From Nairobi to New Delhi: Controversial NYT job ads smack of "White Gaze"

While the job posting in Africa demanded someone who could bring 'unexpected stories of hope' from across the 'pirate seas and deserts,' the position in India described Modi as the one "advocating self-sufficient, muscular nationalism centred on the country's Hindu majority."

If there's one thing that New York Times knows, it is how not to write a job ad for a correspondent. After offending a large number of Africans with its job posting for Nairobi Bureau Chief back in 2019, it recently offended certain sections in India with its job description for South Asia Business Correspondent in New Delhi.

New York Police Department officers watch as they wait for the climber David Malone to descend after hanging a banner on the outside of the New York Times Building in New York on July 9, 2008REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

There's hardly anything that connects the two posts or the nations they are to be based, except for the fact that Africans and certain sections in India took offence to how NYT (New York Times) viewed the very countries they were hiring journalists from.

Even though 18 months apart, a viral video by The Lam Sisterhood resurfaced and resonated for the same reason -- the condescending White gaze. The video does nothing but describing the job ad verbatim, while enunciating each and every word, thereby making the viewers reflect on its true meaning.

The ad in New Delhi

The ad for NYT position based in New Delhi itself has become a subject of divided opinions. Some nodded to the publication's description of how Modi came to power and changed Indian politics, but others described it as downright subjective.

The lengthy 450-word job posting said, "India's future now stands at a crossroads. Mr. Modi is advocating a self-sufficient, muscular nationalism centred on the country's Hindu majority. That vision puts him at odds with the interfaith, multicultural goals of modern India's founders. The government's growing efforts to police online speech and media discourse have raised difficult questions about balancing issues of security and privacy with free speech. Technology is both a help and a hindrance." Many interpreted the description as, "anti-Hindu, anti-India, anti-Modi."

The ad in Nairobi

Back then, several Africans stepped up and came forward in pushing their point through memes highlighting words and phrases they consider extremely offensive. The person the NYT was looking to fill the position, as per the ad, "has a tremendous opportunity to dive into news and enterprise across a wide range of countries, from the deserts of Sudan and the pirate seas of the Horn of Africa, down through the forests of Congo and the shores of Tanzania."

The advertisement further described the region as, "an enormous patch of vibrant, intense and strategically important territory with many vital story lines, including terrorism, the scramble for resources, the global contest with China and the constant push and pull of democracy versus authoritarianism."

If "pirate seas of the Horn of Africa" wasn't enough, it further said, "There is also a chance to delight our readers with unexpected stories of hope." Wait, unexpected stories of hope? That description is discouraging for a nation reeling under constant pressure and challenges.