New York Times drops sponsorship of oil conference after protests

The New York Times has dropped sponsorship of an oil conference after protests by climate activists outside its Manhattan offices. 

The Oil and Money conference is due to take place next month at the InterContinental Hotel on Park Lane in London and will attract executives from the world’s biggest oil companies as well as senior Opec leaders and ministers from fossil fuel-rich Middle Eastern nations.

According to the event’s website, keynote speakers this year will include Bob Dudley, the chief executive of BP, and Ben van Beurden, the boss of Royal Dutch Shell.

A New York Times spokeswoman said the paper had “decided to end its relationship with the Oil and Money conference” because its subject matter “gives us cause for concern,” said a report in the Guardian. 

“We want there to be no question of our independence or even the potential appearance of a conflict
of interest. Over the last several years, [the New YorkTimes] has significantly expanded its reporting on climate change and its impact, as well as broader investigative and explanatory coverage of energy and environmental policy,” the spokeswoman said.

Extinction Rebellion and other green groups staged protests at the newspaper’s headquarters over the summer calling for it to withdraw from the conference and “tell the truth about the climate emergency.”

Extinction Rebellion has also called on the New York Times to include more climate change coverage in its pages and to use “climate emergency language.”