Vandals splashed red paint across the entrance of a Greenwich Village co-op on Fifth Avenue, where New York Times executive editor Joseph Kahn lives, in a wake of anti-Israel demonstrations over the paper’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza war. The incident unfolded early Friday, with officers responding to Fifth Avenue near East 11th Street just before 5 a.m.
Residents awoke to red paint coating the building’s steps, walls, sidewalk and lamps, along with graffiti reading “Joe Kahn Lies, Gaza Dies” scrawled in black marker on the pavement. Police said no arrests had been made and the investigation is ongoing.
Authorities say the incident fits into a broader pattern of anti-Israel protests directed at Kahn personally, as critics accuse the Times of biased coverage and of manufacturing consent for what they describe as genocide in Gaza. A similar vandalism episode occurred in December, when protesters breached the Times’ Midtown headquarters and smeared paint at the entrance to the newsroom.
The Times responded with a statement noting that people are free to disagree with the newspaper’s reporting, but vandalism and targeting of individuals and their families crosses a line. The company said it would cooperate with authorities.
Kahn, who took over as executive editor in 2022, resides in one of the city’s storied co-ops. The 11-story Beaux-Arts building, converted in 1978, houses 42 apartments and is renowned for its limestone façade, wrought-iron balconies and an ornate marble lobby with Art Nouveau bas-reliefs. Public records show Kahn’s unit last sold for about $1.6 million in 2009, while larger units and penthouses in the building have commanded anywhere from $8 million to $17 million in recent years.
The co-op has long attracted high-profile residents; in 2005, Julia Roberts sold her penthouse there, and the building’s roster has included other notable names such as Marlon Brando and Dawn Powell.
The incident comes amid months of debate over the Times’ Gaza coverage. Critics have accused the paper of biased language, minimizing Palestinian casualties, or sanitizing U.S. and Israeli policy. Notably, a recent Times front-page feature on famine in Gaza centered on 18-month-old Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, a story that drew intense backlash from Israeli officials and pro-Israel commentators who questioned its portrayal. The Times appended a correction noting that the child’s health issues predated the famine and affected his development, prompting further discussion about reporting framing in conflict coverage. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately accused the Times of defaming Israel over famine coverage and signaled he was weighing a lawsuit.
Inside the Times’ newsroom, tensions have also surfaced over sourcing in investigations into Hamas’ sexual violence, while unionized staff have criticized management’s handling of reporters covering the Middle East.
What this episode underscores is the ongoing, high-stakes tension surrounding journalism in a fracture-prone moment of global conflict. While acts of vandalism against journalists or their homes are unacceptable, the city’s press and its readers remain engaged in a broader dialogue about reporting, accountability and the pursuit of accurate information in war’s darkest moments. Law enforcement will continue to investigate, and advocates for press freedom will likely reaffirm the importance of safeguarding journalists amid public controversy.
Summary: An early-morning act of vandalism targeted the Greenwich Village home of NYT editor Joseph Kahn, with red paint and graffiti linked to ongoing protests over the Times’ Israel-Gaza coverage. Police are investigating, with no arrests reported. The incident echoes prior demonstrations against the Times, which has faced fierce criticism and corrections related to Gaza reporting. The building’s historic status and notable residents highlight the symbolic resonance of the location amid a charged public debate about media coverage of the conflict. A hopeful takeaway is the community’s continued commitment to lawful protest and the defense of a free press, as authorities pursue those responsible and outlets continue to report with transparency.