But this paper steadfastly focuses on responsible journalism, irconclad ethics and superb writing. I’ll always be a loyal ally...

This is such an unnatural sentence, it doesn't surprise me at all to see it as complete spin. Its beyond rare to pledge loyalty to a company, when you are leaving it to join a competitor. And Newspapers are so full of conflicts of interest (especially a place as politicised as NYT), that any reference to 'ethics' that is not self-serving is only by coincidence.

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