Ross Douthat’s Exit Leaves New York Times With Minimal Conservative Voices on Opinion Pages

The New York Times now operates with 12 featured columnists following the recent departure of longtime conservative contributor Ross Douthat, who accepted a position as a “60 Minutes” correspondent under CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. The vacancy underscores what critics view as a significant imbalance in political representation across the paper’s editorial voice.

Among the Times’ remaining columnists—Jamelle Bouie, Maureen Dowd, David French, Thomas Friedman, M. Gessen, Michelle Goldberg, Ezra Klein, Nicholas Kristof, Carlos Lozada, Tressie McMillan Cottom, Lydia Polgreen and Bret Stephens—only French and Stephens identify as conservative. Both have spent the past decade opposing President Donald Trump and publicly backed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, limiting perspectives sympathetic to the current administration.

Weiss, Douthat’s new boss, previously worked at the Times as an opinion editor before resigning in 2020. She departed after facing internal backlash from staff members and cited social media pressure, stating at the time that “Twitter has become [the Times’] ultimate editor.” Her exit followed the controversy surrounding the publication of Tom Cotton’s 2020 op-ed advocating federal troop deployment to suppress civil unrest, which triggered staff rebellion and personnel changes.

Recent commentary from Times columnists has drawn scrutiny over political framing. In April, Thomas Friedman expressed hesitation about supporting Iranian regime collapse if it benefited President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Nicholas Kristof faced international criticism in May for uncritically reporting allegations that Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody were assaulted by dogs. Michelle Goldberg retracted coverage of Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner after sexual assault accusations emerged against him.

The editorial board’s endorsement record reinforces perceptions of institutional lean. The board has not backed a Republican presidential candidate since endorsing Dwight D. Eisenhower nearly 70 years ago, instead selecting the Democratic nominee for 17 consecutive elections, including nominees George McGovern, Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris.

Within days of Trump’s 2024 election victory, the Times published a video featuring ten columnists predicting dire scenarios under a Trump administration. Lydia Polgreen stated Trump would “fulfill his promise to be a dictator on Day One,” while Douthat, French and Stephens also contributed pessimistic assessments.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post has undertaken significant changes to its opinion section under owner Jeff Bezos, who blocked the planned Harris endorsement and directed the division toward promoting “personal liberties and free markets.” Opinion editor Adam O’Neal acknowledged the readership skews heavily Democratic and concentrated in blue states, framing editorial diversity as an opportunity to broaden audience reach before his announced August departure.

Douthat’s move to CBS News further narrows conservative representation on the Times’ opinion pages, leaving the outlet’s editorial voice increasingly weighted toward progressive perspectives, with limited alternative viewpoints present on staff.