New York Times Faces Backlash Over Headline Change on Op-Ed About Streamer Hasan Piker

Critics accused the Times of trying to soften the controversial streamer's inflammatory rhetoric.

Apr. 14, 2026 at 12:23am

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A fractured, abstract painting with overlapping geometric shapes and waves of color in blues, grays, and reds, conceptually representing the divisive political discourse surrounding Hasan Piker and the New York Times' coverage of him.The New York Times' headline change on an op-ed about controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker sparked accusations of downplaying his inflammatory rhetoric.NYC Today

The New York Times faced backlash after quietly changing the headline on an op-ed about controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker. The original headline, 'Hasan Piker Is Not the Enemy,' was replaced with 'This Is Why There's No Liberal Joe Rogan.' Critics accused the Times of trying to downplay Piker's more extreme views, including his past comments saying 'America deserved 9/11'.

Why it matters

The headline change highlights the ongoing debate over how mainstream media outlets should cover controversial political figures like Piker, who has a large online following but has made numerous incendiary statements. The incident raises questions about whether the Times was trying to downplay Piker's more extreme views in its coverage.

The details

In the op-ed, Times columnist Ezra Klein argued that Democrats should be willing to appear on podcasts hosted by critics of their party, like Joe Rogan. Klein also wrote that while he has 'deep disagreements' with Piker, the streamer 'isn't a 'Jew hater.' He's an anti-Zionist.' This prompted backlash on social media, with critics accusing Klein and the Times of sanitizing Piker's rhetoric. The op-ed was originally published on Sunday, April 13, 2026, but by Monday morning, the Times had changed the headline.

  • The op-ed was originally published on Sunday, April 13, 2026.
  • The headline was changed by Monday morning.

The players

Hasan Piker

A far-left Twitch streamer notorious for declaring 'America deserved 9/11' and facing criticism for his inflammatory political commentary.

Ezra Klein

A left-leaning opinion writer for the New York Times who authored the op-ed about Piker.

The New York Times

The newspaper that published the op-ed and later changed the headline.

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What’s next

The New York Times has not provided any further explanation for the headline change beyond stating that it is routine to 'test' several headlines.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the ongoing challenges mainstream media outlets face in covering controversial political figures with large online followings, as they navigate balancing free speech principles with the need to avoid amplifying inflammatory rhetoric.