Ms. Rachel calls out New York Times over Gaza coverage

• Children's content creator "Ms. Rachel" publicly announced she is unsubscribing from The New York Times, citing its biased and dehumanizing coverage of Palestinians and Gaza.
• The announcement referenced a leaked 2024 internal NYT memo that instructed reporters to avoid specific terms like "genocide" and "occupied territory" in their Gaza coverage.

Children's content creator Rachel Griffin-Accurso, known as "Ms. Rachel," announced on Instagram that she is unsubscribing from The New York Times, citing its biased and dehumanizing coverage of Palestinians and Palestine.

In her post, she said the newspaper was failing to uphold journalistic integrity, in its reporting on the ‘Israeli’ assault on Gaza.

The announcement quickly gained traction online, having nearly 100,000 likes in around three hours since posting.

Read more: Gaza's children inspire Ms. Rachel’s embroidered Glamour Awards dress

Ms. Rachel, who boasts over 4 million Instagram followers and is famous for her educational videos aimed at toddlers, has increasingly used her platform to address humanitarian issues in Gaza.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Ms Rachel (@msrachelforlittles)

This is not her first foray into the topic; earlier in 2025, she vowed not to collaborate with anyone silent on the plight of children in Gaza.

NYT Gaza Coverage 

In the post, Ms. Rachel referenced a leaked internal memo from The New York Times dated back to 2024, which instructed journalists on language usage for Gaza coverage.

The memo, first revealed by The Intercept in April 2024, advised reporters to avoid terms like "genocide," "ethnic cleansing," and "occupied territory" to maintain neutrality and accuracy.

It also recommended steering clear of "Palestine" in most contexts and referring to Gaza's refugee camps as "neighborhoods" instead.

For instance, words like "slaughter," "massacre," and "carnage" were to be used sparingly, despite being applied more frequently to ‘Israeli’ casualties than Palestinian ones in NYT reporting.

The memo was part of ongoing internal debates at the NYT about balancing coverage amid the war.

NYT spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander defended the guidance in 2024, stating it was standard for ensuring clear and sensitive language in sensitive topics.

However, groups like Writers Against the War on Gaza have accused the newspaper of broader censorship, including underreporting Palestinian deaths and promoting unverified ‘Israeli’ claims.