Oh, the irony! The New York Times is at it again, managing to fact-check itself into proving the exact point it was trying to dismiss. In an article titled “Kennedy’s Vow to Take On Big Food Could Alienate His New G.O.P. Allies,” the paper attempts to cast doubt on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s critique of processed foods. Instead, their so-called “fact check” has readers rolling their eyes—and spilling their coffee.
Let’s break this down. RFK Jr., the newly tapped head of Health and Human Services under President-elect Trump, questioned why Froot Loops in the U.S. have 18 or 19 ingredients while their Canadian counterparts only have a handful. The Times rushed to debunk him, claiming he was “wrong on the ingredient count.” But then—wait for it—their own reporting admits that while both versions may have a similar number of ingredients, the U.S. version contains delightful extras like Red Dye 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, and BHT (a chemical preservative), while Canada opts for natural colorings like blueberries and carrots.
Spitting out my coffee after reading this NYT “fact check” of RFK Jr. pic.twitter.com/sqL9jaeUR1
— Brad Cohn (@BradCohn) November 17, 2024
So, what’s the verdict? RFK Jr. isn’t wrong about Americans being fed a chemical cocktail—it’s just that the Times wanted to nitpick the numbers instead of addressing the real issue. Naturally, social media had a field day. “Spitting out my coffee after reading this NYT ‘fact check’ of RFK Jr.,” quipped one user. Another chimed in, “The New York Times is trying to be funny, right?” It’s hard to tell.
The NY Times is trying to be funny, right? https://t.co/jgBPuZqUGe
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) November 17, 2024
The larger story here is the appointment of RFK Jr. to lead HHS, which has corporate food giants sweating bullets. Trump has made no secret of his plans to “Make America Healthy Again,” tackling the industrial food and pharmaceutical complexes head-on. His post on social media was as direct as it gets: “Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation… Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research.”
For the Times, this appointment is apparently a chance to signal their allegiance to the processed food overlords, nitpicking the words of someone trying to bring actual reform. RFK Jr.’s question about why Canadians get carrot dye while Americans get chemical sludge is more than fair—it’s a question millions of parents have been asking for years. But sure, let’s pretend this is about math instead of the clear-cut difference between natural and synthetic.
New York Times’ attempt to fact check RFK Jr. on Froot Loops ingredients goes horribly wrong https://t.co/8m6t6cPEfw
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) November 18, 2024
The Times may have been aiming to discredit RFK Jr., but all they’ve done is underscore why his appointment is making waves. If the status quo is this rattled, it must mean he’s doing something right.
