New York Times Faces Backlash Over Verified Mamdani Application Reporting

The New York Times published a controversial article revealing that New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani identified as both "Asian" and "Black or African American" on his 2009 Columbia University college application, based on hacked documents from a cyberattack on the university. Mamdani, of Indian descent born in Uganda and raised in New York City, explained that he selected those racial categories because the application options did not fully reflect his complex background, which included writing in his birth country. The Times verified the information directly with Mamdani before publication, despite sourcing the documents from a hack, and defended the story as newsworthy to help readers understand the candidate's identity and thinking. The reporting triggered widespread backlash over ethical concerns, the use of hacked materials, and the framing of Mamdani's racial self-identification as a scandal, with critics arguing it lacked news value and perpetuated divisive narratives. Patrick Healy, the Times assistant managing editor for Standards and Trust, addressed the controversy in a detailed social media statement, emphasizing the newsroom's long history of deep political reporting and the intention to provide context on candidates' backgrounds. The episode sparked a broader debate about race, journalistic ethics, and the role of media in local political coverage ahead of the 2025 New York City mayoral race.