Conservative commentator Candace Owens got the better of the New York Times after the paper made insinuations about Owens parroting Russian propaganda.
Owens had come under fire for making the obvious observation that Ukraine is rife with corruption, which an NYT reporter claimed “matched” comments from Russian state media.
Owens posted an email she received from a reporter asking her for a statement.
“We’re working on a story about Russian messaging that includes some of your comments,” it reads. “We note that you advanced the idea that Ukraine was a corrupt country, which matched comments we’ve seen from Russian state media.”
Owens fired back by pointing out she didn’t get her ideas from Russian state media, but rather … the New York Times’ extensive coverage of Ukrainian corruption.
Received an email from The NYTimes asking for comment regarding me “advancing ideas that Ukraine is a corrupt country”—similar to Russian state TV.
I replied informing them that I actually got my ideas from the New York Times, and provided them links to their past articles. ? pic.twitter.com/Zy6a7Btih4
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) March 21, 2022
Candace Owens Burns New York Times After Being Accused of Parroting Russia State Media
Candace Owens posted screenshots of her interaction with the New York Times regarding allegations that she is parroting Russian state media by commenting on corruption in Ukraine.
OK, that’s pretty funny. https://t.co/JcVTUxmnC2
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) March 21, 2022
“I am very confused by this email,” Owens writes in response. “I learned about ‘the idea that Ukraine was a corrupt country’ from the New York Times.”
She provided several links on the topic, including at least three from the Times itself.
“You guys have covered the corruption of Ukraine extensively, for years” she added.
The initial link she passed along directs one to a New York Times editorial board column titled, “Ukraine’s Unyielding Corruption,” published in 2016.
In it, the board points out “Ukraine’s deeply ingrained culture of corruption” that is “(un)likely to change.”
This entertainment is free! ?
— CentreRightBrit (@BritRight) March 21, 2022
Corruption in Ukraine has, of course, been heavily covered for years.
The Guardian noted as much in 2015 with the blaring headline, “Welcome to Ukraine, the most corrupt nation in Europe.”
The think tank Carnegie Europe noted in 2016, “Corruption” is an inadequate word to describe the condition of Ukraine.”
The New York Times reported just three days before the Russian invasion, “…no progress has been made in fighting corruption.”
It’s hard to believe, but all of the West’s most prestigious outlets and institutions have been stooges for Putin all along!
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Ukraine Suspends Opposition Voices
The Political Insider on Monday reported on how Ukraine, in the midst of the Russian invasion, has suspended opposition political parties and nationalized all media.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree that combines all national TV channels into one platform, citing the importance of a “unified information policy” under martial law.
I have supported President Zelensky’s incredible war effort.
But he is wrong to ban 11 opposition parties and all private TV stations.
The world is backing Ukraine because it wants to embrace democracy, after all.https://t.co/mE2r8yrkX9— Dan Wootton (@danwootton) March 21, 2022
I perused the New York Times Tuesday morning but have yet to see any newly published columns which focus on Candace Owens or her ideas “we’ve seen from” Russian state media the New York Times.
It will be interesting to see if the newspaper of record reveals to readers that Owens claims she got her ideas on corruption in Ukraine from their very own pages.
I just love how they always do this with the “we’re finalizing the story today” crap. They just got burned, and I am HERE for it.
— Pam (@lifebythecreek) March 22, 2022
The Times last column on the matter was published on February 25th where Owens is lumped together with several other “right-wing commentators.”
The commentators are accused of posting comments “that were favorable to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and that rationalized his actions against Ukraine.”
As proof, they excerpt an email from Owens at the time which cast blame on the Russian invasion toward President Joe Biden.
“Ukrainians are dying because of the Biden family’s criminal connections and insistence on stoking conflict in the region,” she wrote.
