New York Times Covid Star Is Out Following Reports He Used Slur

Donald G. McNeil Jr., the New York Times science reporter whose fame grew during the Covid-19 pandemic, is stepping down following allegations that he used the N-word during a company-sponsored student trip to Peru in 2019.

“We do not tolerate racist language regardless of intent,” Executive Editor Dean Baquet and Managing Editor Joe Kahn said in a memo to staff on Friday. The company is committed to “core values of integrity and respect,” they said, “and will work with urgency to create clearer guidelines and enforcement about conduct in the workplace, including red-line issues on racist language.”