The New York Times (NYT) spurred an online backlash in late June with Sean Duffy’s Secretary of Large Family Transportation and an article on whether readers would wear camouflage.
“Shawn Duffy wants to see his family making pancakes,” wrote family reporter Caroline Kitchener. Monday’s article entitled “MTV reality star of Trump’s Cabinet who hopes to have more children.”
Kitchener, who previously reported an abortion in the Washington Post (WAPO), appeared to have Duffy promoted his family as a political tool.
“Since that first race, his children have played a key role in his political career. He deployed them in Congress’s television ads,” Kitchener wrote.
Duffy’s daughter, Evita Alonso Duffy, pushed back the article (which she called “hit piece”) in a tweet Monday. (Related: “We were trying to crack this”: NYT’s Ezra Klein blames the media for not covering Biden’s decline)
“Author Caroline Kitchener is an abortion reporter and claims to be a “family” journalist. But given that our size gets in her way, it’s clear that she hates her family,” writes Alonso Duffy.
“One of the confused questions she attacked my parents is whether they considered aborting their first child. I’m simple. We’re not props, brands or any kind of act.” [Caroline Kitchener] It’s bitter and creeping up,” she said.
NYT had just released a hit to my family and accused my dad of using us as a political prop for his career. Author Caroline Kitchener is an abortion reporter and claims to be a “family” journalist. But given us the size of us, it’s clear that she hates her family… pic.twitter.com/akiicqxodp
– Evita Duffy-Alfonso (@evitaduffy_1) June 23, 2025
The daily caller contacted NYT for comments about the article, and the publication pointed out its X-statement.
https://t.co/fcnhae1ne9 pic.twitter.com/ti90t6xpn7
– Nytimes Communication (@nytimespr) June 23, 2025
NYT fashion columnist Vanessa Friedman has also found himself on the receivers of criticism for winning camouflage clothing, trying not to lose to Kitchener.
Readers wrote to Friedman and asked her if camouflage was still acceptable, ” considering that all wars are being fought across the world.”
Friedman said she previously approved reader fatigue when protesters questioned the acceptability of their outfits after wearing camouflage at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“At the time I suggested to readers that camouflage was OK as long as it was clearly a fashion item and didn’t look like a uniform,” she wrote.
But this time it was different.
“And that makes it more and more tense, like a fashion statement, with ice agents raids, protests, military parades in Washington attracting thousands of soldiers to Capitol in full battle dresses, portraying wars in Ukraine and wars in the Middle East.
Some commenters opposed her claim. (Related: The New York Times contradicts an attempt to hit RFK)
“This veteran declares nonsense that statement is not approved. Wear what you want, people.” Added Below the article.
“If this is what people think, then we’re really in the soup.” I wrote it.
“Many people wear camouflage regularly. It’s not political or militaristic, it’s more of a cultural one. Just people who wear what they like. Why is this difficult to understand?” Another person I commented.
Finally, the Internet ruthlessly chuckled NYT Pentagon reporter John Ismaile for criticism of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses.
Hegses reportedly praised the B-2 bomber pilot who flew a jet that dropped a “Bunker Buster” at an Iranian nuclear site on Saturday, and praised “Our Boys” at a Pentagon briefing.
Ismey had problems with the gender nature of Hegses’ language.
“In the briefing, Heggs called the B-2 pilots “our boys of those bombers,” but both men and women are trained to fly them,” Ismai said. I wrote it For Sunday NYT.
Twitterverse laughed at Ismay’s comment on Sunday.
“In the song, Lauper declared, ‘girls just want to have fun,’ but both girls and boys have historically enjoyed it,” tweeted the popular account Mat’s Idea Shop.
In the song, Roper declared that “only girls want to enjoy”, but both girls and boys have historically enjoyed it. pic.twitter.com/nw07gwchdl
– Matt Idea Shop (@mattsideashop) June 22, 2025
Some were hilarious with their takedowns.
“What kind of loser ‘journalist’ writes something like this? ! ” Graham Allen Ismay wrote on his personal X account calling him “beta male” and “scum.”
Imagine being a beta man @Johnismay
What loser “journalists” write something like this? ! @petehegseth It’s not just that the instruction was executed. @potus Perfect. He also gave great briefings to the media.
People like you are people like you! pic.twitter.com/zkvldobn1n
– Graham Allen (@grahamallen_1) June 22, 2025
