Latest news with #Rufo
New York Post
7 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
NY Times rushed out story on Mamdani claiming to be black on Columbia application over fears it would be scooped by Christopher Rufo: report
The New York Times rushed to put out its story on Zohran Mamdani claiming to be 'African American' when he applied to Columbia University because the newspaper feared it would be scooped by right-leaning journalist Christopher Rufo, according to a report. The Gray Lady is facing a storm of criticism following its decision to publish the story based on hacked Columbia documents that revealed Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, identified as both 'Asian' and 'Black or African American' on his 2009 college application. Mamdani, who is of Indian descent and was born in Uganda, confirmed the details to the Times and said he checked those boxes because the application did not reflect the complexity of his background. Advertisement 4 Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, claimed to be African American on his 2009 college application. Paul Martinka for NY Post Two people familiar with the reporting process told Semafor that the Times knew Rufo and other reporters were working on the same lead. Rufo confirmed to Semafor that he had been pursuing the story and planned to release more details on his Substack. Advertisement A Times spokesperson declined to say whether Rufo's reporting prompted the timing of the publication but referred Semafor to a prior statement given to the Columbia Journalism Review. 'What matters most here is whether the information was true and factual — it was, confirmed by Mr. Mamdani; that it was independently confirmed; and that it is relevant to the public,' Patrick Healy, assistant managing editor for standards and trust at the Times, told CJR. Mayor Eric Adams, who is running against Mamdani as an independent, publicly called on Columbia to release Mamdani's admission records, calling his racial identification 'deeply offensive.' Aides to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, said Mamdani's claims on the form could be 'the tip of the iceberg' and that the state assemblyman could be hiding even more 'fraud.' Advertisement 4 The New York Times broke the story about Mamdani's application to Columbia University. Christopher Sadowski The Times piece drew criticism over the weekend, sparking heated debate among Mamdani's supporters, media observers and even Gray Lady journalists. Some critics defended Mamdani's racial identification, pointing out that he was born in Africa. Others questioned the ethics of reporting on a college application that was ultimately rejected, and whether hacked materials from a teenager's personal file merited a full news article. A large share of the criticism focused on the source of the documents — a online figure known using the psuedonym Crémieux. Advertisement Initially described by the Times as 'an academic and an opponent of affirmative action,' Crémieux has previously promoted controversial views on the link between race and IQ. According to The Guardian, Crémieux is the alias of Jordan Lasker. The Times later updated the article to note that Crémieux 'writes often about IQ and race.' The Post has sought comment from Rufo and Mamdani. Lasker was not immediately available for comment. Jane Kirtley, a media ethics professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, questioned the decision to grant the source anonymity. 'It seems a little disingenuous to play this game of 'We know something you don't know,'' she said. 'Why would you promise him anonymity and then play hide-the-ball with the readers?' She added: 'My question is: Why would you have even made that promise to this individual in the first instance? I don't see the need.' The story also caused friction within the Times newsroom. Advertisement 4 According to a report, the Times rushed the story's publication because it feared it would be scooped by right-leaning journalist Christopher Rufo. The Washington Post via Getty Images 'People are really upset,' one Times journalist told Semafor. Times columnist Jamelle Bouie was particularly vocal, posting on Bluesky: 'i think you should tell readers if your source is a nazi.' He deleted that post — and others expressing frustration with the article — citing a violation of Times social media guidelines. Bouie did not respond to a request for comment. Advertisement Lydia Polgreen, another Times columnist, shared her perspective without directly commenting on the story's newsworthiness. 'I can see why a political young man like Zohran might fill out his college application the way he did,' she wrote on Twitter. 'Because if you are like me, you struggle to be known in this country. Our visual sorting is so simplistic and quite brutal.' Polgreen, who is biracial with African parents, said she understood Mamdani's identification choices. Advertisement 4 Mamdani unsuccessfully applied for admission to Columbia University (whose campus is seen above). AP The Times leadership stood by the reporting. According to Semafor, senior editors were aligned in their decision to publish and approved the story after a standard editorial review. A senior Times reporter defended the story by pointing to the public conversation it had sparked. 'The fact that this story engendered all the conversation and debate that it has feels like all the evidence you need that this was a legit line of reporting,' the reporter said. Advertisement Still, critics questioned the newsworthiness of the article and the Times' choice to base it on stolen records. 'We publish stories once newsworthy information is confirmed and our reporters and editors have completed their work,' a Times spokesperson told The Post. 'That was the case with this story; we went to Mr. Mamdani, he confirmed our information as true, and our colleagues had done thorough reporting. We don't hit publish because others may be working on a story.'
