and Joseph Nye, without mentioning their prior donations.
A Times spokesperson acknowledged that previous political donations made by individuals mentioned in Kristof's columns should have been clearer to readers and that editors are reviewing these articles for necessary clarifications. The review was prompted by inquiries from Semafor regarding potential conflicts of interest.
Kristof has also been vocal about issues related to Jeffrey Epstein and has criticized various political figures regarding their ties to Epstein. However, he has not mentioned Gates' connections to Epstein in his writings. The Times and Gates did not provide immediate comments when asked about the situation.
This is not the first instance of controversy surrounding Kristof; he recently faced backlash for an opinion piece alleging sexual abuse by Israelis against Palestinian detainees, which drew criticism from readers and the Israeli government. The Times defended the piece, asserting it was supported by independent studies and rejecting calls for retraction.