Bill Maher accuses The New York Times of trying to shape Iran war narrative: 'Just report facts'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher took aim at 'The New York Times' during a recent conversation with author and podcast host Sam Harris, accusing the newspaper of shaping public opinion about the Iran war through its editorial choices.

Maher was speaking on 'Club Random Podcast' episode that premiered on March 9. 

He made the comments while discussing media coverage of the conflict and how headlines and imagery can influence readers’ perceptions.

Harris mostly listened as Maher argued that outlets like the Times sometimes guide audiences toward a particular viewpoint rather than simply reporting events.

Bill Maher criticizes NYT's Iran war coverage

During the discussion, Maher pointed to what he said was a specific example of how coverage framed the conflict.

“The second day of the war, The New York Times’ headline was ‘US troops die.’ That was what they led with.”

Maher suggested that while the deaths of American troops were undeniably significant, the way the story was framed ignored other developments he believed were equally important.

“But then, in a country where I’ve read 80 to 90% of the people are thrilled that the Ayatollah is gone, what picture did they put? Picture of people mourning the Ayatollah.”

Maher went on to argue that the choice of imagery reinforced a narrative suggesting the war was unpopular or misguided.

“I can’t believe that somebody at the desk didn’t get, ‘I’ve got a great picture of people dancing in the streets.’ Yeah, we’re gonna go with the 10% who are sorry the Ayatollah is dead because that’s gonna funnel the thought of our readers toward, ‘Oh, this is a bad war to get into.”

According to Maher, such editorial decisions reflect a broader shift in how major outlets operate.

“That, to me, is the difference in what the media does now and what they didn’t used to do. You’re funneling me toward an opinion, whereas I would love it if you just told me what happened.”

Sam Harris gives subtle agreement

Throughout the exchange, Harris initially responded with a few brief acknowledgments before agreeing that the lines between reporting and advocacy have blurred in modern media.

“The boundary between activism and journalism has clearly broken down, I think we'll get to a place where we u rebuild trust in at least some of these institutions but we're not there yet.”

Earlier, Bill Maher had backed strikes against Iran on his show 'Real Time with Bill Maher' saying “I see too many happy Iranian- Americans”.