Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is using the state’s massive public pension fund as leverage to dig through The New York Times’ internal editorial decisions — the latest in his string of shareholder-based attacks on companies he politically opposes.
Uthmeier fired off a 28-page demand letter Monday, giving the Times two weeks to hand over records on how its board oversees editorial decisions, arguing the paper’s coverage choices expose shareholders — including Florida retirees — to costly legal risk, reported Politico.
“Editorial malpractice does not always kill a media enterprise. But it always sends a bill,” Uthmeier warned.
The Florida Retirement System, one of the country’s largest public pension systems with more than 1.2 million members, owns roughly 160,000 shares of Times stock, according to Uthmeier’s office. He specifically zeroed in on a controversial May opinion column by Nicholas Kristof accusing Israel of using dogs to perform unspeakable acts against Palestinian prisoners — a piece that prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to threaten a defamation lawsuit against the paper. Uthmeier also demanded records tied to the Times’ June coverage of misconduct allegations against former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner.
The Times pushed back hard. “We are aware of the demand letter, which, while positioned as a request under corporate law, is a clear attempt to chill First Amendment-protected journalism,” spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha said.
It’s not Uthmeier’s first rodeo using this playbook. As Gov. Ron DeSantis’ handpicked attorney general, he’s previously gone after companies like Target using nearly identical shareholder-risk arguments over their LGBTQ marketing decisions.
This week, he also involved himself in a WNBA basketball game taking place 1,300 miles away from his state, ranting that a foul against MAGA-beloved Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham could have been charged as assault if it took place in his jurisdiction.
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