The headquarters of The New York Times. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

For most normal businesses or organizations, an employee expressing support for Adolf Hitler is a clear red line with no second chance. Not, however, for The New York Times, which has rehired a freelancer previously exposed by HonestReporting for his pro-Hitler, pro-terrorist social media posts.

In 2022, HonestReporting’s investigative work exposed that several journalists covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict were virulent and unapologetic antisemites.

As a result of our reporting, several mainstream media outlets decided to cut ties with these people.

This included freelance filmmaker Soliman Hijjy (also spelled Sulaiman Hejji), who we uncovered as having praised Adolf Hitler on Facebook in 2012.

“How great you are, Hitler,” Hijjy wrote on the social media site, sharing a meme featuring the Nazi mass murderer. Six years later, he doubled down: in a caption accompanying a picture of himself, Hijjy stated he was “in a state of harmony as Hitler was during the Holocaust.”

After HonestReporting made these and other pro-terror posts public, The New York Times assured us in correspondence that it had “reviewed these concerns and [has] taken appropriate action.”

And indeed Hijjy and a number of other freelancers no longer appeared on New York Times bylines. Until now.

We were outraged to learn from Ira Stoll in The Algemeiner that Soliman Hijjy has been rehired by The New York Times.

OUTRAGE: @nytimes has rehired Gazan freelance filmmaker Soliman Hijjy (also spelled Sulaiman Hejji) who praised Adolf Hitler on social media and later posted he was “in a state of harmony as Hitler was during the Holocaust.” pic.twitter.com/V0UmjQrmyX

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) October 20, 2023

Indeed, Hijjy’s byline appears in several Times articles dating back to Oct. 12, just days after the Hamas massacre that was the largest single attack against Jews since the Holocaust.

HonestReporting immediately wrote to The New York Times demanding an explanation. They never replied.

The above tweet, which has seen by more than a quarter of a million people so far, attracted the attention of Fox News, which also reached out to The New York Times for comment.

The New York Times’ response to Fox is astonishing:

We reviewed problematic social media posts by Mr. Hijjy when they first came to light in 2022 and took a variety of actions to ensure he understood our concerns and could adhere to our standards if he wished to do freelance work for us in the future. Mr. Hijjy followed those steps and has maintained high journalistic standards. He has delivered important and impartial work at great personal risk in Gaza during this conflict.

Fox News reports that it asked multiple follow-up questions, including what specific standards Hijjy was adhering to and how can he cover the Israel-Gaza conflict impartially when he has praised Hitler in the past.

The Times, however, failed to answer.

In addition to Fox News, the New York Post also covered the story, reporting that it had sought comment from Hijjy. Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan tweeted his disgust.

How is it conceivable that only days after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, The New York Times has rehired someone who admires Hitler?

In our complaint to The New York Times, we made it clear that it was previously unacceptable for someone with Hijjy’s views to be working for a supposedly credible news organization, and it is equally, if not more, unacceptable now.

We find it hard to believe that the Times would hire someone in New York who has openly praised Hitler. Why is this acceptable in Gaza, especially where such abhorrent views are likely to impact the objectivity of the reporting? In any case, someone who has said he is “in a state of harmony as Hitler was during the Holocaust” and expressed support for terrorism, has long ago crossed a red line.

Apparently, taking “appropriate action” last time did not mean anything and we are demanding that The New York Times does the right thing now and cuts all ties with Soliman Hijjy once and most definitely for all. We’ve created a petition that you can sign here.