Chicago Tribune
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Batavia salutes Flag Day with a nod to its special connection to the holiday
Adrienne Rufo of Batavia had a ringside seat on the lawn outside the bandshell in Batavia on Saturday for the city's annual Flag Day event. 'My husband plays in the band so I'm here to see him but also celebrate Flag Day with the community,' Rufo said. 'I think that fact that we have a connection to the day is kind of cool. It's a little piece of trivia for the town and a fun little claim to fame for it.' The city of Batavia welcomed hundreds of locals as well as those from surrounding areas to its annual Flag Day celebration Saturday that included a few new attractions. Before the main Flag Day ceremony began at the Flag Day Monument across from Batavia City Hall, the Boy Scouts offered a luncheon to honor local leaders at Water Street Studios in the city, followed by a program by Illinois author Tom Emery at City Hall, who spoke about his research about Batavia dentist Dr. Bernard Cigrand, who has been referred to by many as the father of Flag Day. The main Flag Day ceremony at the city's Flag Day Monument included the Batavia Community Band, along with appearances by veterans, local first responders and patriotic organizations, the unveiling of new personalized bricks at the monument, the sealing of time capsules and guided tours of the site. Marty Callahan of Batavia, who helped organize the event, said Flag Day ceremonies have been held since 2016 'even before the monument was built,' adding that this was the third year of the local celebration since the city's monument plaza was installed. Like Rufo, Callahan admitted Batavia has a Flag Day celebration unlike any other in the country given Cigrand's connection to the city. 'We always get questions about this but Cigrand is recognized as the father of Flag Day as he lived in Batavia at the time of President Wilson's first official 1916 proclamation for Flag Day,' he said. 'That is why – here locally – that one man, it kind of gives us that bit of recognition. The only other place that can say that is Waubeka, Wisconsin, where he was born. They celebrate where he came from … but they don't have anything on this scale.' Callahan highlighted another new offering this year during the Flag Day celebration that he felt would bring the community together. 'We've never had our new Red, White and Brews: Hanging with Heroes event where people can come down and hang out at the VFW on River Road,' he said. The event was featured from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Batavia Overseas VFW Post 1197, 645 S. River Road, and included games, presentations on American history, patriotic music and food trucks, with drinks for purchase at the VFW bar. Jackie Buno of Palos Park and her husband Wayne came to the Flag Day event on Saturday. 'We just learned about Cigrand and it's very cool that there's no other town in America that can say what Batavia can about him,' Jackie Buno said. 'Flag Day is something that is not celebrated enough. We have the national holidays where people take time off and go on picnics and stuff, but Flag Day … we don't think about it much.' 'It's good to see this recognized,' Wayne Buno said about Batavia's Flag Day ceremony. 'As people have said, there's no where else that does this, and we're here.'
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Don't let politics rule UF president decision. Just look at New College.
The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System under a constitutional amendment passed in 2002, faces an unprecedented situation as it makes a decision on whether to ratify the University of Florida's choice of Santa Ono as the school's new president. While the UF board was unanimous in supporting Ono, vocal opposition to his candidacy has come from a trustee of another institution overseen by the State University System – New College of Florida. And that New College trustee is Christopher Rufo, the provocative commentator best known for his social media and blog posts. The Board of Governors should take this opportunity to look past the headlines and benchmark how New College has actually fared under the watch of leaders like Rufo. It should do so by using standard state metrics over the past two-plus years – because these metrics show New College has been a debacle under Richard Corcoran, the president Rufo helped to install at the school's leader. It's a warning for the Board of Governors as it decides the fate of UF. Every June, all Florida state universities send their annual statistics – known as "the metrics" – to the Board of Governors in a standardized format as part of their annual planning. The latest annual release of metrics for New College is grim, and particularly so when it comes to incoming first-year students who enter the college directly from high school. For example, from fall 2022 to fall 2024, there has been: A decrease in the percentage of incoming students with a 4.0 grade point average (from 55% to 42%). A decrease in the percentage of incoming students who finished in the top 10% of their high school graduating classes (from 29% to 14%). A decrease in the average SAT score of incoming first-year New College students (from 1233 to 1153). And while New College continues to tout increased total enrollment, from fall 2022 to fall 2024 the number of freshmen – those going directly from high school to New College – only increased by 28. The other 150 new students were transfer students Indeed, the number of "first time in college" students at New College actually declined from fall 2023 to 2024. Many of these transfer students aren't from Florida, and many aren't even coming to New College from the United States. Just look at the lengthy roster of New College's 2024-25 men's soccer team: Based on their "home country" listings, the overwhelming majority of team members are from countries outside the United States – and some have come from distant nations like France, Ghana, Brazil and Australia. All of this is taking place at an incredible cost – literally. According to annual Florida CFO Reports on Component Units, expenses at New College have exploded. