We subsequently became aware of complaints by some of the students on the trip concerning certain statements Donald had made during the trip.
participated in a Student Journeys as an expert. I was really disappointed after hearing great things about his work.”Ī Times spokesperson told The Daily Beast on Thursday, “In 2019, Donald McNeil, Jr. “He made students in the program feel uncomfortable with his remarks. “He wasn’t respectful during some of the traditional ceremonies we attended with indigenous healers/shamans,” yet another wrote. “He used the ‘N’ word, said horrible things about black teenagers, and said white supremacy doesn’t exist.” “Not only did Donald say various racist comments on numerous occasions, but he was also disrespectful to many students during mealtimes and in other settings,” another wrote in their review. I think firing him would even be appropriate,” one participant wrote. “I expect immediate action on the actions taken by Donald, I am deeply disappointed about the New York Times because of the comments he made during our trip.
He accompanied a student group on a Times “Student Journey” to Peru that focused on community-based health care in the region.Īfter the excursion ended, according to multiple parents of students on the trip who spoke with The Daily Beast along with documents shared with the Times and reviewed by the Beast, many participants relayed a series of troubling accusations to the paper: McNeil repeatedly made racist and sexist remarks throughout the trip including, according to two complaints, using the “n-word.” In 2019, one of those experts was McNeil, a high-profile health and science reporter who joined the paper in 1976. The goal, according to the paper, is to give travelers a foreign vacation with educational value.
was under intense scrutiny from the paper’s top brass over accusations that he made wildly offensive and racist comments while leading a Times student trip.Įvery summer over the past several years, the Times has selected some of its top reporters to serve as subject guides for high-school students on trips to various locations around the world, operated in some instances by Vermont-based company Putney Student Travel. Less than six months before he became the New York Times’ go-to reporter on the coronavirus pandemic, Donald McNeil Jr.