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, New College's expenses were $60 million; they were $94 million during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. But after spending all of these additional millions, New College has only added around 180 students. The New College debacle isn't a result of a change in policy. For example. the school's elimination of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office was largely a non-issue: In February 2023 I personally spoke in favor of eliminating the DEI office at New College, both because of my own negative experiences with it and to make the point that it wasn't actually important to the school. More: New College of Florida 2025 graduation marks achievement and endurance However, the New College debacle is a result of a change in management: Corcoran had no background as a higher education leader when he was hired by Rufo and other trustees, and his lack of experience continues to negatively impact the school. For example, the New College board didn't tell Corcoran to boost enrollment through a shambolic athletics program. Corcoran did that on his own initiative, and even recruiting large numbers of student-athletes hasn't worked out the way he'd hoped. That's because student-athletes don't simply want spots on team rosters; they want actual playing time, and that's much more difficult to attain when so many other athletes have been recruited to those teams. It's the kind of thing someone with higher educational experience might have known. Mistakes like these could be seen as growing pains for the "new" New College; indeed, during a 2023 interview, Rufo compared the approach at New College to remodeling a kitchen. 'You do the demo," Rufo said, "then you do the build." More: New College picked wrong guy for commencement speaker. Here are 5 better options. | Opinion But it was an astonishing analogy, and it displayed Rufo's lack of understanding that for generations New College students – most of them from Florida – had been attracted to the school precisely because of the unique academic system that previously existed. And in terms of course offerings, very little has truly changed at New College. The horrible statistics, embarrassments and anecdotes coming from New College should serve as blinking red warning lights for the Board of Governors as it weighs the fate of UF. The first warning: A university needs a university administrator, or it will fall apart. The second warning: It is Florida's families who lose when Florida's public universities are mismanaged because out-of-state trustees are prioritizing scoring points on social media over examining data – and over doing the hard work of accountability and governing. It's not too late to put New College under real leadership or even to fold its unique academic program into another institution. And this is certainly no time to replicate Rufo's destructive failure of oversight at New College at the University of Florida. Mike Sanderson is a New College of Florida alum. He is the former editor of The Catalyst, New College of Florida's student newspaper. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Don't let UF repeat New College of Florida's bad lessons | Opinion
Local France
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Local France
France's ex-PM calls ‘state of emergency' over children's screen use
The call – from former prime minister and current centrist party leader Gabriel Attal and child psychologist Marcel Rufo – came after French medical experts advised that children under the age of six should not be exposed to screens, including TV, in an open letter to the government . The current recommendation in France is that children under the age of three should not be exposed to screens, and only 'occasional use' between the ages of three and six in the presence of an adult. Meanwhile, children in nearly 200 collèges have been involved in a pilot ban on mobile phones, in which the devices – which should be turned off, anyway – are handed in at the start of the school day and returned at the end of it. Advertisement This ban is set to be rolled out nationwide at the start of the new school year in September. READ ALSO 'Digital pause': France pilots school mobile phone ban The use of "a mobile phone or any other electronic communications terminal equipment" has been banned in nurseries, ecoles primaires (primary schools) and collèges in France since 2018. The experts' open letter and Attal and Rufo's joint declaration, published in Le Figaro, goes further and demands restrictions on screen use outside school hours, and in the home. 'If we do nothing, screens and their content will slowly kill our youth and, ultimately, our entire society,' warn Attal and Rufo, exactly a year after a report produced by experts commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron expressed concern about the consequences of overexposure to screens on children's health and development. The commission also recommended a ban on screen use for children under three and said that mobile phones for children aged from 11 should not have internet access. Attal and Rufo, however, propose creating an 'assessment interview' for screen addiction for children aged 11 as they head into their collège years – and again at age 15, for students going to lycée after completing their brevet exams. They also suggested that age limits on social media sites, similar to those imposed on adult content, could be introduced to prohibit access to social networks by those under 15, while a 'digital curfew' should prevent access to networks between 10pm and 8am for anyone aged between 15 and 18. READ ALSO EXPLAINED: How to get a mobile phone contract in France They added that social network sites should 'go black-and-white' after 30 minutes of use, to reduce their attractiveness, and that access should be restricted to one hour for anyone under the age of 18. Advertisement 'Even China does it with TikTok,' Attal and Rufo argued, 'for once, let's take inspiration from what this country is doing!' And they also suggested that apps and platforms should come with a readily available 'addict-score' rating, inspired by on the Nutri-Score model – and propose that two percent of revenue generated by platforms' activity in France go to funding mental health research and care. A commission of inquiry into the psychological effects of social media site TikTok on minors has been launched in the Assembly.
Wall Street Journal
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Meet MAGA's Favorite Communist
Christopher Rufo is perhaps the most potent conservative activist in the U.S. Last year, he led the campaign that pressured Harvard University into replacing Claudine Gay as its president. His crusades against critical race theory and DEI in higher education have shaped President Trump's aggressive policies toward elite universities like Harvard, which the administration targeted this week with a $2.26 billion funding freeze. For the past year, Rufo has been working on a book called 'How the Regime Rules,' which he describes as a 'manifesto for the New Right.' At its core is a surprising inspiration: the Italian Communist thinker Antonio Gramsci, a longtime boogeyman of American conservatives. 'Gramsci, in a sense, provides the diagram of how politics works and the relationship between all of the various component parts: intellectuals, institutions, laws, culture, folklore,' said Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
